Judge in Maine overturns student suspension over gun possession
Sheldon Allen, a senior at Mt. Blue High School in Maine School Administrative District #9, served 10 days of suspension when an unloaded firearm was found in the vehicle he borrowed and drove to school. When the district decided to add another 20 days to his suspension he appealed. Yesterday Superior Court Justice Joseph Jabar ruled in his favor.
Jabar said he understood the concerns about guns on school property in the wake of deadly school shootings in recent years in Minnesota and Colorado, but said it was unfair to suspend Allen when he had no idea the gun was in the truck.
We cannot punish somebody because we are afraid or we want to be careful, Jabar said.
School officials found the gun under some trash beneath the seat of the truck March 25 when they searched it as part of a separate investigation.
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SAD 40 to hold expulsion hearing Thursday
Updated 18 April 2005: School cancels expulsion hearing, allows student back after 2+ weeks of detention. Details at bottom of post.
A senior at Medomak Valley High School in Maine School Administrative District 40 did a class assignment too well. The assignment tasked the students to deliver a speech that would “generate attention by making strong points”.
Superintendent Pam Carnahan said the student, a senior, made references to the tragedy at Columbine High School and also described himself as a victim of bullying at the high school.
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A substitute teacher in charge of the class that day reported the student’s comments to administrators the following day. The student has since been suspended, pending his expulsion hearing Thursday.
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A student at Van Buren Middle School did something very foolish. He brought a toy gun to school and pretended to shoot it at people. He has been expelled for violating the school’s zero tolerance weapon policy.
Superintendent Clayton Belanger said the student made believe he was shooting other students. He also aimed the gun at passing cars, according to complaints received by school officials.
“It scared a lot of students,” Belanger said. “Our policy does not differentiate between real guns and toy guns, and it is a zero-tolerance policy.”
What the boy did was stupid and foolish but the only person possibly endangered by his actions was himself. Although he should definitely be disciplined there is no excuse to discipline him as if he was actually carrying a real gun. To classify a toy as a firearm is just plain wrong. It devalues the real danger of firearms by making them equivalent to toys and destroys the credibility of the administration by making toys equivalent to firearms.
He can’t play
When it is not available to the public. Falmouth has just one public playground and the actions of the school tend to put the definition of “public” in question.
Nine-year-old Jan Rankowski became suspicious when a teacher’s aide began following him around with a clipboard at this small town’s only public playground.
The aide talked to Jan’s playmates and took notes on his behavior, said the home-schooled boy, who has autism.
Then, Jan’s suspicion turned to anger when Falmouth school officials barred him last fall from using the playground during the day. They said he undermined adults, used unacceptable language, and played aggressively with other children, including pushing a first-grader too hard on a swing.
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