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Rio Rancho School District and its high schools, RRHS (the largest in New Mexico) and Independence High, were established in the late 1990s with major funding from Intel Corporation, the largest employer in Rio Rancho, a relatively new city located north-west of Albuquerque. Reports in the Albuquerque Journal and Tribune cited RRHS principal Tripp as stating that he intends to ask Intel Corp and the Bank of America for guidance in addressing what he identifies as ?racial conflict? problems at RRHS.

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ADMINISTRATION BUILDING PRINCIPAL GARY TRIPP 896-560*
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING SECRETARY LINDA CDE BACA 896-560*

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The penknife at issue is just over one inch long and was given to Kara by her parents because she had recently misplaced her house key. Kara's mother's employer had distributed the key ring, with a miniature flashlight and penknife attached, as a promotional item. The Swiss Army style penknife also contains a plastic toothpick, tweezers, nailfile and scissors.

In addition to improperly notifying Williams of the prohibition against penknives, the ACLU claims that the school district violated Williams' constitutional right to due process by judging her according to a "zero tolerance policy" that is not written or made available to families. "Kara had no chance at a fair suspension hearing," Gagne said. "The school refused to consider any circumstances of Kara's particular case because of a zero tolerance policy that doesn't exist. Kara was suspended without a defense."

At the suspension hearing Principal Tripp and Vice Principal Belmore testified that the zero tolerance policy prohibits consideration by any school official or administrator of any circumstances regarding a student's possession of a "weapon" no matter how small and no matter what the circumstances. The administrators stated that the policy prohibits school authorities from exercising any discretion. Therefore, the school would not consider any of Kara's circumstances including the fact that she had no violent history; that she had never threatened anyone; that she had never displayed the penknife; and that she did not present a risk of safety or threaten the students or staff. The ACLU views such actions by the school administration as irrational, arbitrary and capricious and in violation of Kara's Substantive Due Process rights.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? Two Albuquerque high school teachers and a counselor disciplined after putting up anti-war literature ?have been vindicated? under an agreement between the school district and the American Civil Liberties Union, their attorney says.

?I think our clients are winners,? said ACLU attorney Jane Gagne. ?I think [the school district] wins, too, because they have learned the importance of allowing teachers to voice their opinions in a positive, educational way.?
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Teachers Carmelita Roybal of Rio Grande High School and Allen Cooper of Highland High and counselor Ken Tabish of Albuquerque High were suspended without pay temporarily and given letters of reprimand in March for refusing to remove from their classrooms or offices anti-war literature on the U.S. war against Iraq.

The ACLU?s lawsuit on their behalf alleged the school district and several of its officials violated the trio?s rights to free speech and equal protection.

The ACLU said the school district ordered the removal of the anti-war material after receiving anonymous complaints, although the material had been up for some time ? in one case, for at least two months.

The settlement requires the district to repay the trio two days? pay, remove the letters of reprimand from their files and pay their attorney fees and costs.

Another teacher, Francesca Tuoni of Albuquerque High, also was part of the lawsuit, although she complied with officials? demands that she remove a peace rally flier to avoid suspension, the ACLU said.

?Our clients? rights have been vindicated,? Gagne said.

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Bill Nevins breathed an enormous sigh of relief last month when his 23-year-old son, Liam, returned from Baghdad, where he had been a squad leader in the 82nd Airborne Division.

The Albuquerque schoolteacher brims with pride when speaking of his son. "Becoming a ranger is like getting the Ph.D. of soldiering," Nevins said. "Liam had already served in Afghanistan. We had many moments when our hearts were in our throats."

While his son was serving in Afghanistan, Nevins never told him about the troubles he was having at home in New Mexico. "I didn't want him worrying about me," he said.

(from the May 8th Santa Fe New Mexican)

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Revolution X
-- Courtney Butler

Bush said no child would be left behind
And yet kids from inner-city schools
Work on Central Avenue
Jingling cans that read
Please sir, may I have some more?

They hand out diplomas like toilet paper
And lower school standards
Because
Underpaid, unrespected teachers
Are afraid of losing their jobs
Funded by the standardised tests
That shows our competency
When I'm in detox.

This is the Land of the Free ...
Where the statute of limitations for rape is only five damn years!
And immigrants can't run for President.
Where Muslims are hunted because
Some suicidal men decided they didn't like
Our arrogant bid for modern imperialism.

This is the Land of the Free ...
You drive by a car whose
Bumper screams
God bless America!
Well, you can scratch out the B
And make it Godless
Because God left this country a long time ago.

The founding fathers made this nation
On a dream and now
Freedom of Speech
Lets Nazis burn crosses, but
Calls police to
Gay pride parades.

We somehow
Can afford war with Iraq
But we can't afford to pay the teachers
Who educate the young who hold the guns
Against the "Axis of Evil"

Land of the Free ...
This is the land
If you're politically assertive
They call you a traitor and
Damn you to ostracism.
Say good-bye to Johnny Walker Lindh
And his family.

Bye Bye.
American Pie.

So maybe
My ideas about this nation
Don't resolve around perfection
But at least I know
Education is more important
Than money.

Land of the Free . . .
If this was utopia
We'd have to see each other naked
Before we got married
But instead, we see each other naked all the time
Because the government has my social security number
And the name of my dog!
And then we make babies,
But don't worry, they won't be left behind
And they grow up saying
God bless America!

But they don't know who Bush is
Because they never learned the Presidents.
And they will ride the ship Amistad
To our dreamland shores
Bearing the same shackles as us.

I'm here to say that
Generation X
Is pissed and we are taking over,
Ripping down the American illusion of perfection
We are the future generation
I have my qualifications
I know it looks like Angel Soft paper,
But don't worry
It's a diploma
Do I look qualified?
You can take our toilet paper,
But you can't take our Revolution.

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