That’s how it worked for me growing up, but there seems to be a trend towards making the kids buy their own books. I don’t have kids so I can’t verify, but it appears that in an effort to save money, a lot of school systems are expecting the parents who can afford it to pony up. I’m not a fan of this idea, even if I am a fan of the students owning their textbooks as opposed to passing them down. There was a fourth or fifth grade grammar textbook I had growing up (that to this day, I think of when I try to remember who/whom) that I missed when I moved on to a much crappier book.
So they are not their own books (my words, I know), but merely books lent to them.
The same principle held (partly) when I was in school. However, it’s sufficient to charge them for books which were not returned in a reasonable condition.
Also, even in this scenario there is no discernible difference between drawing on your own or some other pupil’s books, it’s still the same act of property damage.
Frustratingly, I did a search for further articles on this case this morning, and every single news outlet is just parroting the original story. Not one person has attempted to follow up on the details.
2 Likes
Teachers and school administration are two very different things.
If you grew up in Michigan, I’d hazard that the murders at Chelsea high school played a pivotal role in the early roll-out of zero-intelligence. (It’s the only state I can think of that had a non-trivial number of charter schools in the 90’s.) My own high school had some of this bullshit back in the 80’s, but implementation better resembled mission creep than a true organized policy. Started with cigarettes, then it was “negative cheers” at sports events, then on to suspension for anyone caught at a party by police where alcohol was present (whether or not the kid was caught with cup-in-hand - guilt by association stuff). Shit’s just jumped the shark these days, though.
That’s another ridiculous rule actually, ANY ink of any kind is a detention worthy offence. Also I mean people who draw things like cocks and incredibly detailed sex scenes. Ya know, “standard banter”
Nope, California, I’m afraid. Also banned were chains on wallets (the guys switched to making ones out of duct-tape, although those too became verboten) and a bunch of other random stuff.
The bulk of states didn’t mandate zero-tolerence until after Colombine, though. Hasn’t stopped a single school-house slaughter yet, but makes good kids into criminals for the pettiest of things.
Sounds stupid, but wallet chains have been baned from a lot of music venues since forever - they make reasonable garrotes in a pinch.
FWIW, my school in the early 90s was zero tolerance on guns. I lived in a semi-rural area, and every year around hunting season a couple kids would be suspended/expelled for having a rifle in the rack in their truck (yes, they checked the parking lot). School also got real slow for the first week of hunting season.
Knives were a different story though. As a somewhat nerdy kid, I kept a Swiss Army knife in my pocket for most of high school. I tightened up a lot of loose bolts on chairs/desks/tables in my time there. Teachers knew I had the knife, but folding blade knives were not considered a threat. Fixed knives (Bowie knives) would be confiscated and returned after school with a warning though.
I’m guessing knives are probably verboten as well these days.
She’s cleared.
http://wavy.com/2014/03/19/student-suspended-for-taking-razor-from-self-harming-classmate/
8 Likes
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
1 Like
If you’ll permit me, here is what happens in cases such as these:
In a society that under-funds and undervalues education, the best and the brightest turn away from the profession.
In a society that has a black and white view of justice, and a ‘throw away the key’ mentality, zero tolerance rather than situational adjudication becomes the law.
In a society that is loathe to tax itself and build a public education system, boards of education are elected that do their best to make sure the above will remain the case.
1 Like
I pretty much used mine to dismantle the school.
1 Like
I know people who know them- That TV segment was actually filmed in their shop. I have my suspicions.
Suffice to say that the girl’s family is part of a minority community, and while I don’t want to start cryng “persecution”, being different does often make the difference between “enforce the letter of the law” and “cut them a little slack”.
So, the school reversed course in the face of a social media and PR shit storm.
- No acknowledgement that the zero-tolerance policy that created the situation is under review.
- No indication of an apology to the student for failure to apply anything like rational judgement to the situation.
- No confirmation that all records of the incident are actually expunged
The school has a set of rules; absolute and inviolable. But just this once they’re not going to apply them, because it’s too embarrassing.
They’re not just authoritarian idiots, but also cowards without intellectual integrity.
3 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
