Roswell High School
Date: 2003
Region: North America
Subject: Education
Medium: Literature
Artist: Rachel Boim
Confronting Bodies: Roswell High School and Fulton County School District officials
Dates of Action: October, 2003
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Description of Artwork: Rachel wrote a fictional short story in her diary about a student who falls asleep in class and dreams of killing a teacher, then awakens to find it was a dream. The story did not include any characters significant to her teachers or personal life.
The Incident: Rachel's diary was consfiscated in an art class for passing it to another student. The following day, police escorted Rachel from her class and contacted her parents. After a closed hearing between school officials and Boims parents, Boim was expelled from Roswell H.S. for one year, however has the option of attending another school in the Fulton District. A school spokesperson stated that she was expelled for, "inappropriate writings that describe bodily harm toward a school employee."
Results of Incident: Boim and her family have enlisted the help of Georgia's poet laureate, David Bottoms, and an editor of Georgia State University's Five Points literary magazine. As of now the expulsion stands.
Source: The Atlanta Journal, www.ajc.com