Authority figures themselves should understand what's appropriate behavior - the police and the media in the case have not acted appropriately but have blown this entire issue out of proportion.

Hopefully the maturity from the students of Jones in these comments helps you change your mind in the regard of what we understand as appropriate behavior. We did not hero-worship him, but we can recognize him as a good person who may have crossed many lines. This we have stated many times.

-Hannah Lewis

Though you stretch your point, I agree that the professional standard of teachers has degraded.

However, I think you will find that many of Jones's students who have posted on here are not arguing that Jones was the perfect teacher. He crossed many lines and deserves punishment. The students on this forum are instead arguing that the professional standard for JOURNALISTS has degraded, according to the lack of quality in this article.

-Hannah Lewis

Your teacher may be a jerk, but not to the point of where the student is being legitimately damaged by it. It's worthwhile to learn to respect even mean people, but never should anyone have to put up with abuse.

In the case of Jones, though, I again argue that it was not abuse in the least.

-Hannah Lewis

Both sides are in the wrong here. In the case of the student, I believe that he is not willing to cooperate with Jones and dedicate himself to music. This frustrates Jones, but of course he has no right to say what he said in that context or to tap the student especially if the student was uncomfortable in that class. Deserved or not (and it was deserved, I have no doubt), there are boundaries. Unfortunate for Jones :/

As a student of Jones, I can honestly say that this article does not correctly address the issue. This article paints him as a child abuser when in fact Jones is one of the most caring teachers at Monarch. His disciplinary measures, such as push ups and very lightly tapping students, are doubtlessly questionable but nothing Jones did ever caused harm. I don't believe that him crossing this line warrants his suspension or his termination; I have no doubt that he will be fired because of the lack of proportion in this entire article.

My arguments:
1. Jones does not physically attack students.
-Once on a level of familiarity with his students, Jones feels comfortable enough to give them light "twaps," as he calls them, which I may AGAIN emphasize do not cause any harm. This is the familiarity of a baseball coach patting his kids on the back after a game or of friends joking around with each other. In Jones's case, it is meant as a light reprimand but as nothing to degrade students. I would know.
-As to the matter of pushups, marching band IS now counted for PE credits. As so, it's technically a level of sport and the coach has some reign to get the kids in shape; Jones uses push-ups for physical training. Consider as well that he comes from a military background where a high level of physical discipline is encouraged. With push-ups, he tries to enforce his ideal of discipline.

Of course, these disciplinary measures can be considered questionable but they can in no way be classified as physical abuse.

2. Jones does not verbally attack students.
Jones gets very passionate about his music and about his teaching. As many students do not share his passion, he gets frustrated and tries to motivate them, often by saying things that are inappropriate. Any kid who's been educated by Jones will tell you that "Jones says stupid shit," but nothing that's ever come out of his mouth has ever been to degrade anyone; merely he tries to make us want to be better musicians.

Of course, this is questionable but it can in no way be classified as verbal abuse. Trust me on this - as a student, I felt that Jones never once abused any kid in his classes.

3. Jones truly cares about students.
A high school teacher is the most frustrating job in the world; you have to deal with self-conscious, rebellious and horny teenagers while also dealing with overprotective parents. I know that in spite of these frustrations, Jones always came through for me when I needed his help; he truly believed in me and my musical abilities.

In response to the student's statement that Jones made him "lose his passion for music," I believe that this student was not willing to cooperate with Jones's teaching style and did not listen to hear Jones's own passion for music. It is there. I urge the investigators to ask Jones about how he feels about music and his students; I promise you that his search for his own personal perfection of music and for the students to be as inspired as he is will be obvious.

In conclusion, I believe in Jones. I learned a lot about music, discipline and honestly how to survive in the real world from him. Please reconsider writing this article in a less biased fashion.

- Hannah Lewis, alumna of 2009.