Zero Tolerance Equals Zero Intelligence for Warren Township
Topic: Indianapolis In the News
Posted: Tue, Apr 4, 2006 
Here we go kids. Just because "bad stuff" happens, doesn't mean that we have to abandon our basic common sense. But leave it to a Warren Township principal to suspend a student for trying to do the right thing in a classic case of policy turning into hypocrisy.
Pulled from the Indy Star...
A Far-Eastside couple say they are stunned that a Warren Township Schools principal suspended their son and recommended his expulsion for possession of a pocketknife even though he turned the knife in to the office as soon as he arrived at school.He said he handed the knife to Teri Donahue, the school's treasurer, and told her he had brought it to school by mistake.
As a result of Elliot's actions, the school's principal, Jimmy Meadows, suspended Elliot for the maximum 10 school days as allowed by law and recommended Elliot be expelled. A confidential expulsion hearing is scheduled for April 10.
In recommending Elliot's expulsion, Meadows, who could not be reached for comment last week, noted, "I personally wrote to Stonybrook parents twice this year concerning weapons, the school's actions, protocols and procedures. I also reiterated the importance in comommunication with our students concerning this serious matter."
Nice job Jimmy! Way to give a shit about setting an example! Now kids everywhere will be afraid to do what is considered "right". Because the letter of the "law" is more important than a person, right? I guess so. What an idiot.
To sum up, boy accidentally leaves pocket-knife in jacket pocket (makes sense). Boy notices knife while going to school. Boy goes straight to the school office to turn the knife in, because he knows he is not allowed to have the knife on school property. Principal suspends boy, even though the principal documented the incident more or less as above - that it was an accident and the student behaved in a responsible manner.
On a related note, here's the website to the Warren Township School District:
http://www.warren.k12.in.us/home/
And oh look - it's the contact information for the Superintendent, Dr. Peggy Hinckley:
http://www.warren.k12.in.us/administration/administration.asp
Here we have the lovely Stonybrook Middle School, where the new rule of the day is "Doing The Right Thing Just Ain't Worth It":
http://stonybrook.warren.k12.in.us/home/
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Comments
1. Apr 4, 06 12:48 PM | Steph Mineart said:
I have a vague recollection of another incident recently like this, wherein a kid picked up and handed over to school authorities a weapon that had been dropped by some other kid, and the kid doing the responsible thing was kicked out. What exactly are we trying to teach kids, here? And how, exactly, does this make the school or the kids safer?
It's not surprising that kids turn into rebellious little snots when even they can see common sense getting subverted, while they get treated like idiots.
2. Apr 5, 06 09:27 AM | Ami said:
Looks like Warren Township took enough heat for this they dropped the case.
See the Indy Star article:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060405/NEWS01/604050454
3. Apr 5, 06 10:38 PM | Michael Packer said:
Heh. Thanks Ami! Well, it's nice to know that public pressure can sway some people to reason, even if it is the administration and not the principal himself. Speaking of, this kind of bothers me:
"The district does not have a zero-tolerance policy regarding knives, but Principal Jimmy Meadows saw the situation as serious enough to warrant punishment. Meadows, who could not be reached for comment, suspended Elliot and recommended the district begin proceedings to expel him."
In his own report, Meadows recounts the incident describing that the student behaved in a responsible manner and doing what would seem to be the right thing under the rules. So *how* was this *serious enough* to warrant suspension and to move towards expulsion?
It seems there's more to this that we're still not getting. And of course, Meadows is not talking. Sure it's not like he shot anyone in the face, or through innaction allowed a city to perish under the weight of a hurricane, but still - it's enough to raise my eyebrow and say "Hunh?"
4. Aug 21, 12 07:57 AM | grorseddell said:
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