ZeroIntelligence.net

Expelled student’s fate due today

Updated 31 May 2005: Student expelled, family protests. Details at bottom of post.

14-year-old freshman Sahib Brown Jr., a student at Easton Area High School in the Easton Area School District, found an Exacto knife in the hallway. He put it in his backpack with the intent of turning it over to his teacher but then forgot about it. A month later a schoolwide search resulted in the art knife and (horror of horros) a set of nail clippers being discovered. Sahib was immediately suspended for 10 days and then expelled indefinitely under the school’s zero tolerance weapons policy.

The suspension didn’t sit well with the Browns, but they ultimately accepted the punishment.

It wasn’t until Sahib Jr.’s suspension was nearly over that he and his parents got a letter from the school district that shocked them.

“I was really surprised that, two days prior to the suspension being over, we got a letter for an expulsion hearing,” said Brown Sr.

During the hearing, school officials told the Browns that Sahib Jr.’s actions endangered other students and that he would be kicked out of school indefinitely. The average to above average student who had never before been in trouble was then barred from setting foot on school property, his father said.

Teachers called to give their condolences but none of them spoke in Sahib’s defense during the expulsion hearing. The Browns will learn today how long Sahib’s expulsion will be.

Contact Information:
Principal William Rider
Superintendent Dennis Riker
School Board President George Bright
School Board Member Dr. Brooks
School Board Member Alfred Capecci
School Board Member A. Roy Cortez
School Board Member Patricia Fisher
School Board Member Dawn Heim
School Board Member Timothy Reilly
School Board Member Richard Siegfried
School Board Member Dr. Pat Vulcano Jr.
(more…)

In January of this year the Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case of United States v. Booker. The Court found that mandatory sentencing guidelines were unconstitutional as they violate the precepts of the 6th amendment.

Zero Tolerance punishments are mandatory sentencing guidelines implemented by institutions of the state. Is this a mortal blow for ZT? I am eagerly awaiting the first ZT punishment being overturned by a court due to US v Booker.

Anorexic student denied valedictorian title

Karen Scherr has been the top academic performance at Kingwood High School (Humble Independent School District) for four years running. Having the highest marks in the school won’t get her the Valedictorian title at this year’s graduation though. She has been denied the coveted senior honor for missing an attendance date in her junior year.

“I was disappointed,” said Scherr. “I’d hoped the rule would not have to be enforced.”

Scherr was referring to a requirement that the school’s valedictorian be enrolled in classes by the 20th day of their junior year.

It’s a rule aimed at keeping students from other schools from transferring into Kingwood late in their high school careers to claim one of the coveted top 10 academic spots.

Scherr’s been in the Kingwood school system since kindergarten. But she wasn’t enrolled in her high school on that 20th day of her junior year.

Instead, she was in a treatment facility seeking help for the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa.

This boils down to a failure in logic. The rule is in place for a specific case - to prevent late enrollees in the system from taking the highest honors in the school. In this specific case the student passes the case. The rule itself fails to pass the case. A logical administration would recognize the case and modify the rule. This administration chose to engage a classic logical fallacy - Traditional Wisdom. Specifically, “The rule must be adhered to because we have followed the rule in the past”.

Contact information:
Principal Paula Almond
Superintendent Dr. Guy Sconzo
Deputy Superintendent John Miller
Board of Trustees President John B. Graves
Board of Trustees Vice President Dr. Bonnie Longnion
Board of Trustees Secretary Mike Sullivan
Board of Trustees Parliamentarian Jim Eggers
Board of Trustees Member Dave Martin
Board of Trustees Member Dr. Aaron B. Clevenson
Board of Trustees Member Lynn Fields

(Tip credit to Bob Jones, Rena Lowe and Annika Klein)

Cake Knife Gets Girls Banned From Baccalaureate

Ashley Pickens and Candace Grier, seniors at Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in the Dekalb County Public School District, brought a cake to school. They found a butter knife in the school’s band room to serve it but were unable to return it as the door had been locked. A teacher discovered the knife and wrote the girls up. They were then suspended for 10 days and banned from baccalaureate ceremonies under the school’s zero tolerance weapon policy.

“[The teacher] said it really didn’t matter [that it was used for a cake],” Pickens said. “[He said] it’s a knife on school grounds, and you have to be written up for it — you ought to be glad we didn’t have you arrested.”

Both girls accepted the 10-day suspension, volunteering at a homeless shelter during that time, but they and their parents think this is a case of zero tolerance gone overboard.

“The knife was not brought to school,” said Wendy Pickens, Ashley’s mother. “The knife was in the band suite. When they finished washing the items, the band suite doors were closed. They couldn’t return it.”

Dekalb superintendent Dr. Crawford Lewis upheld the suspension and ban with one exception. The girls will be allowed to attend graduation ceremonies.

