2 Mesa students forced to hold hands as punishment for fighting

[AlphaCentauri]

Two East Valley high school students were forced to hold hands in front of their classmates as punishment for fighting. Now that punishment is drawing criticism.

The students at Westwood High in Mesa were apparently given the option to hold hands instead of being suspended.

"Kids were laughing at them and calling them names asking, 'are you gay,'" said student Brittney Smyers, who saw the punishment play out at the school earlier this week.

"It was funny," said student Mickey Shull. "I've been in ROTC and it's no different than some of the stuff you have to do there. It works."

Most students at the school thought the punishment was better than getting suspended. They acknowledged it was humiliating but thought it would teach them a lesson.

A picture of the teenagers hiding their faces was posted to Facebook where several comments criticized the punishment saying it was inappropriate.

One person commented, saying it encourages bullying because the kids were targeted for taunting and name-calling.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/education/article_6f027272-3aa9-11e2-acc0-0019bb2963f4.html

[Sadiedog]

1. I agree this was not an appropriate punishment. nt

[wake.up.america]

2. I agree. Can't see what this accomplished. Perhaps an attempt at discussing their differences with a

mediator would have been more effective.

[Mothdust]

3. yup. they don't get it

The message is that the worst thing in the entire world is a boy holding hands with a boy. Irony, they do it all the time in the middle east : )

[Mothdust]

4. males holding hands while strolling

That is, in the middle east they do that normally, not as punishment

[Spirochete]

5. Seems to me that

that would more than likely turn into a power-squeeze contest, followed immediately by another flurry of punch exchanging.