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KP students cry foul
BY RICK FOSTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Saturday, February 10, 2007 12:18 AM EST


Casey Sughrue of Plainville, a senior at King Philip Regional High School, said state Sen. Scott Browns remarks have been the talk of the school since he met with students earlier in the week. (Staff photo by MARK STOCKWELL)




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WRENTHAM - State Sen. Scott Brown acknowledged reading online student comments that included profanities to a high school class, saying student postings on a facebook.com page critical of his anti-gay marriage stand portrayed him as a devil and contained "inappropriate and vulgar" statements about him and his family.

Some of the comments from students at King Philip Regional High School reportedly were aimed at Brown's daughter, Ayla, former "American Idol" finalist and now a student at Boston College.

Brown said Friday he repeated two profanities and gave the names of students who authored the comments, but was only reading back what students had posted on the Web site. The Republican senator spoke to 80 to 100 students Thursday in the school library.

Brown said he spent less than two minutes addressing the students' comments before going on to talk about the legislative process, stem cell research, political divisiveness and other topics of general interest. However, a school spokesperson said the one-hour discussion focused primarily on the gay rights issue.

One of the students who wrote comments on facebook.com admitted in an e-mail to a reporter that his comments regarding Brown and homosexuality were "not the most classy," but were intended to be satirical. He called Brown's reaction in class "childish."
Brown said he found nothing humorous.

"I've never been portrayed as a devil with horns and a pitchfork before," Brown said, adding he was particularly upset about remarks that referred to his family.

Nonetheless, teachers who were present during Brown's remarks asked him to stop, and the senator said he agreed to "move on."

School officials were upset by Brown's remarks as well.

"References to profanity and student names is inappropriate in a school setting," said Superintendent Richard Robbat. He said Brown apologized to him and to school Principal Elaine Hanson following the speech.

Robbat added that one of the teachers in the library interrupted the presentation to announce in front of students that the use of profanity is unacceptable.

Brown, who opposes gay marriage, said he requested time to speak to King Philip students several weeks ago after receiving e-mails from constituents concerned about an earlier discussion that reportedly involved a pro-gay rights history teacher. However, Brown said he did not learn of the facebook.com entries until he was tipped off by a resident on Wednesday.

The teacher did not return a phone call from a reporter Friday. In an e-mail, teacher Joe Ferreira referred questions to Robbat.

Robbat said the school's policy concerning debate of controversial issues specifies an objective approach with emphasis on documentation and analysis. The superintendent declined to comment on the teacher involved.

Referring to the gay marriage issue, Brown said he passed out to the students printed copies of both pro and con e-mails he received in reaction to his position, as well as material from facebook.com.
"I said some people love my stance, some people hate my stance and apparently there are some people here (at King Philip) who hate me," Brown said.

He read from facebook.com comments, and referred to some writers by name.

Some students reacted angrily to Brown's presentation.

"Sen. Brown's use of curse words from the facebook page was completely uncalled for," one girl wrote in an e-mail. "He could have left those words out."

One male student said some students cried after being pointed out as the author of e-mails.

"That's outrageous," Brown said. "If they shed tears, it's because they were laughing."

He said some students approached him after the speech to thank him and said they did not agree with the comments left on facebook.com.

Brown said he also received some e-mails critical of his performance from parents and students. However, he said he has received many more supportive e-mails from around the country as a result of widespread news accounts.
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proud 2 b KP wrote on Feb 10, 2007 11:13 PM:

" the fact that many high schoolers use vulgar language in their daily lives does not excuse scott brown from stooping to such a level. 2 wrongs don't make a right... an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. i would hope that a state politician has the capacity to be a bigger person than the average high school student. "

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KP Student wrote on Feb 10, 2007 10:26 PM:

" although many of you parents thingk that its all sunshine and daisies in your childrens lives, its not. HS Students use language more vulgar than you could imagine. For students to cry foul and act "offended" by these statements is simple a cry for attention and a chance to get in the mix with some headlines. Face the facts people, Scott Brown isnt the one who needs to fix his act, its all of you. "

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Supports the Kids wrote on Feb 10, 2007 10:17 PM:

" The Senator is a hateful bigot. Thank God these kids recognized that right away! "

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parent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 9:24 PM:

" As a friend of the Poe family, I will be sure to pass on this incident to Heather. Heather Poe is Mary Cheney's partner. I'm sure Dick Cheney can pass on the ignorant and unstable actions of Scott Brown. On my trip to DC I will also be visiting with the D'Alesandro family of Baltimore, better known to everyone as the paternal side to Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi. Botox or not, she'll raise her eyebrows to this disturbing event in Wrentham. Sun Chronicle, better keep this post open. There's more to this story than Scott ever imagined! "

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Humphrey Bogart wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:45 PM:

" Does anyone remember The Caine Mutiny? Remember how Humphrey Bogart descended into insanity? Scott Brown's defense will be temporary insanity. Shame on you, Scott for lowering yourself so. YOu'd better pull the clickers out of your pocket.(You had to see the movie) "

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Cheryl Jacques wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:41 PM:

