Je'Terra Bowie, 7th Grader, Faces 180-Day Suspension For Yawning, Accidentally Touching Teacher (VIDEO)

Seventh grader Je'Terra Bowie has been suspended for the past month from Wilkinson Middle School in Detroit for allegedly accidentally touching her teacher as she reached back to stretch, WDIV reports.

"I didn't know she stopped behind me," Bowie told the station. "She stopped, and I stretched back. I turned back and said, 'Sorry. I didn't mean to.'"

After the teacher demanded Bowie leave the classroom, other students wrote letters asserting the incident was an accident.

"It just made me livid," Bowie's mother, Jessica Hunter told WDIV. "How can you suspend a 7th-grade student for 180 days? It's a 7th-grade student."

Although the family is appealing the suspension, the teacher maintains the poke to her inner thigh was not an accident, WNEM reports.

This isn't the only time parents have recently disagreed with school suspensions. Earlier this month, 14-year-old Nick Martinez was given one-day in-school suspension for hugging his female best friend between classes.

"Honestly, I didn't know because I didn't think hugging was a bad thing," he told WKMG. "I didn't know you could get suspended for it."

Like Hunter, Martinez' mom said she planned to challenge school officials on the policy.

WATCH:

Comments

[Lori Merriam]

10:48 AM on 12/09/2011

Wake up Sex Offended America we've gone WAY too far on the pendulum on this! I guess we are all now sex offenders because I can't tell you how many times I've accidently touched someone or they've accidently touched me in public because one of us or both of us were unaware of space. Quit being so anal on sex. We are the most sexually explicit and sexually anal country in the world. Let's get a grip before it's too late!

[Kimberly DuBina]

08:30 AM on 12/09/2011

This hysteria, created by a few parents of murdered children, to pass laws and registries has got to stop! Not only are our teens, and loved ones being charged with s*x crimes, they are going after our young children now! It wasn't enough to convict people for urinating in bushes, married couples "parking", parents taking pics of their children in the bathtub or teen age s*xual behaviors, now we have to go after children??????????? When will the lawmakers understand what they have done? When will the media quit reporting hysteria and false news articles? When all of our citizens start speaking up!

[Lori Merriam]

10:50 AM on 12/09/2011

AMEN!!!

[stepheniegwen]

03:04 PM on 11/28/2011

Holy cow, 180 days?

When I was a senior in high school I received a three day suspension for "inciting a riot" (way overblown, but that's another story).

When I asked the Principal what she was going to do when I showed up for school anyway, she said "Well, no one has ever done that." I ignored my suspension and went to school.

[smrt1]

06:36 PM on 01/04/2012

I only got a day of suspension for forgery when I was a freshman in high school. Even the kids that dared each other to stick their hands in acid didn't get suspended for 180 days!

[KelaMa]

03:09 AM on 11/28/2011

There's more to this story than was written. I teach and believe me, every once in a while you get a child who is a total sociopath. They lie with ease, drum up all sorts of false charges against others, intentionally break small and large rules, and set teachers up to look bad. The parents almost always back up the child too. Sometimes you get kids who just want to mess with teachers and one of the things they like to do is to accidentally on purpose bump or touch the teacher on an embarrassing part of the body. Most of the readers here won't believe me because they are normal and would never think of intentionally touching a person inappropriately but teachers deal with ALL types of people.

[Tracee Collins]

11:44 AM on 12/08/2011

I would be more inclined to believe the majority in this case...that it was accidental. Teacher does't get a free pass, not when there are so many witnesses disputing her claim. Sounds to me like a personal issue with the teacher....

[femmenoir]

04:53 PM on 12/08/2011

When you know who you're dealing with and what they are capable of, don't put yourself in a vulnerable situation. This is exactly what the teacher did, so hopefully she learned from her mistake and will be more mindful of her surroundings in the future.

[DeanWormer]

09:17 PM on 11/27/2011

Je'Terra. What's that short for?

[victoriaj1908]

11:16 AM on 11/29/2011

What does that have to do with anything? Or is that a thinly veiled attempt to make fun of this child's name? Her name could be Newt or Mitt... the point is that she may have been unjustly suspended in a school that seems to hand out excessive punishments for minor or non-existent infractions.

[Tracee Collins]

11:46 AM on 12/08/2011

DEANWORMY--What's THAT short for? (as I look dowwnnnn...)

We can smell bigots on here.

[ifquilt]

08:46 PM on 11/27/2011

I'm gonna guess there is a lot more to this story than being told, or will ever be revealed. Because she is a minor the district cannot reveal any information about the student including prior offences or suspensions.

