Silsbee High School is a public high school in Silsbee, Hardin County, Texas. It is the only high school in the Silsbee Independent School District. Their mascot is the Tiger.
Contents |
The school and the school district have been criticized for expelling a cheerleader from the school's cheerleading squad because of her refusal to cheer for a basketball player, Rakheem Bolton[1], who pled guilty to sexually assaulting her. The charges were dropped down to assault a year later and Bolton was given probation. School officials also encouraged the rape victim to "keep a low profile" and avoid the school cafeteria.[1]
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in November 2010 that the victim — who is known only as H.S. — had no right to refuse to applaud her attacker, because as a cheerleader in uniform, she was an agent of the school. The Fifth Circuit dismissed her case as "frivolous" and sanctioned the girl, ordering her family to pay the school district's $35-45,000 legal fees.[2][3][4] The Supreme Court declined to review the case. As of June, 2011, Change.org and Ms. Magazine were promoting a proposal by journalist Scott Rose calling for individuals to send the district superintendent one penny each, accompanied by notes protesting the district's decision if it did not waive its right to payment.[5][1]