QuoteGirl's arrest for doodling raises concerns about zero tolerance
By Stephanie Chen, CNN
February 18, 2010 10:22 a.m. EST
(CNN) -- There was no profanity, no hate. Just the words, "I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" scrawled on the classroom desk with a green marker.
Alexa Gonzalez, an outgoing 12-year-old who likes to dance and draw, expected a lecture or maybe detention for her doodles earlier this month. Instead, the principal of the Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York, called police, and the seventh-grader was taken across the street to the police precinct.
Alexa's hands were cuffed behind her back, and tears gushed as she was escorted from school in front of teachers and -- the worst audience of all for a preadolescent girl -- her classmates.
"They put the handcuffs on me, and I couldn't believe it," Alexa recalled. "I didn't want them to see me being handcuffed, thinking I'm a bad person."
Full Article:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/18/new.york.doodle.arrest/index.html
That is fucking ridiculous. I hope the arresting officer and the teacher or whoever pushed for that both get hit by a god damn semi truck full of Windex.
So she expected to get in trouble-just not that much trouble?
I agree it is WAAAYYY overboard, but heck we are paying for those desks and the cleaning of same-she knew it was wrong. What do ya'll suggest be done? Suspensions from school are stupid, dentention obviously does not work, parents are expecting the schools to cure the issue-so waht should be done?
Make her detention to be cleaning desks everyday for about a month after school.
Arresting? No that is way over the line.
Quote from: Sportmotor on February 18, 2010, 07:39:22 PM
Make her detention to be cleaning desks everyday for about a month after school.
Arresting? No that is way over the line.
I like that! I agree the arresting was way too much, the cleaning of the desks for a month after school is niiiice, those desks are pretty gross by the end of the day!
Cleaning desk's is much more appropriate than handcuff's! I mean get real here............handcuffs?
Shes lucky they didnt taser her.
Absurd.
Maybe they got confused about the whole "Pen is mightier than the sword" thing.
In my school days it was common to be sent to the Custodian for Graffiti removal during detention. There wasn't ONE parent that didn't agree the punishment fit the crime.
I think her parents should publically embarrass those involved...that was too close to a publicity stunt to be ignored...
Zero tolerance policies are a fall back for administrators. It allows them to deal with a problem without having to put real thought into it. It allows them to deal with multiple problems without having make judgements about which problem is worse. Administrators will hide behind zero tolerance policies and tell you that their hands are tied.
Cleaning the desks for a month after school would have been a great idea -- coming from a great administrator -- but these policies don't allow for great administrators any longer.
Of course, parents love these policies because it makes them feel like their kid is going to a school where it takes problems seriously.
Jeffersonville middle school student suspended for touching pill
Posted: Feb 25, 2010 8:22 PM Updated: Feb 25, 2010 11:17 PM
Jeffersonville middle school student suspended for touching pill
By Connie Leonard - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email
JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - The parents of a Kentuckiana seventh grade student say their young daughter was suspended from school for doing exactly what she's been taught to do for years - to just say no to drugs.
The girl did not bring the prescription drug to her Jeffersonville, IN school, nor did she take it, but she admits that she touched it and in Greater Clark County Schools that is drug possession.
Rachael Greer said it happened on Feb. 23 during fifth period gym class at River Valley Middle School when a girl walked into the locker room with a bag of pills.
"She was talking to another girl and me about them and she put one in my hand and I was like, ‘I don't want this,' so I put it back in the bag and I went to gym class," said Rachael.
The pills were the prescription ADHD drug, Adderall. Patty Greer, Rachael's mother, said she and her husband are proud of their daughter for turning down drugs, just like she's been taught for years by DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instructors at school.
"I'm proud her conscience kicked in and she said, ‘No, I'm not taking this. Here you can have it back,'" Patty Greer said.
But just saying no didn't end the trouble for Rachael. During the next period, an assistant principal came and took Rachael out of class. It turned out the girl who originally had the pills and a few other students got caught. That's when the assistant principal gave Rachael a decision.
"We're suspending you for five days because it was in your hand," said Rachael.
After hearing the news, Patty Greer went to school officials.
"He said she wrote it down on a witness statement and she had told the truth, he said she was very, very honest and he said he was sorry he had to do it but it was school policy," said Patty Greer.
According to Greater Clark County Schools district policy, even a touch equals drug possession and a one week suspension.
"The fact of the matter is, there were drugs on school campus and it was handled, so there was a violation of our policy," said Martin Bell, COO of Greater Clark County Schools.
We wanted to know what would have happened if Rachael had told a teacher right away. Bell said the punishment would not have been any different. District officials say if they're not strict about drug policies no one will take them seriously.
"That's not a good policy," said Patty Greer. "We're teaching our kids if you say no to drugs you're going to get punished, it's not right."
Greater Clark County School district officials would not tell us how many other students were involved, but they did tell us there were other suspensions and some students were moved to an alternative school.
Copyright 2010 WAVE News. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12047295
Absurd. Feed the administrators the entire bag of pills. They seem to have a problem focusing on the real problem.
You barbarians have it all wrong. These are trained professionals, with nothing but our best collective interests in mind.
It amazes me that there are still people who don't believe that our government employees and administrators know what's best for us.
If the girl was put in handcuffs, she deserved it. As for the other: Did she, or did she not touch the pill?
These are the types of disruptions that threaten our entire society. Something had to be done.