<p>I just went back and read the article…along with plenty of comments from readers…some from the local community.</p>
<p>1) It appears that the kids will have the opportunity to return to their school after 60 days. That means they could be back as early as the fall. So, it’s not an automatic year from what I can tell. Sounds OK to me…not as harsh as the article made it out to be. </p>
<p>2) One comment appears to come from someone who knows one of the families involved and indicates that that family is NOT rich. I don’t think it’s fair to assume these are rich kids. </p>
<p>3) I continue to think you cannot make the assumption that these kids are regular pot smokers. Maybe a few are…maybe some are NOT. A kid from my high school (many years back!) was busted and it was her first time. I trusted her when she told me this…and it made sense given everything I knew about her. It happens. Might not be likely…but it does. The family was devastated and it caused this young girl a lot of problems. It happens with pregnancy too…and wow, what a lesson THAT is. </p>
<p>Bottom line, I think we’re depending on our quick read of the story and our life experiences to make some assumptions in this case. And they’re not all on target. (I don’t exempt myself here…just pointing it out).</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s highly relevant whether or not this was a student’s first time smoking pot. The fact is that while under school supervision (and probably volunteeer chaperones), the kids knowingly broke a very important rule. That is sufficient to earn the punishment that was given. Unfortunately, some mistakes, even committed just once, can be costly. What if a first time drunk driver killed an innocent person? You don’t get a do over on some things. I think it’s great when someone learns from his mistakes. That is how everyone learns and behavior is shaped. The consequences for the kids who made this choice will help shape who they become in the future, and that’s good.</p>
<p>^^ totally agree that people should know how to do taxes, fordiscussion. But would you feel comfortable giving your personal and financial information to a stranger, a high school student who is not licensed or bonded? Documents that are necessary to share with tax prep folks will have your social security number ont hem. Would you be comfortable giving that to students in an alternative school?</p>
<p>I still don’t see what’s wrong with the policy. The Ravenswood potheads escaped all criminal charges, pre-trial probation, fines, etc. They weren’t expelled. They were treated the same as all other potheads, and provided an opportunity to complete their educations under the superivsion that their actions suggest they need. And it may end in as little as 60 days.</p>
<p>Suppose one of the kids on the roof had decided he could fly…</p>
<p>“The time to argue against any policy isn’t after your kid gets caught”</p>
<p>Yes, in a perfect world. We don’t know how aware these parents were of all the rules.
I remember reading about a mess with a teenager bringing advil into school for cramps. The initial punishment: Suspension and inability to graduate. Huh? Parent’s appealed and they won. And you can bet your bippy I would fight this too.</p>
<p>That said, upon further investigation, I don’t think this particular punishment (for pot) is that bad. As a parent, I would live with it, not fight it. </p>
<p>But don’t throw me in some big vanilla category just because I reserve the right to fight for my child (or myself for that matter) if I really believe a rule is wrong, crazy or damaging. I don’t think that sets a bad example at all. Neither did Rosa Parks…:)</p>
<p>I have to wonder if that is permissible under the 4th amendment. There are limitations on a kid’s right to privacy in school, but they still have some rights, including the right to privacy of their possessions, including cell phones, unless they are suspected of some wrongdoing. </p>
<p>It would not take searching text messages to find out who the phone belonged to; all it would take is calling one of the numbers stored in the phone to find out whose it is – and a reasonable entry to try is one labeled “Mom” or “Dad.” (That’s how I found the owner of a cell phone I found on a wooded trail.)</p>
<p>I’m sure if the situation were reversed and a kid found a teacher’s cell phone, the teacher would not appreciate it at ALL if the kid went through the teacher’s text, pictures, and whatever else might be on the phone, so even general decency should have told the teacher to simply look for the owner, and not go through all the information on the phone.</p>
<p>“But don’t throw me in some big vanilla category just because I reserve the right to fight for my child (or myself for that matter) if I really believe a rule is wrong, crazy or damaging. I don’t think that sets a bad example at all. Neither did Rosa Parks…”</p>
<p>I would–and have–done this. Maybe we’re not as far apart on this issue as it first seemed. :)</p>
<p>I think that it is very difficult to say if the punishment fits the crime without knowing the contents of the Code of Conduct or all of the facts involved. Our Code of Conduct is 37 pages long, we are expected to read it and sign off that we and our children have read it at fee night in late August when the kids are allowed to get their schedules once fees have been paid and the forms have been signed and turned in. Fee night doesn’t last long enough to get through the entire Code of Conduct, and even if it did, I am an attorney and the code is so vague that it really doesn’t matter if it’s read or not. The essence of it says that anything the schools want to decide is wrong behavior can be labeled as such under one of the myriad of categories and that the administration can assign any punishment from a verbal reprimand to criminal proceedings for every category or wrongful behavior listed. These kids don’t have a clue what the punishment might be because it is all up to the whim of the administrators involved. If the schools want to enforce the rules, then let them make it black and white and not so vague that even an attorney who reads the code is befuddled. </p>
<p>I think that the use of illegal drugs is wrong, and I believe the kids should be punished. But in our system if a girl was caught with a midol she could face expulsion if the principal decided that was the punishment. And the Code of Conduct would support this. Why not make these kids do community service presentations to impressionable middle schoolers in the district instead of putting them in ALC and messing up what seems like decent academic careers. Sometimes administrators get so caught up in the “rules” and “procedures” that they miss the common sense of it all.</p>
<p>I personally would fight like heck for my kid if I thought he/she was being treated unfairly, and I have. H and I were once told by a district level supervisor that we should never take no for an answer - that we were our childrens’ only advocate. We have taken his advice to heart.</p>
<p>Community service presentations made from the ALC would make an impression on middle schoolers, I imagine.</p>
<p>I still think it is unfair to the rule followers to have to endure law breakers on school trips, and I think it would be discouraging for those kids to see the rule breakers right back in school the Monday after the trip. Having to do some ‘community service’ presentation someday wouldn’t be much punishment, IMO.</p>
<p>Back in # 139, I asked when those kids should be allowed back in school. If ‘up to one year’ is too long, then when?</p>
<p>I still don’t see how they were treated unfairly. If anything, I think it was pretty lenient (no criminal charges; no pre-trial parole; no expulsion; not even a required apology to the YMCA or to their fellow students attending the event. Just the same thing that would have happened if the potheads had been caught at school. They got a good deal.)</p>
<p>And, no, I don’t think any of them were smokin’ Midol.</p>
<p>So, those of you who think we should ALWAYS follow the letter of the law - looks like MIDOL might require more punishment than gun possession in some places.<br>
And Mini, yeah, we’re not talking Midol here. But we’re not talking heroine either.</p>
<p>Even if it’s in black and white, my experience with the school system has demonstrated that their interpretation of what seems very clearly written to me may be vastly different. Basically, the system does pretty much whatever it wants; woe betide those who can’t afford to fight back.</p>