“Over the counter” equals “out of the school”
School board expels two students
The Mineral County Board of Education has expelled two seventh grade students who were caught using over the counter medication.
“Possession and use of prescription and over the counter drugs is a violation of our rules,” said Skip Hackworth, superintendent.
…
Hackworth said the board has zero tolerance for this abuse of the system.
In this case the abuse is by the system.
“We’re just not going to give in, that is what the board wants,” he said.
Give in? To what? Intelligent decision making? Logic? The facts of the situation?
“These (decisions) are very hard on the board,” said Mary Aronhalt, board member. “We’re talking about the rest of a child’s life and how it effects them.very tough, not pleasant,” she added.
My heart bleeds for Mary and her cohorts. It really must be horribly traumatic for them to expel eleven and twelve year old children for taking an Advil. They are so terribly, terribly brave to stick up for their policy like this. It says a lot about their character that they were able to go through with the sacrifice of these youths to the altar of zero tolerance. [end sarcasm]
This is utterly absurd — but for the liability issues that would revolve around a kid taking medication without supervision, or giving it to someone else. But the punishment here is completely out of proportion.
“Students who possess nonprescription medication on school property or at any school-sponsored event will be subject to the progressive discipline plan of each school.” That’s the policy of this school, on their website. What’s going on here, why were these kids EXPELLED????
I guess the progressive plan starts with expulsion. Sort of makes you wonder where it goes from there, doesn’t it?
Fifty bucks says that tasering is somewhere on the progressive list.
Precinct: “Liability issues” have become the issues they are because of A) the law enforcement growth industry perpetuating its own existence and expansion, and B) people refusing to take responsibility for themselves while simultaneously demanding that SOMEONE be “held accountable”. So a scapegoat is found, and the real criminal goes on their merry way to repeat the process.
Interestingly enough, it would probably be these same parents suing if their kid had OD’ed on the stuff.
But I agree with your analysis.