Girl Banned From Prom For Smoking Away From School

www.thekansascitychannel.com ^ | March 31, 2004

[Freedom2specul8]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Leona Fitzpatrick is going to court -- in order to go to the senior prom.

She's been barred from her prom for smoking -- and not even on school grounds. The Hillsboro, N.D., School Board has rules against students using alcohol, tobacco or drugs.

Students can be kicked out of extracurricular activities for violating the no-smoking rule. Now, Leona is seeking a court order so she can go to the dance. Her parents point out that she's 18 and legally allowed to smoke in North Dakota.

[Sunshine Sister]

I hope the courts come down hard on the school board. They have no right intruding on legal behavior off the school ground.

[excalibur1701]

Good for the school. She knew the rules going into this. Is she can't follow rules, then she should be banned.

[MegaSilver]

Not that I want kids (or anyone) smoking cigarettes, but... COME ON!!! What is this, a police state?

It's one thing to bar them from athletics and/or leadership positions for smoking or binge drinking off campus. But there's no reason for barring them from the prom for that...

[Freedom2specul8]

Just D A N G!

The school board should be kicked out...

[Freedom2specul8]

Those rules should be about school property only. We have enough govt intrusion... :p

[headsonpikes]

Now, hold on.

Cigarette smoking is legal for 18+, but this woman is being punished?

The Principal must be one of those ZeroTolerance lab rays they churn out of teacher's colleges these days.

Ick.

[headsonpikes]

Good for the school.

Jawohl, Colonel Klinck!

[Modernman]

Good for the school. She knew the rules going into this. Is she can't follow rules, then she should be banned.

The school has no power to tell students that they cannot engage in whatever legal behavior they want outside of school grounds.

[So Cal Rocket]

OK, this is fair, so long as any teacher, administrator, janitor, school board member or staff member who smokes is summarily fired.

[Skooz]

In Jr. High School, my football coach cut our nose tackle because he saw him smoking somewhere off campus.

I guess that didn't merit a blithering newspaper article in 1973.

[JimRed]

We're coming, we're coming, our brave little band

on the right side of temperance we do take our stand

we don't use tobacco because we do think

that the people who use it are likely to drink!

(from "Away with rum, by gum", Mitchell Trio, 1960's)

[Hildy]

Wait a second...since when does the school have a RIGHT to tell a student what she can or cannot do when off school grounds. That's her parents job, not the school's. SMOKING IS LEGAL.

[Freedom2specul8]

Sunshine..I totally agree. School boards can't even control what's going on in their schools. Even if they could...they have no business reaching beyond their property to harass voting adults/students.

Southflanknorthpawsis..thought you might want to see this too.

[Migjagger]

Intransigent, are we? You would be happy in a gulag.

[excalibur1701]

Haben sie gut studierest?

Seriously....if the rules are established "ahead of time", and she does not follow the rules, then the only person to blame is herself. What lessons are we teaching our kids if we back off on any rule, and let the students have their ways.

[HELLRAISER II]

I guess they should be able to come in to their houses and see what the parents are up to as well, hell if they smoke maybe she ought to be kept from school even if she doesn't smoke. I bet there might even be a gun in the house, what if she owns a gun that her dad gave her, it's against the rules of the school so go ahead and expel her from school permanently. What a bunch of B.S. this is, quite frankly it's none of your business anymore than it's theirs, unless of course it happens on campus and then an only then should they have the right to punish her.

[tx_eggman]

Did the Germans win World War 2 on your bizarro world????

[Husker24]

Yeah, in Jr High, this girl is 18 and can legally smoke.

[Freedom2specul8]

I can see them complain if she violated school policy on school property..but I don't understand the purpose of harassing and punishing the students when they are suppose to be under parental or guardian control..