" Does anyone recall what he said about Cheryl Jacques when she and her partner adopted a child? He called the situation "not normal" for two women to have a baby; Chery's role in the relationship as her "alleged family responsibilities". Scottie's history of putting his foot in his mouth and now this display at KP? Pretty boy or not, you've reached the end of your rope. Bye, bye Scottie. "

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kpstudent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:38 PM:

" let people be who they are. except everyone "

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parent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:36 PM:

" All I can say is that I cannot accept the arrogance of Scott Brown. His true colors were shown and I for one don't like them at all. I find his words frightening. He doesn't know what he did was wrong. In spite of what Peter Torkildsen said, he is all done. Party chairmen always handle one of their own this way. Scott will be culled from the herd. He bought his own kiss of death. "

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Military wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:21 PM:

" This is not the type of outburst of a person who has his emotions in control. Scott Brown would not have made a good soldier. He is a disgrace to the discipline of the military. He is like the soldiers who break down and get involved in mass murders. He can't check his temper and he shouldn't be our senator. The arrogance and short sightedness will kill his political career maybe not over this incident but another. Temporary insanity is his defense I guess. "

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Stay away from KP wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:54 PM:

" In an interview with the Boston Globe, Superintendent Robbat declined to comment when asked if Scott Brown would be invited to KP again. I say no. You don't even think enough of KP to send your children there. No wonder you had no problem attacking KP students. Oh by the way, ask any parent who has children who attended Noble....they've all had enough of Scott Brown, the legend in his own mind. "

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Scott Brown & family need to toughen up wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:48 PM:

" The Brown family, all of them, thrust themselves into the public eye constantly. Do you think the Kennedy family attacks all the people who have said things against them in the past. If you can't take the heat in the kitchen get out. You and your entire family crave to stand out and bask in the limelight. Toughen up! "

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Mark wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:21 PM:

" Poor little waifs. So the KPS kids have raunchy mouths, no class, no education, no manners. Gee whiz. I wonder just where from which loins these fruits sprung? I love the reaction from the parents who blame the legislator! LOL!!! Needn't look any further for the defect than that! "

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John wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:00 PM:

" For parent of KP student: Lets be accurate, the "Statements" weren't Sen. Browns...he was reading vulgar statements placed by students. I think that makes a big difference. I'm also not sure private / public school comments are very relevant. They sound more like personal animosity against people who choose to send their children to private schools. Do you criticize everyone who does this or, perhaps, just Sen. Brown? "

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frank d wrote on Feb 10, 2007 5:45 PM:

" good for scott brown!!!!!!!! kp cowards, send them to fight in iraq! we have lost to many good kids! sometimes you have say what's on your mind, with out sugar coat!!! to bad we don't have a president as honest!!!!!! ps send history teacher too!!!!!!! "

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Beth Ware wrote on Feb 10, 2007 4:55 PM:

" I lived in Wrentham all my life until I was 20 but I moved away because I don't care for the small town thinking that led to individuals being ostracized because they were in circumstances that were beyond their control. Wrentham is not exactly "Mayberry" but consists of mostly conservative people who have never been accepting of those who were different, but not hurting anyone. "

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parent of kp student wrote on Feb 10, 2007 4:15 PM:

" I was shocked when I found out this was allowed to happen. Yes kids should be responsible for what they put on the internet, and shame on their parent's for not monitoring their actions. Not all parent's let their kids get away with things like this, and as a voter I will not let Scott Brown get away with his words either. My child who is a senior will be voting also at the next election. I have already heard it will not be for Scott Brown. Scott, would you ever say those words in your children's private school? Or do you save your vulgur statements for the public school children? "

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KP Student wrote on Feb 10, 2007 3:44 PM:

" The fact of the matter that everyone needs to realize is that the students who thought they were bold enough to slander Mr. Brown need to be able to own up to it. I believe he helped prove a valuable point in that the kids who are soon to become voters, half of them are not merely mature enough to handle things reasonably, anyone who expresses thier legitimate opinions by swearing needs to be aknowledged, Scott Brown did just that and taught kids a valuable lesson. I for one am a Senior at Kinh Philip and think there is no problem with what he's done. King Philip students have used and heard much worse language used and only want to blow this out of proportion because they think theyre going to make headlines. Grow up and calm down everyone. "

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a student wrote on Feb 10, 2007 3:35 PM:

" As a student at king philip high school I would just like to explain my feelings which I believe can be applied to most of the student body. Yes, kids say inappropriate things online that they would never say to someone’s face... so do many adults. But the comments were not only read to the students who wrote them, but to other students who were not involved in the facebook group and who were looking forward to an intelligent discussion of the gay rights issue. Instead, they were the victims of an emotional and nonobjective tirade by a man many look up to and admire. As a father and a politician Scott brown should have known better. He should of stuck to the purpose of him coming which was a good idea and could have turned out quite well if he had handled it correctly. I would also like to say that a public figure should be able to handle a certain amount of criticism... this is their job. We trust them to not lose their cool. But to take out his frustration on students that can't even vote? That’s just wrong. He would be appalled if that happened at his own kids school (his kids do not go to KP.) the article neglected to mention that brown concealed profane letters received at his office in packets which he handed out. The letters were hidden under issues of the Scott brown newsletter. These profane letters were not written by KP students; therefore the argument saying that students were only exposed to their own profanities in my view is incorrect. I would also like to correct some things in the sun chronicle article. Scott brown used more than two profane words in his presentation. Scott brown also focused primarily on the facebook issue. His denial that students were crying is simply that... denial. A lot of people were shaken up and upset. If the community has lost respect for Scott brown it is only understandable. All of this uproar could have been avoided in the first place, but now the only thing for him to do is admit that he was wrong as any mature adult should be able to do. "

