http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,101160,00.html
Student Expelled Over Story Allowed to Return
Friday, October 24, 2003
ATLANTA — School officials will allow a freshman honors student to return to school on Monday after originally expelling her over a fictional story she wrote in her journal that describes a student who kills a teacher and then is fatally shot.
"That decision has been put on hold so the superintendent can review the facts in the case," said system spokeswoman Susan Hale on Friday. "Then he could make a recommendation to the board of education."
After newspaper and broadcast reports about student Rachel Boim (search)'s expulsion, the Fulton County School Board said Friday it will make an official decision at its meeting on Nov. 13 on whether to uphold the suspension or allow the Roswell High School student to return to school for good.
Boim, 14, was expelled Wednesday after a three-hour hearing with Fulton County school system officials.
The expulsion came despite the support of Boim [who will appear on Hannity & Colmes Friday at 9 p.m. EDT] and her parents by Georgia poet laureate David Bottoms (search).
Bottoms argued unsuccessfully that Rachel's private journal entry was a narrative that grew out of creative thought: "This piece of work is clearly an imaginative piece, a piece of fiction -- totally nonthreatening," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for a Friday story.
Hale said the expulsion was for "inappropriate writings that describe the threat of bodily harm toward a school employee."
The journal was confiscated by a teacher on Oct. 7 during an art class as Boim was passing it to a friend.
Boim's parents, who said their daughter's writing did not name a specific teacher, describe their daughter as a gifted writer and not someone with violent intentions.
Student Expelled Over Story Allowed to Return
Friday, October 24, 2003
ATLANTA — School officials will allow a freshman honors student to return to school on Monday after originally expelling her over a fictional story she wrote in her journal that describes a student who kills a teacher and then is fatally shot.
"That decision has been put on hold so the superintendent can review the facts in the case," said system spokeswoman Susan Hale on Friday. "Then he could make a recommendation to the board of education."
After newspaper and broadcast reports about student Rachel Boim (search)'s expulsion, the Fulton County School Board said Friday it will make an official decision at its meeting on Nov. 13 on whether to uphold the suspension or allow the Roswell High School student to return to school for good.
Boim, 14, was expelled Wednesday after a three-hour hearing with Fulton County school system officials.
The expulsion came despite the support of Boim [who will appear on Hannity & Colmes Friday at 9 p.m. EDT] and her parents by Georgia poet laureate David Bottoms (search).
Bottoms argued unsuccessfully that Rachel's private journal entry was a narrative that grew out of creative thought: "This piece of work is clearly an imaginative piece, a piece of fiction -- totally nonthreatening," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for a Friday story.
Hale said the expulsion was for "inappropriate writings that describe the threat of bodily harm toward a school employee."
The journal was confiscated by a teacher on Oct. 7 during an art class as Boim was passing it to a friend.
Boim's parents, who said their daughter's writing did not name a specific teacher, describe their daughter as a gifted writer and not someone with violent intentions.
