Parent Responds to Titusville Suspensions Over ‘Harlem Shake’

By  //  February 24, 2013

OPINION

ABOVE VIDEO: Ultimate Harlem Shake Compilation

BREVARD COUNTY • TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – Earlier this week, Titusville High School suspended members for the baseball team for producing their own version of the national viral video phenomenon “Harlem Shake.”  

Today, we received a statement from a parent of one of the  players on the team.

“It’s absolutely absurd that the school resorted to such extreme measures without following their own “inappropriate behavior” discipline guidelines. Yes maybe a couple of the boys went a little too far as to being dressed in slider shorts (which are not considered undergarments) and another was in boxers, but that in no way should have resulted in them getting kicked off the team! They are all really good kids and now because of a little spoof video, one of them could have their futures in jeopardy with scholarships. I believe that Principle Lori Spinner has lost touch with our youth and does not belong as a principle in a high school. I am glad to help all the parents with appeals in any way I can!”

– Heather Reynolds, mother of Chris Reynolds

Reynold’s son wasn’t among the players who participated in the video, but the concerned mother is vocalizing her support for the suspended players via Facebook and e-mails to local media.

To contribute comments on our Facebook post about this story, click HERE.

Below, we’ve posted screenshots of Heather Reynolds’ Facebook posts regarding this issue.

 

 

 

9 Comments

  1. These are all great kids, from great families, being punished by a principal who has no clue
    about the quality and character of the kids at her school. She has a one strike and your out policy that she will not deviate from. This should not even be considered a strike against these kids, it was just boys being boys, or maybe just a bunch of “foul balls” having some team fun!

    To say it was on school property is a reach too. The field is located several blocks west of the school in a neighborhood that Mrs. Spinner has probably never been in or will! The student body is fired up and will not let this injustice go. I am proud of the students for rallying together for a cause that they know is worth standing up for, to an administration that does not support athletics. A school leader should be involved in all facets of these kid’s high school activities and that is not happening at THS. Titusville High School has been around a long time and the students deserve better treatment.

  2. I am a 1966 graduate of Titusville High School. While I have not seen the video, it’s my understanding that the school is taking the stand that there were “inappropriate gestures” on the video. And you are kicking the players off the team for that? I’m stunned. I will be happy to loan my annuals from 1965 or 1966 in which you will find “inappropriate gestures” in several of the pictures that made it into the yearbook. As I recall, it was kind of a “game” for some of the students (yes, boys) to try to slip in a “shooting the bird” picture just to see if the staff would catch it. Not only did the pictures make it in to the yearbook, but not ONE of the students was suspended or kicked off a team for doing it. I’m sure that they were reprimanded, but that was the extent of it. Lighten up!

  3. I live in Titusville Florida….. I think it’s an insult to Harlem to attempt to do this thing called “The Harlem Shake …. The facts of the matter is that nobody is doing it right and it is offending the ppl of Harlem and its an old dance done by a dude from Harlem and what these kids today are doing isn’t the Harlem shake… Do your research. With that said…. Suspension from a baseball team is a little excessive IMO…. I graduated from THS in the 90’s after a yr at Miami Gardens, one at astronaut and when I got to THS it was ass backwards to say the least but coming from Jackson Jr High n all the racial fights THS rules and views are jus plain rediculous …. Sometimes you have to weigh your option…. Ruin a kids future or turn ur head the other way over this puny video…. Common man the principle of THS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HERSELF.

  4. Kids on sports teams should not get preferential treatment….just fair treatment ! What about the slider shorts? Football teams practice in slider shorts all the time without being kicked off the team. Have some knowledge of the situation before you post idiotic comments.

  5. i think it is about time someone holds our young adults accountable for their actions. Today it is doing “gestures” in slider pants tomorrow it will be something worse because there were no consequences for their actions

  6. Young adults should be held accountable for their actions when there is something to be held accountable for ! I have seen the video and laughed at it. When someone said the boys were being diciplined for making this video, I could not believe it. Boys will be boys and do some off the wall things at times, but don’t take away a kids senior season because of a silly video. Making a mountain out of a mole hill is a realistic way to describe the way THS administrators handled this situation.

  7. I can not BELIEVE that there is an actual debate going on about this. If principles are hired to run a dam school, they should be at LEAST living in the same “year” the rest of the world is. For crying out loud, a harmless video and these kids are getting suspended?? I can tell you of TWO cases in the last 3 weeks where students have gone to the dean to report bullying in one of our public high schools and those students were responded to with “Is that all?”…….and dismissed because he was “busy”. The “is that all” subject was a girl getting FOOD thrown at her, while her classmates watched, and the little brat who threw the food made sure to make fun of her and call her names in front of a room full of people also. No suspension there. Not even a ‘talking to’.
    Yet these athletes are disciplined for making a harmless video??
    And to “Nancy”….what society do you live in? What YEAR? Seriously, these guys PRACTICE in these shorts all the time. Are you insinuating that making a video in “slider shorts” today, is some kind of “gateway” to a crime or something?? I don’t get it. This is absolutely absurd. WAKE UP BREVARD COUNTY!! OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM IS GOING TO CRAP!!

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