As for the "hugging" excellent rule in middle school. Kids don't need to be touching eachother at school. Then it escalates into groping or other inapproriate touching, then sexual harassment and on and on. As soon as the kids starts to hate the other kid then they report the incident as bullying or whatever so the kid gets introuble. Jr. High Brats are a tricky animal to work with. We had a parent once teaching girls at our local Jr. High dance how to lap dance. The school had to kick her out of the dance, she was suppose to be chaperoning. The rules are meant to keep everyone safe both physically and emotionally.

[Sheldon archer]

03:20 AM on 11/28/2011

With people thinking like you there is no hope for America. Scared to hug someone. As we say in the UK, What a load of cobbler's. Why should hugging a friend, a natural human action lead to sexual harassment? I am now living in Indonesia and volunteer to help with English teaching at some local schools. None of that rubbish here. Many of the kids run up to me to be hugged because they are naturally affectionate. Luckily they have not been Westernized...UGH

[John Genryu]

08:02 AM on 11/28/2011

"Kids don't need to be touching each other at school. Then it escalates into groping or other inapproria­te touching, then sexual harassment and on and on"

Except for the minor detail that that is utter nonsense. There is absolutely no evidence for this assertion. Only in the US would hugging someone be seen as something that should be punished. And then Americans wonder why they end up with so many dysfunctional families and a system that simply doesn't' care about people except as consumers and passive sheep.

[ifquilt]

03:33 PM on 11/28/2011

hahahaha, you obviously haven't worked in a Jr. High School. I had sixth graders wearing thong underwear under short skirts and a boy was paying other boys
$20 bucks to touch their fannies and other parts. The girls were letting them. You are right, kids are good and honest and would never portray TV or parents. There is not evidence of that anywhere. You are absolutely right! Utter nonsense! hahahaha you are funny man.

[Mack Hopkins]

03:57 PM on 11/27/2011

What a load of crap. Instead of punishing kids for stretching and making accidental contact, punish the trouble-makers who won't stop shouting and messing around in the corners. It seems like the worst kids never even get a slap on the wrist.

[Okey Umez]

09:29 PM on 11/24/2011

The way our teachers have become public enemy number one among some folk, i can't really blame the teacher for launching a preemptive strike. Can you imagine the public ridicule if the teacher was accused of touching a student, accidentally or not. As far as the severity of her suspension, blame it on a mob mentality influence on school policies. These school officials are damned if they do and damned if they dont.

[Dede Eagleburger]

11:57 PM on 11/24/2011

Thank you for saying this Okey!

[Okey Umez]

12:25 AM on 11/25/2011

Truth, no matter how bitter should be told, Dede. We have become a blame society and quite frankly it is sickening. Our society is failing our children, not schools. Parents absolve themselves of parental responsibilties and instead put it on strangers. What the heck do they expect from teachers?. You always hear politicians talk about bad teachers during an election cycle, as if the other professions are immune from incompetence. People simply need to quit the sanctimonious bullpucky.

[foresure]

05:13 PM on 11/24/2011

Might this just be a "student said", "teacher said" story in which we have only heard one side.

And, yes, of course, the 14 year old boy was merely "hugging a good friend" .

[Tracee Collins]

11:53 AM on 12/08/2011

Nahh. The other students offered evidence to support the student's side. If she were a true problem in class, the others would want her gone too, even if they didn't say it out loud. The fact that they wrote in her defense tells me that the teacher overreacted, and may have even had a PERSONAL issue with the student...just didn't like her.

[foresure]

05:28 PM on 12/08/2011

Tracee:

The problem with drawing conclusions from "snippets" in the Huffington Post is that you don't have the facts.

Now I know, that dealing in facts is so, so, 20th century, but still.

[TINA ANDRES]

01:00 PM on 11/24/2011

This story doesn't make any sense. It is illegal for kids not to attend school and the school suspends a student for what amount to an entire year of instruction? Something is missing here and I almost feel stupid for commenting on this article that is so obviously missing the real facts. Where is the interview with the teacher? What exactly does the report of the incident say? Who came to this conclusion for suspension? Why isn't the kid being transferred to another school instead? I don't know why the HuffPo is printing stories like this with so many facts missing.

[jmyinlb]

03:08 PM on 11/24/2011

I have to laugh. I was just thinking those exact thoughts, went to see what other people were thinking and I saw your post. Thanks!

[TINA ANDRES]

03:35 PM on 11/24/2011

Yes, I almost feel like this could be a headline on the National Enquirer!

[shirlcare]

09:33 AM on 11/27/2011

Good thoughts!!! I agree with your comments!!! We are suspending students for things like this; yet, we are trying to promote education? However; we do not know the entire story...Where is the interview with the teacher? Witnesses saw the stretch as well, so was the teacher overreacting, and being very sensitive to the touch? Was the student a trouble maker? So on and so on...Facts are missing here!