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Aghast wrote on Feb 10, 2007 2:54 PM:

" Let's take an objective view and see that this man went ballastic because a few high school students poked fun at him. This is not the stuff of someone who's been promoted to lieutenant colonel. This is a toy soldier playing bully in the kids' yard. "

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Get Real people wrote on Feb 10, 2007 2:22 PM:

" Let's get over the language issue. I am sure the kids in the session have used far worse. As far as calling out the student...good for him... these websites allow people to say anything to anyone... Scott Brown is getting trashed because we are too afraid to say what we really feel. This is what decades of PC get us. It's also why we are mocked by the rest of the country. "

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Grandfather wrote on Feb 10, 2007 2:06 PM:

" Schools in Massachusetts are so used to mollycoddling their students, and keeping them from accepting responsability for any of their actions, they freak out when someone says what's on their mind. I'm sure Scott Brown didn't say any words the kids don't use themselves, every day, in their normal conversation. I'm sure they were "shocked". I worked in a local school system, and couldn't believe what the students got away with. The teachers would rather ignore the students behavior, and attack Sen. Brown for quoting them, rather than deal with the real issues of undiciplined students and their "anything goes" teachers. If anyone needs to grow up, it's the Wrentham teachers and school department "

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Punished Ignoble wrote on Feb 10, 2007 1:49 PM:

" As an elitist state senator who's opted for private tuition rather than stick his daughters with the rest of us rabble, what's next? Another public thrashing in OUR school? Is this the kind of cool, calm and collected guy we need to represent us and send our people to war? Maybe he ought to test for the next space shuttle............ "

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Wrentham Parent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 1:10 PM:

" Sen. Brown attacked the very children that he and the media have ignored for 18 months. KP students are awesome, and our KP band has toiled for decades to be the best in the nation. Maybe some are fed-up with Mr. Brown's right-wing oppressive opinions, tough, that's par for the political arena. I say yeah to our children's voices being heard. It's about time we separate our celebrities from our true role models. "

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Parent/Voter wrote on Feb 10, 2007 12:38 PM:

" Good for you Sen. Brown. I suggest parents read MySpace or Facebook and look at the comments these punks write on these websites and stop coddling their kids. If they believe they can write this stuff, he is certainly within his right to expose it for what it is. The kids are probably crying because they got caught. Grow up and accept responsibility! "

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Brown-an internet violator himself wrote on Feb 10, 2007 12:25 PM:

" Brown was in the news several years ago when he allegedly wrote romantic emails to a woman in town. This was in the Sun Chronicle so I'm not talking out of terms here-check your achives. Why can't we act like adults but when we do make a mistake, please be big enough to admit it instead of making it always the other guy's fault? "

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Two Words for Brown wrote on Feb 10, 2007 12:16 PM:

" Mentally Unstable "

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Little Ears wrote on Feb 10, 2007 11:38 AM:

" I don't know what the kids put on the internet about Brown and his family but if they listen to the buzz from parents that I've heard parents say, I can just imagine. You have to live in Wrentham to understand what goes on behind the scenes. Shame on the parents in Wrentham. Clean up your act. "

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student/voter wrote on Feb 10, 2007 10:45 AM:

" How does Scott Brown deal with the adults that say things about him. When he receives letters from the people he represents does he go out of his way to call them out and humiliate them? No he does not, so why would he bother with teenage kids? Pick on someone your own age! "

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concerned parent/voter wrote on Feb 10, 2007 10:23 AM:

" I moved to Wrentham in 1996 met & immediately liked Scott. Have heard stories about Scott & family.Some hit the local news. Didn't care about the rumors. Voted for him anyway but talk about "shock & awe". I've met the saturation point. No more; no more. "

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a parent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 9:41 AM:

" Who is the adult here. When one decides to become a politician, one must also realize they will be in the public eye. The King Philip assembly was no place to discuss messages received about he and his family. He would have been better to write another letter to the editor and discuss his feelings in a general manner-- NEVER in the way he did. I feel he needs to apologize to all!! "

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Voted for the other guy wrote on Feb 10, 2007 8:02 AM:

" To Sen. Brown; if you can't take being in the public eye and being criticized with grace and dignity, then don't be a public servant. "

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parent wrote on Feb 10, 2007 7:32 AM:

" have observed Scott Brown since he moved to Wrentham. Throughout his political career, starting on Wrentham Boards up to the state senate, I have supported him. The forum he chose this week at King Philip was not how a mentally stable adult would react. He retaliated to children in a premediated and vindictive attack. I can no longer support this man not as a politican nor has a fellow human being. "

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