Pedro’s Legacy

Is there a moral to the story of the Westlake High School wrestling team?

For a month, police and school officials have investigated reports of hazing incidents in which at least three students were grabbed, pinned down and prodded in the buttocks with the handle of a mop they called “Pedro.”

Last week seven of the 30 wrestlers were suspended from classes for five days. They and four others were barred from participating in any sports for a year; 17 others were verbally admonished for knowing about the hazing but not telling an adult; two team members were cleared. A police investigation ended with no criminal charges filed.

Based on comments to reporters, some parents and others appear to be more upset by the investigation and discipline than by the acts themselves. While their disappointment over the lost wrestling season is understandable, the lessons they see in the affair seem to go something like this:

* School officials would rather be “politically correct” and overreact than be fair.

* It’s not right for most of the team to suffer for the actions of a few.

* Someone who acts to stop bad behavior by others is a rat.

Frankly, we think people who view the situation that way are missing an opportunity to help their kids learn and grow. No, life isn’t always fair--and students who reach high school without learning that have led sheltered lives indeed.

But what could be more unfair than being grabbed, manhandled and humiliated by a group of your classmates?

There are victims here--but they aren’t the benched wrestlers.

We hope parents everywhere will discuss this situation with their children, but with the following lessons in mind:

* No kid deserves to be terrorized at school.

* Kids who pick on other kids sometimes get the punishment they deserve.

* Doing nothing to stop bad behavior is almost as bad as participating in it.

* The wrestler who stopped his teammates from giving the Pedro treatment to a girl they had pinned down showed strength of the kind that really matters. He’s a hero.

A richly advantaged and otherwise outstanding school like Westlake High has much to be proud of. This lapse by a few students will soon be rightly overshadowed by the achievements of many.

But in this moment, the moral of the Pedro story should be renewed dedication to building our young athletes’ character and sense of responsibility as well as their muscles.