[BruntLIVE]

09:46 AM on 11/24/2011

Je'Terra Bowie mom needs to change Je'Terra Bowie first name....now. Society is not and should not deal with a name like that and will throw away her resume. Also you have to understand African Americans have to be PERFECT when dealing with Whites, 24/7. Any deviation from this brings discipline, arrest or worse. It's a threshold only reserved for African Americans because they need to be control and watched at all time before they have a reparation/free slave fit and harm White people.....can't have that.

[americanalien]

02:33 AM on 11/25/2011

That's the exact mentality that some whites have.

[victoriaj1908]

11:18 AM on 11/29/2011

What in the world....

[dollbaby]

02:55 AM on 11/24/2011

Okay now on the count of three all schools will start using common sense!

[Lila Folster]

11:46 AM on 12/09/2011

LOL, I don't think their "system" could take the shock!!

[plmyfinger]

06:47 PM on 11/23/2011

Why are these posted as articles.. HP has been publishing blogs, not articles.
Where is the background info? Did she have prior issues?
The teacher have any prior issues? Any other students involved?
180 days takes suspension to the extreme. A school is more likely to expel someone then suspend for 180 days,

[JackHood]

04:14 PM on 11/24/2011

That is expulsion. 180 days would the rest of the year.

[Ty Thompson]

05:32 PM on 11/23/2011

She's better off in home schooling anyway, a lot higher percentage go on to finish college.

[outasite]

11:48 PM on 11/23/2011

Reform in public education should be the goal. Most parents haven't the time or money to make home education possible. Not to mention the effects on the childs social skills.

[Ty Thompson]

09:45 AM on 11/24/2011

All the information I could find points towards home schooled children having better social skills, a few studies were done that indicated this as well. No doubt the studies ceased to be funded when they didn't point in the desired direction. The truth is they learn to socially interact more maturely, are more resistant to peer pressure, do much better academically and are less likely to suffer depression, drug use etc. A well behaved 10 year old that is socially more mature than his counterparts, not running around screaming and throwing things like a 4 or 5 year old, is viewed as a positive. That is, until it's revealed that he's home schooled, suddenly he's labeled as sullen and socially backward because he's not running around and screaming like a preschooler.
The only thing pointing to lacking social skills are snarky websites as an assumption, legal ruses to stop home schooling and a few rare but overly publicized cases of reclusive nutjobs that cage their kids.

[foresure]

11:12 PM on 11/24/2011

outasite:

You are absolutely right.

"Most parents haven't the time or money to make home education possible".

But let me add to that "haven't the time, money, or desire to have much to do with raising their children once they are no longer "really cute".

Let me also add that if the parents do not read on a regular basis, never write, never enter into any meaningful talk with their children or spouse, except to argue and cajole them. how in the world are they going to teach them.

If they couldn't state what .001 means, they are not likely to be capable of home schooling.

I have no idea what percentage of parents are have sufficient knowledge or motivation to feed their children a nutruitious breakfast, lunch, let alone a family dinner.

How many parents know that they could buy enough very lean meat to make four 1/4 quarter pounders for a dollar each? I would think less than half.

What is needed is fulltime, voluntary, neighborhood boarding schools, that take care of the children's needs. Paid for from money saved from the Criminal Justice System and Medicaid.

[atc8181]

01:20 AM on 11/24/2011

where did you get that wrong information

[Ty Thompson]

09:04 AM on 11/24/2011

It's not, home schoolers consistently outscore public and private school. The most recent I found without searching too hard, from 2009:

1st year GPA:
Public:3.12
Catholic:3.12
Private:3.13
Home:3.41

4th year GPA:
Public:3.16
Catholic:3.13
Private:3.18
Home:3.46

4 year graduation:
Public:58.6%
Catholic:54.2%
Private:51.5%
Home:66.7%

All previous years showed similarly wide differences, little room for statistical errors. Higher ACT and SAT scores as well, the information is all over, even in the Dept of Education documents.

"Homeschool students did quite well in 1998 on the ACT college entrance examination. They had an average ACT composite score of 22.8, which is .38 standard deviations above the national ACT average of 21.0. This places the average home school student in the 65th percentile of all ACT test takers. And the average homeschooler scored in the 75th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills; the 50th percentile marked the national average (Rudner). The average SAT score for homeschoolers in 2000 was 1100, compared with 1019 for the general population (Cloud)."

[Gerald OHare]

05:25 PM on 11/23/2011

I was an educator for 30 years and there is more to this story than what is being told. I NEVER heard of a 180 day suspension. If the teacher was hit by the student then just call the police. There is something that is not being said here and I would like to hear more real facts and not just a story from a child. Does this child have a history of suspension or acting out behavior? If not then who in their right mind would make a first suspension 180 days long? Something is wrong here.

[JackHood]

04:16 PM on 11/24/2011

Yeah, the thing wrong is apparently you retired before this sort of crap started nearly nationwide.

[Dede Eagleburger]

12:01 AM on 11/25/2011

No, this 'sort of crap' doesn't happen everywhere...not here at least!