Posted on 02/11/2006 4:11:34 PM PST by Revel
Boy charged with felony for carrying sugar
BY JUSTINA WANG A 12-year-old Aurora boy who said he brought powdered sugar to school for a science project this week has been charged with a felony for possessing a look-alike drug, Aurora police have confirmed.
The sixth-grade student at Waldo Middle School was also suspended for two weeks from school after showing the bag of powdered sugar to his friends.
The boy, who is not being identified because he is a juvenile, said he brought the bag to school to ask his science teacher if he could run an experiment using sugar.
Two other boys asked if the bag contained cocaine after he showed it to them in the bathroom Wednesday morning, the boy's mother said.
He joked that it was cocaine, before telling them, "just kidding," she said.
Aurora police arrested the boy after a custodian at the school reported the boy's comments. The youngster was taken to the police station and detained, before being released to his parents that afternoon.
"This is getting ridiculous," said the boy's mother. "They treated my son like a criminal. .. . This is no way to treat a 12-year-old kid."
East Aurora School District officials declined to comment on the case, citing privacy issues.
The district issued a written statement, which said: "The dangers of illegal drugs and controlled substances are clear.
Could get probation "Look-alike drugs and substances can cause that same level of danger because staff and students are not equipped to differentiate between the two."
The school handbook states that students can be suspended or expelled for carrying a look-alike drug.
Penalties for juveniles are decided on a case-by-case basis, but if convicted, the sixth-grader could likely face up to five years' probation, said Jeffery Jefko, deputy director of Kane County juvenile court services.
Juveniles who have prior criminal records could also be placed in a residential treatment program if convicted, he said.
Aurora Beacon-News
You're welcome. It's nice to be appreciated.
The kid brought a substance to school and claimed to his friends it was cocaine. The conversation was overheard by a custodian and reported. By law the principal must report this situation as he cannot make a determination of drug/non-drug.
The kid's mouth got him in trouble. Next time, if he brings sugar for an experiment, then he shouldn't claim it is cocaine.
The last time I checked at my neighborhood Safeway, powdered sugar is clearly labeled as powdered sugar without a side label saying "but, maybe it's cocaine? hee hee hee"
As for inner city schools, some minority families in inner city Baltimore were working second and third jobs for the tuition for such schools like you mention ($3000/yr tuition). These were the families that realized that the public schools in the inner city were little more than day-care centers. I have seen such "day care centers" in Newark NJ.
I guess I fall into that 1/3 of our population that desires neither making or enforcing a bunch of silly rules, nor being governed by them.
You know, sort of like the attitude and position of the people who fought the Revolutionary War in this country.
How idiotic of me.
I'm thinking about it.
If allowed to continue unchecked, I do believe we will be legislated and regulated back into the Middle Ages.
Not only did this kid have something that looked like cocaine in the bathroom, but the sinks in the bathroom dispensed a liquid that looked just like vodka.
As a dad of a couple of former 12 year old boys I could see them acting like idiots with their friends.
I could see me doing something like this. I probably would have too if I would have thought of it.
For your own good mind you, for your own good. /s
I wonder how many people realize that practically the only reason this sort of a law is on the books in Illinois (and probably most other states as well) is to prevent some con-man from claiming in court, "hey judge, I know the undercover cop busted me for selling him a bag of dope, but it wasn't dope . . . it was oregano."
Too simple for the drug posters.
these are pathetic times. America has gone insane. It's like the people allegedly fighting the war on some drugs are all on drugs...or should be.
First of all, the time to fight school policy is before your child breaks that policy, not afterwards.
Second, you're saying that you would support a school policy that allows kids to bring look-alike drugs to school? Geez, maybe they could use Monopoly money and do fake "deals" in the hallway between classes. Oh, and have fake drive-bys with fake guns.
You would, of course, allow look-alike guns, right? Hey, what's the harm?
And none of this would detract from a quality education.
Shouldn't that be a "drug look-alike"?
Only with our permission. We have an opportunity every two years to elect a whole new group to write our laws.
My nephew had to go to court and pay fines for bringing that shreeded beef jerky that looks like a can of tobacco to school last year.
Sorry, not my job to endanger my life.
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