A school board upheld the superintendent’s decision to hold the junior varsity cheerleading squad at Yorktown High School in Texas to six members, which meant there was no space for the seventh hopeful, incoming freshman Wycoda Fischer. Now the Fischer family’s lawyer, Lisa Duke of San Antonio’s Anderson & Duke, says the family is preparing court action to get their daughter on the squad. “We have no other option but to move forward with the lawsuit.” “No other option,” of course, being in this case lawyer-speak for “looks like we aren’t going to get our way otherwise”. (Sonny Long, “Cheerleader’s family to sue school district”, Victoria Advocate, Jul. 12; Nota Bene, Jul. 13). More cheerleader suits here, here, and here.
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But I’m A Cheerleader is a great movie.
While I am obviously not a fan of frivolous lawsuits, I will have to admit that it is better solution than the alternative .
The school should just cancel the cheerleading squad this year. Let’s see how their little darling likes peer pressure, instead of legal system extortion.
I dunno about dropping the squad, Dick– peer pressure could mean damages for emotional distress!
I’m not sure it would be fair to put pressure on the girl – this may well be her parents’ doing.
Although I’m not a fan and this case does seem frivolous, from what I hear of the great importance of football and cheerleading in Texas, this case may be less trivial in the local context than it seems to most of us. (That of course doesn’t mean that the parents have a cause of action, just that what they want may be more important than it would be to us.)
“Although I’m not a fan and this case does seem frivolous, from what I hear of the great importance of football and cheerleading in Texas, this case may be less trivial in the local context than it seems to most of us.”
I live and grew up in Texas, and it’s trivial to me.
I agree with Deoxy. I grew up in Texas, and this case is stupid. It’s nothing more than a lawyer parent abusing her learning to help keep her kid spoiled.
Cheerleaders end up being the popular girls. Hopw popular does this girl think she will be after this?
As to canceling the entire squad, you would be punishing the other six students for no reason and giving victory to the soon to be plaintiff. ‘If I can’t have it, no one can.’.
If she wins and forces her way onto the squad, she had better not volunteer to be the one tossed up in the air.
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