Case Studies with Questions and Answers
Chapter 14: The Juvenile Justice System
Every year the students at Sam Houston High School nominate ten girls to go on the Homecoming Queen ballot. There is much excitement and campaigning going on during the weeks that lead up to the nomination vote. But this year, there is even more to talk about than what the girls will be wearing to Homecoming this year. A young man has decided to throw his hat in the ring. At Sam Houston High School and Homecoming King is not voted for. Each girl on the nomination ballot picks an escort, but the escorts do not receive votes. Only the girl. This has never been an issue of contention among students, but again, this year is different.
The young man who is campaigning for Homecoming Queen thinks that it is unfair that the boys do not get a chance to run for the Homecoming Court. To get around this, he and a group of his friends decide to campaign and get him on the Homecoming Court as one of the possible Queens.
This development upsets many students, faculty, and parents. They see it as an abomination to nominate a teenage boy for Queen. The Queen has traditionally been a female, and they want to see that this remains so. To them, it is an affront to their faith to allow this to happen. They decide to stage a protest around the flag pole during school on the Friday that the final vote is taking place. They stand around the pole and pray and hold up signs in protest of this young man's inclusion on the Homecoming ballot. The school does nothing to stop the protest that day. When the students return to school on Monday, they learn they will be suspended for their protest. Incidentally, the boy did not win Homecoming Queen.