suspended from school for grief?

[sammyg2]

Who’s High? A School Suspends a Student for Bloodshot Eyes
By Maia Szalavitz Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

California may be considering the full legalization of marijuana, but in Texas, a student was recently suspended from school for having red eyes. In Trophy Club, Texas, 16-year-old Kyler Robertson chose to attend classes just two days after his father was stabbed to death. His mother had urged the grief-stricken boy to stay home, according to a report on the local Fox News station, but Kyler said he wanted the comfort of his friends.

Administrators at Byron Nelson High School didn’t let the boy stay on campus for long. Because of his irritated eyes and, they claimed, the smell of marijuana on his clothes, school officials said they suspected Kyler of using marijuana and sent him home Tuesday with a three-day suspension. The school said it would lift the suspension within two hours if Kyler passed a drug test — which he did.

Kyler’s mother says she had notified school officials and her son’s teachers about her husband’s murder.

Drug use at school can certainly cause problems– but zero-tolerance policies like Byron Nelson’s aren’t the solution. They tend to be ineffective– or even counterproductive. Research shows that students who feel closely connected to a school community are less likely to have drug problems, and zero-tolerance policies have been found to reduce school connectedness.

Worse, Byron Nelson’s policy seems to controvert the notion of innocent until proven guilty — and the idea that people should be treated with common sense and decency. (One has to wonder, too, whether it’s worth sullying a student’s academic record because he might have smoked pot two days after his father was stabbed to death.)

If the school had been concerned for his safety, it seems to me that a trip to the hospital would have been their best bet. If his emotional health were the problem, being sent to a school counselor’s office might be advised. Or maybe someone could have given the kid a hug and the chance to talk to a trusted teacher.

The next Trophy Club kid who loses a parent probably won’t be seeking solace at school, but at least the local stoners won’t reject him for showing normal signs of sadness.

[azasadny]

Ridiculous!

[Brando]

Public Schools, submitting your kids to penalty without due process in the first degree!

[968rz]

I just read that one and feel the same Art. I wonder where the "smell" of grass was coming from

Because of his irritated eyes and, they claimed, the smell of marijuana on his clothes

Perhaps they should look at the school admins if they really smelled it.

These zero-tolerance policies cause more trouble than good.
My son was about 14 and took his TOY air-soft gun (plastic BBs) to school because he was going to a friends after to play war.
No BBs, no clip, clear yellow plastic TOY gun. They did a random locker search and they saw it, three days suspension, seized TOY, permanent gun mark on his school record.
All because of zero-tolerance and a TOY.

[widgeon13]

+ 1000, just stupid admin, that should cost them bigtime!

Ridiculous!

[racer]

I recently read my first graders "school handbook" put out by the county (county run public schools). It is amazing what kids aren't allowed to do anymore. Guess I'll have to corrupt my kids on my own time

[A930Rocket]

Sad story...

I was taking a summer school class when I was 15 to get ahead one year and had a teacher say "never come to school again like that!". I asked what he was talking about and he said I had red eyes and he thought I had smoked pot. Everyone started laughing, because I would have been the last one to try it. I had to explain to him I worked as a dishwasher every night at a bar from 5 PM until 12 AM and then get to school by 8 AM.

[unclebilly]

In high school, one of my close friends lost his father to an insulin attack - he had diabetes. His mother was never really in the picture and his step mom had moved out with his step sister a year before.

My friend had alot of issues to deal with but was coping barely. His step mom took the house etc and left him with nowhere to live. He moved in with another friend's family.

Our awesome high school kicked him out for missing too many classes (and it wasn't many given the circumstances). He never did get his diploma and has suffered for it ever since. I think if he could have gotten a letter from his deceased father explaining his absence, it would have been OK...

The same idiots also expelled me but I still got to write exams and graduate.

I think some of these people ought to be held financially accountable for their negligence.

[unclebilly]

One other story about that school - it was in the land of BC Bud, Vancouver Island, BC.

Our woodshop teacher told us on the first day that if he expected anyone was smoking anything funny at lunch, he would give them a block of wood and a piece of sand paper and they could make whatever they want. True story.

[tabs]

He11 when I was i the 3RD Grade the Teach didn't think very well of my smoking cigars and drinking Whiskey..during recess...

[widgeon13]

I was suspended in HS, couldn't attend the senior prom and had to do a week of work in the school after the normal graduation, all because of a senior prank. Local LEO's wanted to prosecute for trespassing as well.

Most fun I had while in HS, I'd do it all again.

[David]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

One other story about that school - it was in the land of BC Bud, Vancouver Island, BC.

Our woodshop teacher told us on the first day that if he expected anyone was smoking anything funny at lunch, he would give them a block of wood and a piece of sand paper and they could make whatever they want. True story.

I had a woodshop teacher tell us he heard that some of the students were making pipes in class. His advice: "don't varnish them"

[sammyg2]

I didn't smoke pot in high school, had no use for the crap.
But there were 4 teachers that I was absolutely positive smoked it on a regular basis and several others I suspected.
I saw a ceramics teacher getting high with a group of students on several occasions, eventually he had to transfer to another school because of a "personal relationship" with a female student. I believe she was 18 at the time so no charges were brought up, even though they'd been together around for a while.

Hey, it was the 70's. Things were different back then

[Rikao4]

he should just take the meds the other kids & teachers are on..
prozac,ritalin,valium,chantix...or Mrs. Kings favorite..Vodka!

Rika

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by widgeon13

+ 1000, just stupid admin, that should cost them bigtime!

Totally agree! This PC and new outlook at schools is the worst thing I have seen in decades.

[john70t]

[QUOTE=Rikao4;5562087}
prozac,ritalin,valium,chantix[/QUOTE]
Extreme mood swings, depression, suicidal behaviour, extreme memory loss, disorientation, organ failure.......

[john70t]

Somewhere the words "inspire curiosity of the world" got lost from the curriculum.