Schoolboy Turns in Found 'Weapon', Gets Suspended For Effort

Publius' Forum ^ | 12/14/06 | Warner Todd Huston

[unspun]

Fire the Princpal.

Get a long stiff pole, tie him to it by the wrists and ankles, paint him with tar, cover him with feathers and parade him out with orders never to return, lest he be shot on sight.

The other school administrators out there might take notice.

[jaydubya2]

Nope, sorry. She was on the Don and Roma show on WLS radio Chicago this morning.

[VRWCmember]

Not only is Ryan being punished for trying to fulfill what he is told is his duty, but now so are the taxpayers who will have to pay double for this young man to be educated. With property taxes already paying for his education once at the school, it will now be doubled for his home schooling.

Lawyer Izzo earnestly announced that "it would be in the best interest of the student and the school to continue provide this student with educational opportunities through home bound study." But, what is "in the best interest" of the taxpayers who are being forced to pay double for this kid who was only trying to be helpful, Mr. Izzo?

I think the author in his zeal to be critical has got something wrong here. The school district does NOT receive funding for this kid's education if he is not there, so in effect the taxpayers are NOT paying double for his education. Furthermore, the cost of private school or homeschooling (or vouchers) is typically less than the amount spent per student by the public school system. Therefore, if he is being homeschooled with the school district paying for it, the taxpayers are actually saving money on this kid's education.

[Vinnie]

the 'zero tolerance' per se isn't the problem

I disagree.

IMHO zero tolerance was instituted so officials don't have to make a logical decision.
A decision has been made for them. And they can shrug at the idiocy and say"it's the law".

Common sense out the window.( if they have any)

[Labyrinthos]

Well, maybe it isn't so ominous after all because this "gun" turned out to be a mere toy pellet gun that Ryan and a friend found hidden in the boy's bathroom. It seems that Ryan had heard a rumor that this "gun" had been hidden there so he and his little friend went there to do the "right" thing and retrieve it to hand it in to the office.

I have to disagree. According to the NRA and Eddie-the-Eagle, this kid should have left the gun where he found it and immediatley reported the gun to an adult. In fact, the better approach would have been to report what he had "heard" to an adult and let the adult search for the gun. (BTW, the author is an idiot for describing the gun as a "mere toy pellet gun." Real guns are not toys whether they shoot BB's, pellets, .22 long rifles, or 00 Buckshot. No wonder we have so many gun accidents.)

[Clintonfatigued]

"This school ordered the boy to be homeschooled (or, as officials put it, to "home bound study") for a year, at taxpayers' expense."

Interesting, as many families homeschool their children without the taxpayers footing the bill. Don't be surprised if the mother and child discover how much more he learns without having to deal with school.

[TheBattman]

Lesson learned - do the "right thing" and get punished.

Nothing like conflicting messages to really screw up children. This is definitely a case that I would recommend an attorney (as much as I generally dislike the idea).

[Rakkasan1]

"...the school district claiming that young Ryan had "possession of a gun". "

that's what the MADD cops say if you have car keys on you when you're drunk, regardless of whether you're driving or not. possession is 9/10ths of something or other...

[AmericanChef]

I think the school just did this fine lad a favor. He might have a choice to grow up into a man this way.

[Zack Attack]

What a stupid stupid decision. Poor kid.

Agreed that the decision was stupid, but a years worth of home education may turn out to be the best gift they could have given this kid. I sure hope so.

[Lucky9teen]

Yes, if the parents have the time to devote to home schooling, I agree.

[chiefqc]

Put the student in charge and he superintendent back to grade school so he can get a clue as to what is going on around him.

[HundredDollars]

Whatever the real story behind this particular zero-tolerance buffoonery is, I would like to think my classmates and I would have reacted creatively to suspension of schoolmates for technical violations of rules like no knives and no guns (butter knives and toy guns.) The word would have gone out for everyone to bring said item on a set date.

Then the principal would either have to suspend most of the students because "that's the policy," set a precedent that discretion can be used when enforcing even a "zero-tolerance" policy, or get the policy revoked. It would be even sweeter to get the principal and board members on the record making statements like, "My hands are tied," "There's nothing I can do," etc.

Thanks for entertaining my little fantasy of rubbing their zero-tolerance noses in it. I feel much better now.

[Still Thinking]

Based on that we should be able to arrest anyone driving home with a sixpack in the trunk. After all, they have keys and alcohol, and nothing prevents them from using both, so we can take the constructive position that they're already drunk driving.

[Rakkasan1]

correct.some states have "open bottle" laws. IE, they find an uncorked bottle of wine or an empty beer can or bottle anywhere in the cabin of the vehicle...guess what?

"your ass is mine, you'll walk the line..."

[Still Thinking]

No, I'm saying unopened and locked in the trunk. I'm just taking the logic of "if you have keys, you're driving" and "if you're under your car in your driveway fixing it, you're driving" "logic" to it's, ahem, logical conclusion.

[Rakkasan1]

ah,just shoot them 50 times and call it good.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

"Sue them. Make them lose their jobs. Make the schools pay a fortune for these abuses of power. Force some people into bankruptcy. Take their homes. Ruin their marriages. Make their children cry. Until they suffer a real punishment for abuses of discretion, the abuses will grow more frequent and pronounced. Pain & Pleasure, Reward & Punishment, and all the jazz."

I like the way you think.

[HitmanLV]

I call em like I see them. One of the big deficiencies among conservatives is that they lack a true killer instinct. Their battles with these types of folks is a mismatch.

Things will get worse before they get better. We need a new generation of conservatives with a serious mean streak and willing to use the tools of the left against them, and leave them a (figurative) broken, bankrupt mess.

Of course,by this I only mean to use lawsuits and other legal methods to these ends. Just to be clear, i am not advocating violence.

But, until we start ruining people and marriages, and making their children cry, we will always be at a disadvantage in the culture war.

[sbMKE]

Here in Milwaukee - the public school district spends $10-11,000 per student enrolled. I'd be all for having all my kids "unfairly" expelled if they'd even "voucher" me 1/2 for homeschooling. Heck, I'd drop the pellet gun off myself.