Contact Information:
Principal Sylvester Nelloms

(Tip credit to Eric DeMar, Jason Trommetter, Bob Laurence and Opinion Journal)

There is a push to give schools the authority to evaluate and medicate students without the knowledge or consent of their parents. An article at the New Media Explorer has the details.

Pharma interests have united with mental health organizations to push through legislation that would require mandatory testing and forced administration of drugs to kids in schools - without their parents’ consent.
…
The big guns of America’s mental health establishment — including the American Psychiatric and Psychological Associations and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill — are making united front in support of mass mental health screening of American children — as recommended in the New Freedom Commission report.

While reading this I was hoping it was a satire piece. Unfortunately it is all too well documented with links to all of its sources.

(Tip credit to Sherri)

I will be out of town on vacation until May 24th. I will have occasional access to the internet but likely little time to post new content.

Please do keep sending your tips and conversing in the comments.

An Act RELATIVE TO THREATS IN SCHOOLS

A proposed law in Massachusetts would make virtually every document produced in a modern school illegal.

Chapter 7 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 37N the following section:—

Section 37O. Whoever, in any public or private school in the Commonwealth, produces alone or in concert with another or others, a document by any means, containing the name or names of fellow student or school personnel or both which would thereby cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort to any person or groups of persons shall be punished by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than 2 ½ years or by a fine of not more than $5,000 or by both such fine and imprisonment in a jail or house of correction.

Any document with a teacher’s name on it that causes discomfort would be illegal. Say goodbye to report cards as well as teachers’ performance reviews.

Any document with a fellow student’s name on it that might cause anxiety would be illegal. Say goodbye to group projects.

The law states that if any person feels anxious because of a document with names on it the list writer is a criminal. It does not even go so far as to restrict the victim pool to people who are actually on the list.

To add insult to injury, this law is completely unnecessary. There are already statutes in Federal law as well as Massachusetts law that adequately handle written threats.

I have seldom seen a more worthless law proposal, or one with more obvious opportunities for abuse. I live in Georgia so that’s saying something!

Contact information for legislators sponsoring this law:
State Representative Brian Knuuttila; 2nd Worcester District
State Senator Scott P. Brown; Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex District
State Senator Stephen M. Brewer; Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
State Representative Christopher G. Fallon; 33rd Middlesex District
State Representative Edward G. Connolly; 28th Middlesex District

(Tip credit to Michael Rich)

Painted Over Homophobic Graffiti, Students Suspended

Updated 16 May 2005: ‘Love’ artist checks in, clarifies and corrects article. See bottom of post for details.

A teacher at Howell High in the Howell Public School District watched on as four students covered up some rude anti-gay graffiti in front of their school and then painted their own message, “Love”, on a stone in front of the school. The teacher then reported them for vandalism and they were all suspended for three days.

The affair resulted in about 375 students staging a protest on Tuesday. They skipped class and demonstrated in front of the school.

Principal Margaret Hamill said that she empathized with their position, but that the school was only following disciplinary procedures outlined in the code of conduct.

“Although that (the word ‘love’) is a beautiful message? instead of using sidewalk chalk that we could wash out, they used spray-paint,” Hamill said.

(more…)

‘Louie Louie,’ You Gotta Go

Updated 16 May 2005: Band plays Louie, Louie. See bottom of post for details.

The McCord Middle School band was forbidden from playing the venerable classic Louie Louie at the Grand Floral Parade on May 7th. The tune was banned due to “allegedly raunchy lyrics” despite the fact that it was going to be an instrumental, not vocal, performance.

In a letter sent home with McCord students, [Benton Harbor Area School District Superintendent Paula Dawning] said “Louie Louie” was not appropriate for Benton Harbor students to play while representing the district — even though the marching band wasn’t going to sing it.

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Fourth Grader Suspended For Not Answering A WASL Question

Updated 16 May 2005: Suspension letter and legal requirements for administering WASL added.
Updated 16 May 2005: Full text of suspension letter added. Details at bottom of post.

Nine year-old Tyler Stoken, a student in the Aberdeen Public School District, didn’t know how to answer an essay question on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning test. As punishment for leaving the question blank his principal suspended him for five days.

Tyler paraphrases the question saying, “You look out one day at school and see your principal flying by a window. In several paragraphs write what happens next.” He’s asked, “So why didn’t you answer that question?” He says, “I couldn’t think of what to write the essay without making fun of the principal.”

He refused to answer the question even after his mother was called to the school. Tyler’s mother Amy Wolfe says, “And he said he didn’t know the answer. He just didn’t know what to write. And they were telling me to make him answer the question.”

He still didn’t, so Tyler was given a 5-day suspension. In the letter that went home to mother, the principal writes, “The fact that Tyler chose to simply refuse to work on the WASL after many reasonable requests is none other than blatant defiance and insubordination.”

(more…)