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We learned a little bit more yesterday about Jeff Bliss, the Duncanville High School student whose blistering classroom rant against uninspired teachers seems to have struck a nerve. He’s 18, but he’s only a high school sophomore, having dropped out of school for a year. He’s new to, and not yet very good at, Twitter. His mom is proud.
See also: Watch a Duncanville Teen Deliver a Blistering Classroom Sermon on Lazy Teachers
We also learned something about Duncanville ISD, which has dealt with the situation in a surprisingly measured way. They initially released a statement reading, “We want our students and teachers to be engaged, but the method by which the student expressed his concern could have been handled in a more appropriate way.”
Superintendent Alfred Ray reiterated that sentiment in an interview with Fox 4.
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“I would tell you that the conversation that Mr. Bliss had is a conversation we love our students to have with their teachers,” he said. “I think the setting and the tone could have very well been different. I think that Mr. Bliss probably understands that himself, but I tell you that our core beliefs value all of the individuals in our district and we value the input Jeff has as we would for every student in our district.”
And they acted accordingly. The district opted not to punish Bliss. His teacher on the other hand has been placed on paid administrative leave while the district investigates the circumstances that led up to Bliss’ diatribe, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Both decisions seem designed to let the Internet’s attention quietly drift away. They also seem pretty reasonable.
