More zero-tolerance lunacy

[jimpeel]

Note that kids are considered mature enough to be on birth control pills and to get abortions without their parent's permission but they are too immature to handle Advil. If they had found condoms and sex toys in her purse, she would still be a student at her school.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/html/AE0F03BF-76FC-4300-8564-695F1898F37C.shtml

Bossier School Board upholds Advil expulsion

Girl had over-the-counter pills in purse at school

Melody Brumble / The Times
Posted on December 5, 2003

A student expelled from Parkway High for a year for having Advil, an over-the-counter pain reliever, will not be allowed to return to the school.

Kelly Herpin and daughter Amanda Stiles, a sophomore, appealed the one-year expulsion to a Bossier Parish School Board committee Thursday night, spending about 10 minutes with the board's administrative committee behind closed doors.

The committee and the full board voted unanimously to uphold an administrative decision that Stiles be expelled to the alternative school.

School boards hold such hearings in a closed session, but parents have the right under state law to request that such sessions be open. Herpin didn't make that request but did speak to reporters after the hearing. She left before the board voted on her request but learned of its decision by phone.

"I'm not really sure at this point what we'll do," Herpin said. "I'm going to have to talk to my husband, and we're going to have to make some plans. I'm not sure we could afford a private school. We've been looking at moving to another area."

She would have to sue the School Board to continue fighting the expulsion.

Superintendent Ken Kruithof said after the board meeting that the school system is following a state law that requires a one-year expulsion and being consistent in the system's "zero-tolerance" policy.

{NOTE} In other words, we have no brain and can't figure out that the state law is excessive

But another school official said earlier Thursday that having medication on campus doesn't automatically lead to a one-year expulsion. "After an investigation and a hearing then, if necessary, punishment is administered. It could be no punishment," said Betty McCauley, Bossier schools student services director.

Disciplinary action can range from in-school suspension to placement at the system's alternative school or expulsion from the system. From Aug. 11 through Wednesday, 18 students were sent to the system's alternative school because of possessing "pills," according to a report system officials compiled. However, Kruithof said he didn't know if the category covered nonprescription, prescription and illegal drugs or only nonprescription drugs.

State guidelines define medication as "all prescription and nonprescription drugs," McCauley said Thursday afternoon. McCauley hears discipline appeals from parents dissatisfied with discipline imposed by school principals.

McCauley declined comment after the hearing, referring questions to Kruithof. So did District 11 board member Gary Dowden, who heads the administrative committee.

Kruithof didn't respond directly to questions about McCauley's statements but emphasized that state law requires a one-year expulsion.

Herpin considers Stiles an "average student" in both grades and behavior but said Stiles never got in serious enough trouble to warrant an expulsion. Kruithof said Stiles had other disciplinary incidents in the past but said he didn't know if they resulted in suspensions.

The search of Stiles' purse that turned up the medication came after a tip from a teacher about a student smoking at school. Herpin said her daughter was part of a group that was searched in response to the tip.

Kruithof said a teacher identifed Stiles as the student smoking a cigarette and that Stiles ran into a restroom, where a teacher searched only her purse.

No cigarettes or lighters were found. Stiles was not disciplined for tobacco-related violations.

{NOTE} Does this sound familiar? Click HERE

Students caught smoking usually are suspended.

"I think a one-year expulsion for an over-the-counter medicine is pretty severe," Herpin said.

Stiles said she carried the medicine in her purse because she got frequent headaches.

"I just never thought about the fact that I could be searched. I think we're old enough to know how many (pills) we can take without overdosing or being in danger."

 

[semf]

Students caught smoking usually are suspended.

This makes perfect sense in a screwed up world.
Being in possession of an illegally obtained drug (nicotine) that affects the health of anyone around you when you take it (second hand smoke) gets you suspended.
But being in possesion of legally (shoplifting not mentioned in story) obtained medicinal drug that affects only the user in a positve way gets you sent to underachiever hell on the short bus.

 

[PawDaddy]

I do not know the family's situation of financial status or the state's laws, but if possible, two simple solutions would be home school or private school!


The government/public school systems have way too much control over folks.

 

[Bill Hook]

Private or home school is nice, if you can afford the money or time required, but the parents are paying for public school and deserve their money's worth.

Vouchers are the only satisfactory answer to this stupidity, as they allow parents to shop around for a service that was pretty much a state monopoly.