Monday, January 30, 2012

Inhaler = Bong

2 Students Face Expulsion For Sharing An Asthma Inhaler

She says she was just trying to help a friend, but now two students from Monument face expulsion after one loaned another her asthma inhaler.

Alyssa McKinney thought her friend, Breana Crites, was having an asthma attack during gym class. It happened at Lewis-Palmer Middle School. Both Eighth-graders were suspended for 10 days.

The principal told CBS4 he couldn’t talk about the case but said it comes down to two students sharing prescription drugs, which is against school policy.
What is insufficient about a sternly administered warning?
Maybe call the parents in to explain the situation and assure that other kids are informed of what can go wrong with good intentions.

You know, teach them. That is what schools are supposed to do, isn't it?
The principal sent a letter home to McKinney’s parents.

“I’m extending the suspension for five more days … and recommending expulsion from the Lewis-Palmer School District,” the letter stated.
Hey dude, it's called a sense of proportion. Get one.
The attitude here couldn't be any worse if they were passing a bong.

8 comments:

Brian said...

I can think of at least half a dozen things I did in school that would get me expelled today (taking and sharing medicine among them). And I wasn't even a "bad" kid at all...I think the only time I ever ended up in the principal's office (at least that I can recall) was one time in sixth grade over a quasi-fight that happened after the school bus had dropped us off for the afternoon.

A kid from down the street was picking on my next-door neighbor, who was significantly smaller at the time. I was significantly larger than both of them. I...made him stop picking on my neighbor. Didn't hurt him, didn't even hit him, but I shoved him hard enough to let him know that he didn't want me to do anything else. When I explained that to the principal, he said something to the effect of "you know you're not supposed to fight, but between you and me you did the right thing. Now stay out of trouble."

Today I'm sure I would have been suspended or worse. Maybe even arrested.

(Funny aside...I saw the kid who was being picked on at my sister's wedding a few years ago. He now has about 6 inches and 60 pounds of muscle on me.)

I have a lot of sympathy for people who don't want to send their kids to public schools.

W.B. Picklesworth said...

I'm sure they're trying to accomplish laudable goals, but they seem unable to grasp that good intentions often have unintended consequences. Not that these consequences take much imagination. I feel better and better that our kids will be at home avoiding felonies and getting an education.

Gino said...

brian, i think the 80's grduates were the last generation who were taught with a bit of common sense from the administrators.

my stepson got caught with a 2" folding knife in his pocket half way through his senior year. the cops were called and he spent over 30 days in county jail awaiting trial in juvie. since he was close to 18 ( a month) they tried to try him as an adult.
this is a kid who never had any trouble in school, or anywhere else, and had never been in a fight in his whole life. the polite kid who everybody liked.

compare that to the 4" sheath knife i carried openly thru most of high school and never had a problem. it was normal, and i wasnt the only one.

Ben: for those that can do it right, i think homeschooling is the only reasonable choice any more.

Foxfier said...

Gads! I had OTC pain meds (which I didn't use), bandaids, tri-bac, carried a pocket knife and usually had a lighter somewhere in my bag...and only graduated in '01. Oy.

Brian- sounds like the boy my mom spent most of her school years protecting because he was so small, and their families were neighbors. Ten year reunion, he was a six-foot-tall football player-- hit a spurt at 19 years.

WBP- I keep feeling a desire towards that solution myself, even though our oldest is only two.

Night Writer said...

Gino, "doing it right" is a pretty low hurdle in comparison to the public schools and their turgid indoctrination and bureacracy.

Foxfier, now is the perfect time to be planning your home education strategy. There are numerous resources available nationally to help with planning and curriculum and there is likely a home school association in your state. Your child's own natural inquisitiveness is a big help (before it is beat out of him/her by the public system). In fact, you can even start now with some basic things that help prepare your child. Read to your children regularly. They love the time with Mom or Dad and it stimulates their minds and imagination. Our youngest loved this so much she could hardly wait to learn how to read. When she was 3 she was rearranging letter magnets on the refrigerator and asking what they said (they weren't words, but she had already grasped the concept that letters create words). Home educating isn't easy, but it's not nearly as difficult as you may think it is. The Factory Education model of the public schools has intimidated many into thinking that is the only way of doing things. Start doing your research now and I'm sure you'll find out that you can do this. Your oldest may even be able to start "school" at 4 or 5 with some basic things, and in the process set the stage for lifetime learning.

Gino said...

my friend (Ed, who stars in the previous post) homeschooled his three. one is at Liberty now, the other is a firefighter, and his youngest is starting an woman's shelter in Costa Rica.

they partnered with other families to share the schooling based upon each parents strengths. there is a whole network of homescoolers in CA who work together.

Foxfier said...

I have been looking into it-- biggest problem is I'm a bit lacking in social graces *pauses for the gasps of shock* and I don't always pronounce things correctly. It's a little like the whole "but what about socialization!?" thing, but a real problem..... (I remember school socialization. Including the loogies in my jacket, stolen books, one attempted backpack theft that ended with the thief on the floor, and a bunch of twits who couldn't hold a conversation with both hands and a script mistaking shyness for being stuck-up.)

Washington requires that the kids be taught by someone with a set amount of college time, but thanks to the Navy I should breeze through that.

My parents were great about always teaching and learning, so we have a great first-hand contrast between the folks who learned to learn and the ones who learned to be at school. :^(

Night Writer said...

My wife hated math and algebra when she went to school. When she started teaching it to our oldest daughter, though (using the Saxon Mathematics curriculum) she discovered that she really enjoyed it. I know other parents as well who thought they didn't like a subject, or didn't understand it well enough to teach it, who had similar experiences once they got into it.

The socialization flag is the most common and the most ridiculous that you'll hear. Our children had a lot of exposure to other children through church and in their outside activities such as gymnastics or Tae Kwan Do. Invariably the adults leading these activities commented on how well our daughters paid attention, followed directions and were respectful of others while excelling themselves.

While there is a lot of stupid, if not downright evil, philosophy being shoveled in the public schools, one of the biggest flaws that sucks the love of learning out of kids is the inherent one that comes with trying to educate a large group at once; the sharp kids have too much down-time while the teacher deals with other students (especially the discipline issues). It doesn't take 6 hours a day to educate a child unless you've confined them to holding pens with 28 other kids. Lessons can take just 2-3 hours a day with the rest of the time available for reading or other enriching activities (not "Spongebob").