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Expulsion for Carrying a Weapon in School?

BPSCG

Penultimate Amazing
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A 13-year-old student in Orange County, Fla., was suspended for 10 days and could be banned from school over an alleged assault with a rubber band,
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Link

Not mentioned in the story is how the rubber band got into the school in the first place. Don't they have guards to make sure people don't bring dangerous weapons into a place of learning?

We have to crack down on this kind of thing. Imagine the havoc a couple of disaffected teenagers with a bag of rubber bands could wreak. We need legislation to regulate the sale and possession of rubber bands. Are you aware that anyone can buy rubber bands? That there's no background check? That there's no limit to the number you can buy? That you can transport them across state lines, and give them to children - yes, children - without breaking the law?

This is a tragedy waiting to happen. Write to your congressman today.
 
Zero tolerance wins out over common sense yet again. Why choose to turn over disciplinary decisions to a machine-like formulation?
 
hgc said:
Zero tolerance wins out over common sense yet again. Why choose to turn over disciplinary decisions to a machine-like formulation?
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We have laws and regulations wherever we lack courtesy and common sense. Think about it: If everyone was unfailingly courteous and unfailingly commonsensical, would we need laws against murder?

You read these stories and you wonder if anyone in these schools has any common sense at all. Even if the kid shot the rubber band at the teacher (and that does not seem to be the allegation against him), common sense tells you you give him detention for a day or two, or make him write a hundred times, "In the future, I will endeavor to remember that shooting rubber bands can be hazardous."

BTW, when I was in 7th grade, I shot a rubber band at the kid behind me, and hit him smack in the eye. Fortunately, though he was in some serious distress for a few minutes, he didn't make a big stink about it, and a few minutes later, it was forgotten. And miraculously, even though I wasn't expelled, and didn't even get detention, (it helps if the homeroom teacher doesn't find out) I've managed to avoid a life of crime and debauchery ever since.
 
Sometimes discipline at home is even worse.

Police Say Dad Killed Toddler Who Refused Sandwich

UPDATED: 9:34 am MST February 23, 2005

ORANGEBURG, N.Y. -- A father is under arrest, charged with killing his 3-year-old daughter. The reason, police say, is that she wouldn't eat her peanut butter sandwich.

Police say he beat the girl after she refused to eat.

Etzer Estiverne, 26, was arraigned on Tuesday evening. Estiverne's wife, Natasha, told police that when she got home from work late Monday night, her 9-month-old son and 3-year-old daughter were asleep. But hours later, they were at Nyack hospital and the 3-year-old daughter, Melanie, was dead -- and the husband is now charged with murder.
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http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/news/4224145/detail.html

Sometimes my daughter is a picky eater too.
 
Mycroft said:
Sometimes my daughter is a picky eater too.
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"Now, honey, you have to eat your peanut butter-and-squid sandwich. Look what can happen to bad little girls who don't finish their dinner..."
 
At the rate things are sliding down this slippery slope, I am expecting to read that someone has been arrested and expelled for possessing a 'depiction' of a weapon, in the form of a photo of some old cannon, sword, or musket in one of their textbooks, and some 'zero tolerance' stooge decides to go overboard...again.
 
crimresearch said:
At the rate things are sliding down this slippery slope, I am expecting to read that someone has been arrested and expelled for possessing a 'depiction' of a weapon, in the form of a photo of some old cannon, sword, or musket in one of their textbooks, and some 'zero tolerance' stooge decides to go overboard...again.
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How's this?
And this?
 
Wow, this is terrible! When did the government deregulate rubberbands?
As everyone knows, rubberbands leads to Rubberband Guns, which leads to Real Guns, which leads to bigger Guns, which leads to International Terrorism!
 
Yeah those are a couple of great examples of the mentality.


Of course there is also the possibility that some federal agency may take this 'threat' so seriously that they feel compelled to print their own depictions of guns, and try to entrap students with them, as the US Postal service once did with nudie magazines.

'Psssst!! Kid!! Wanna buy a...History textbook? Lotsa pictures the school board doesn't want you to see...'
 
This kind of nonsense has several causes, IMO. First the media gets people whipped into a frenzy over how dangerous schools are becoming in the wake of things like Columbine. The parents, oblivious to the fact that things like Columbine are an aberration and that schools are really no more dangerous than they were before, panic and demand that politicians and school officials "Do something". The politicians and school officials have to appear to be "doing something" to address a non-existent problem so they come up with nonsense like "zero tolerance" policies. "Zero Tolerance" makes a good slogan so the parents are satisfied that the problem is being addressed, oblivious to the fact that such policies remove the teacher's and principle's discretion in differentiating a real threat, like a gun, from a rubber band. Throw in an over-zealous teacher or principal or two and VOILÀ! You get stupid stuff like this.

