STORM2K

What manner of government idiocy is this? We have another zero-tolerance story for you, this one out of Louisiana --- the Parkway High School in Bossier Parish. Amanda Stiles is a sophomore at Parkway High. Amanda brought an Advil to school .. one pill .. in her purse. The pill was discovered during a search following a tip from a teacher about a student smoking at the school. They found no cigarettes or lighters ... but they found the Advil ... and Amanda Stiles has been expelled from the school for one year. That's right ... for one year.

The Bossier Parish school superintendent, Ken Kruithof, says that the suspension is consistent with the board's zero-tolerance policy.

You do understand why government schools adopt these zero-tolerance policies, don't you? It helps them avoid actually having to put some conscious thought into a decision. It's a bureaucrat's dream. Rather than actually having to consider each school disciplinary problem on its own merits .. just set up a zero-tolerance program and all of your decisions are made for you!

OK ... we're used to government employees not thinking. Nothing new there. But do we have to take an entire generation of young people and teach them how not to think also? Just what is it about a zero-tolerance policy that teaches our children how to apply reason and logic to a fact situation in order to come up with a proper and reasoned solution?

More utterly nonsensical PC BS rearing its ugly mug again, Helen...coppertop's school has a similar policy, but WILL allow Rx if sent to school with a doctor's note...BUT it must be dispensed by the school nurse(?).

I also got another taste of it during "Parent-Teacher Conference Night" at the high school; his homeroom teacher went on and on, glowing about trying to instill a "sense of community" which should "prevent another Columbine"....I HAD to stifle a hearty laugh, so much so that I "hacked" in my coffee! (She didn't "get it"...)

i agree soldier. if i had kids i would be terrified of having them go to a govt school. i strongly support vouchers so parents can send their kids to a private school. expelling her for one year is like giving a shoplifter who steals 25 dollars of merchandise 20 years in prison. this girl did nothing wrong whatsoever

We can't home-school him, but we have drilled him in "ATF"..."Appease The Fool". IE, he gets the "politically correct" take in any given subject, brings it home and WE lay the "rest of the story" out for him, with footnotes, other readings and academic countermeasures. THEN, he gives them what they want...but keeps his own counsel.

In this way, he is being taught not "what to think", but HOW...and his basic tenets remain intact. It works...he's the only 15-year-old libertarian-conservative on campus!

awesome, soldier!! good work

I agree that this policy is rediculous. They were checking for cigarettes. That is what they should focus on.

wx247 wrote:I agree that this policy is rediculous. They were checking for cigarettes. That is what they should focus on.

Exactly or ILLEGAL DRUGS. If they didn't want her to have the Advil, then toss it for crying out loud!

I would tell my kid to take the advil before he goes to school. They're supposed to last for 8 hours.

Yes that is not the point. Zero tolerance has unintended consequenses. As "educated consumers" of education we need to learn to play by the rules, or change them at election time. Zero tolerance has made the schools safer. 10 years ago they were finding guns and knives in our school, and violence was up. With zero tolerance, virtually no weapons are found and violence is way down. Zero tolerance eliminates gray areas, claims of unequal treatment, and other problems that can be exploited by lawyers and other such troublemakers. However the policy should make a distinction between illegal/prescription/OTC drugs though. Expulsion for a year is way to much for that.

coriolis wrote:I would tell my kid to take the advil before he goes to school. They're supposed to last for 8 hours.

Yes that is not the point. Zero tolerance has unintended consequenses. As "educated consumers" of education we need to learn to play by the rules, or change them at election time. Zero tolerance has made the schools safer. 10 years ago they were finding guns and knives in our school, and violence was up. With zero tolerance, virtually no weapons are found and violence is way down. Zero tolerance eliminates gray areas, claims of unequal treatment, and other problems that can be exploited by lawyers and other such troublemakers. However the policy should make a distinction between illegal/prescription/OTC drugs though. Expulsion for a year is way to much for that.

I agree - there's definately advantages and disadvantages, but common sense should also prevail.

Now I can understand if a student brought illegal drugs to school, but being expelled for bringing 1 advil? Rediculous!

Everything in this world is not black and white, yet the laws are set up that way. What about the grey area? Poor girl...

We have a zero tolerance rule at Menasha HS (for drugs and alcohol). I had excedrin in my backpack throughout the school year.... When I needed to take it, they had to call my mom at work to verify (because I was a minor at that time) that I could take the aspirin. Although it was still in the labeled bottle, they still had to call my mom at work.

i am so glad i homeschool, advil give me a break, i understand about the drugs and other stuff. but what if it had been in there over the week-end and she forgot to take it out. and a year is a long time for a advil. i know we need strick rules, but this is a little to much. when my daughter was in school they worried so much about her clothers because she looked alot older, and her friend got in trouble for a rubber band his mother had put around his shoes for gym. i see a law suit coming for this. just my 2 cents worth.

.........BUT it must be dispensed by the school nurse(?).

Same policy at my school Bill, however schools aren't licensed to dispense meds(?).............[/quote]

A good reason never to tick off your fellow classmates...

I'd probably have been given a lengthy suspension if anyone had searched my purse in high school... I had tylenol, naproxin sodium (perscription), benadryl, and any number of cough dropps scattered among the jolly ranchers and books.

The rule is there to keep kids from medicating thier friends as much as to keep them from medicating themselves. I can't tell you the number of times kids begged a tylenol off me or I begged one off them- the reasoning says that kids taking unknown medications at school could have unknown reactions.

It's a much much more sensible rule for elementary and middle school students- not all young students are properly respectful and responsible enough to dose themselves- much less dosing thier friends. Once you get into high school the rule becomes murky- that's about the time when parents allow teenagers access to the medicine cabinet and kids with perscriptions begin to be responsible for thier own meds.

I'm not saying it's a great rule... but it does have a decent basis. I don't agree with the sentance (far too harsh for the spirit of the law) BUT I could understand a 2-3 day suspension for carrying around advil. I still wouldn't agree with it (Once I hit about 14 I was perfectly capable of being trusted with my own medications!)- but I could understand it under the zero tolerance policy. I htink they were trying to make an example of this girl...

What a crock!! This is the kind of @#$% that infuriates me about this world!! That poor young lady had a freakin non-illegal, over-the-counter, my 9-y-o cousin-could-buy-it Advil and has to lose her right to education for a year?!?! What gives!!!

Shoot!! Had they checked my purse I'd have been expelled for 5 years!! I went everywhere prepared!! Aspirin, ibupfrofen, benadryl, cold pills, stomach pills and my prescription Singulair!! And I didn't use no nurse to "administer" my pills for me!! LOL, matter of fact check my purse right now, and you'll find the same darn thing, except I have Claratin and PMS pills as well!

Bill, you and Miss Mary know how I feel about the "zero tolerance" policy. I think it is a bunch of politically correct mumbo jumbo!!

There was a 7th grader who had left her purse in the cafeteria. The principal went through it and found MIDOL, she was suspended for a week. It is ridiculous.

Lindaloo wrote:There was a 7th grader who had left her purse in the cafeteria. The principal went through it and found MIDOL, she was suspended for a week. It is ridiculous.

The big problem is the principal thinking he/she has the right to go through her purse. And I agree strongly that suspending or expelling someone for having 1 Advil in their possession at school is totally wrong.

EXACTLY John!!

ME TOO!!! Besides, try to get MIDOL away from me and you'd be suspending me for FAR worse!!