Answer

Dear egwene,

 

I"m sorry your son is going through this - it is a tough lesson to learn, being accused of wrongdoing he didn't do. Just keep in mind, it may be the first, but probably won't be the last, particularly if he is a leader with potential.

 

If he is not a follower, you are probably right, that he is not the perferred cadet. As you may know, military demands absolute obedience, so it may be that he is not cut out for that. (Not necessarily a bad thing!)

 

If this were happening to my son, being slandered, I would read all of the contractual rights to being in ROTC, including the due process he is entitled to before any determinations effecting his ROTC status can be made. For instance, is he entitled to be heard? To have a hearing? To submit evidence? As you said, he devoted 3 years to the program and does not want to lose that. I would also look into whether you are provided with a grievance procedure through your school district. If I hadn't already done so, I would be meeting with the superintendant and the board of educationw with my concerns.

 

You may be aware that many schools are phasing out JROTC nationwide, due to varying complaints.

 

Now, if an individual is defaming your son, then you could file a suit against him for damages, and if those damages include your son losing his JROTC privileges, then I would include that.

 

Finally, consider getting counseling for your son, if he is having difficulties coping with this unfair setback. His grades are very important and if he has difficulty coping with this stress, counseling may give him tools he needs to learn how to properly cope and put is all into perspective.

 

If I am to understand correctly, this happened a while ago, enough time ago that your son has noticeably suffered lower grades. Given the time frame, if they haven't booted him from the program yet, it may very well be that they are not going to - he only has a few morth months of highschool, so with some independant counseling, etc., he may be able to recoup in short order, and graduate. That is the saving grace of the situation, if he above measures don't get you far. Gossip is hard to stop and short of actionable defamation, it is not illegal. If is remains limited to gossip, your son will learn much about the damages about gossip, about how accusations, however, false, can be damaging, etc., and I suspect in the long run it will be a lesson he will gain from (including the lesson that unfair things happen to all of us all the time, it can be shocking to a young person when it first happens to him, but it may make him stronger and more prepared for life's difficulties in the future.) Good luck here.

 

 

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