My youngest child recently got into a shoving match with another child. She had never gotten into trouble like this before (heck, the kid cries for an hour if you merely speak harshly to her), and no one got hurt. Nonetheless, thanks to "zero tolerance" she was suspended for three days. I agree that some sort of punishment was in order, but three days was excessive, so this kind of story really rubs me the wrong way lately.
 
crimresearch said:
At the rate things are sliding down this slippery slope, I am expecting to read that someone has been arrested and expelled for possessing a 'depiction' of a weapon, in the form of a photo of some old cannon, sword, or musket in one of their textbooks, and some 'zero tolerance' stooge decides to go overboard...again.
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.....meanwhile, people who beat up pregnant girlfriends, use/sell all kinds of drugs, and cover up murders not only don't go to jail, but get to make millions......simply because they're pro ball players.

ie instead of a common sense middle ground, we have 2 completely opposite yet equally absurd extremes. Not exactly news in our insane society, I'm afraid.

(Then again this IS Fla. we're talking about, home of the "I don't know how to vote" movement :rolleyes: )

;)
 
Nyarlathotep said:
This kind of nonsense has several causes, IMO. First the media gets people whipped into a frenzy over how dangerous schools are becoming in the wake of things like Columbine. The parents, oblivious to the fact that things like Columbine are an aberration and that schools are really no more dangerous than they were before, panic and demand that politicians and school officials "Do something". The politicians and school officials have to appear to be "doing something" to address a non-existent problem so they come up with nonsense like "zero tolerance" policies. "Zero Tolerance" makes a good slogan so the parents are satisfied that the problem is being addressed, oblivious to the fact that such policies remove the teacher's and principle's discretion in differentiating a real threat, like a gun, from a rubber band. Throw in an over-zealous teacher or principal or two and VOILÀ! You get stupid stuff like this.

My youngest child recently got into a shoving match with another child. She had never gotten into trouble like this before (heck, the kid cries for an hour if you merely speak harshly to her), and no one got hurt. Nonetheless, thanks to "zero tolerance" she was suspended for three days. I agree that some sort of punishment was in order, but three days was excessive, so this kind of story really rubs me the wrong way lately.
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Bravo, well said.
 
Nyarlathotep said:

My youngest child recently got into a shoving match with another child. She had never gotten into trouble like this before (heck, the kid cries for an hour if you merely speak harshly to her), and no one got hurt. Nonetheless, thanks to "zero tolerance" she was suspended for three days. I agree that some sort of punishment was in order, but three days was excessive, so this kind of story really rubs me the wrong way lately.
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I see a different problem. Namely that parents today are unwilling to believe that their little angel can do anywrong so they make excuses fortheir bad behavior by blaming the schools who dare to discipline their kids.


Adn if you ask me, if the state had the death penalty we wouldnt see these violent rubber band incidents.
 
Tmy said:
I see a different problem. Namely that parents today are unwilling to believe that their little angel can do anywrong so they make excuses fortheir bad behavior by blaming the schools who dare to discipline their kids.


Adn if you ask me, if the state had the death penalty we wouldnt see these violent rubber band incidents.
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Where did I say I had a problem with them disciplining her or that she could do no wrong. I said that I did not feel the punishment was appropriate to the offense, especially in light of the fact that this was her first time in serious trouble.

Bulk sale at the House O' Straw?
 
ZERO TOLERANCE RULES!

Spitballs = 5 years per spitball, to be served sequentially
Pulling the plaits of the girl in front = 20 years hard labour
Thumbtack on the chair of the class goof = life without parole
Pushing the teacher = death in the electric chair
Pushing the headmaster = death in the electric chair twice
Assaulting any teacher = expulsion from the Republican Party
 
Tmy said:
I see a different problem. Namely that parents today are unwilling to believe that their little angel can do anywrong
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"...parents today"?

News flash: My mom taught high school for 30 years before retiring 15 years ago (i.e., she started teaching 45 years ago) and when I was a kid, would come home and regale me with stories about how parents were getting in her face because their precious little darling couldn't possibly be failing her French classes.

Of course, since my mom gave a quiz every single day, and gave homework every single night, and gave an exam every single Friday, and graded everything, including the homework (my clearest memory of her when I was a teenager is of her sitting up in bed at night with papers all over the place and the dreaded Red Pen in her hand), the discussions with the parents were necessarily brief, ending shortly after she brought out her grade book...

She never had anyone expelled, though.
 
Zep said:
ZERO TOLERANCE RULES!

Spitballs = 5 years per spitball, to be served sequentially
Pulling the plaits of the girl in front = 20 years hard labour
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Misspelling labo(u)r, neighbo(u)r, colo(u)r, theater, center, and adding at least half a dozen unnecessary letters to names such as Worchestershire = five years in a re-education centre.

Sorry - "center."
 
BPSCG said:
Misspelling labo(u)r, neighbo(u)r, colo(u)r, theater, center, and adding at least half a dozen unnecessary letters to names such as Worchestershire = five years in a re-education centre.

Sorry - "center."
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I'd dispute this by striking you down, but that would probably get me 350 years hanging by my heels over a slow fire...
 
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