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I don't know what happened and what damage was done, but this seems like punishment that has gone too far. Make the kids and their families pay for any damages that may have occurred due to this, and make them perform community service at the school. This, IMO, is just a lack of leadership from a principle who apparenlty can't teach a lesson, and who is relying on a judicial system to send the message for him. This is not the place for high school discipline where no one got hurt.
If it was my son or daughter I am not sure I would let the cops lock them up... This is ridiculous
How would you stop them?
It depends on if I could... I certainly wouldn't go down without fighting if I was at the school when they called.... and by down fighting I mean running away and hiding. lol.
That's the neat thing about police - they don't give a damn what kids' parents think. And it's a good thing, too, because most parents think their kids are totally innocent.
Don't think for a second that who the kids are didn't play some part in this... Someone had to decide who gets arrested and who gets suspended...
jdon
As a teacher, I cosign this so hard.
My alma mater at it's finest.
Huron Leaguer myself here. We always teased Jefferson kids about stuff like this, but there's no way they deserved to go to jail. It seems like the world's getting soft. A school has to bring in the police to deal with a food fight? Please.
I suppose I should have actually read the article first, I assumed they were students from Monroe High my alma mater. Still pretty messed up they got arrested just glad it wasn't MHS.
I'm an 08 grad, I'm sure if you know me you can figure it out by my username. When did you graduate? I don't see the police being brought in for something like this at our school though.
Dude I know you. And I owe you for my late love of Sufjan Stevens (I think you posted a video on FB).
I'm an alumn if JHS and know the actual details of the events that occurred that day. The punishment would not have been as severe as it was if the kids involved knew when to shut up and not give the police a hard time.
How about just make them clean up the mess. Jail for this is just asinine.
A few years back, my brother, a senior in high school at the time, was walking near the school with his friend and decided to walk on the unlocked football field. They were laying on the field reminiscing about the four years they'd played upon it, when a couple cops came responding to the silent alarm the kids didn't realize they'd set off. With in a few minutes the police had them pinned face down and even went so far as to point guns in their faces.
Despite the fact they were honor students, played for the school, and hadn't intended any harm, and apologized profusely, the prosecutor planned to file charges against them. This was because it was an election year and he rally wanted to look "tough on crime."
It took the intercession of the super intendant whom my brother had a good relationship with (because of extra curriculars and because my brother won a national essay contest) and an entire summer of community service for them not to have have records tarnished and it taught my brother, who intended to go into politics at the time, that politicians don't care about right and wrong and who they hurt if it makes them look better.
I find it amazing how often adults fail to treat high school kids like people.
A good example of how law enforcement is out of control in this country. And people think that the reason we have so many people in jail is because we have "lots of criminals".
You live in the land of the free, right? Not if the prosecutor thinks he can hammer you.
State is broke.. Need those pseudo taxes the court system injects.
Stripes make them look thin or are those their school uniforms?
Monroe, Jefferson... ha should have been a falcon
Screw that...be a BLUESTREAK....JJ...I hated that school!
Mason Eagle here, but I coached 3 years of Freshman basketball and 3 years of track at SMCC.
What years? I ran track from 05-07
I coached High Jumpers from 02-04. I coached Freshman hoops with my best friend, the late Lance Keiffer from 00-03. I'm sure you probably knew at least who Lance was.
My cousin is Ryan Upchurch. If you know who he is.
Ahh I missed you then. My sister dated Allen for a little bit and I played football with Dakota for a few years and still see him around my neighborhood occasionally. Great guys. Ryan was a pretty decent football/basketball player right? I definitely know the name.
small world...great area to grow up in.
Seconded, CC class of 09
go vikings haha
Go Kickin Mules
I attended Bedford for two years before going to Ida. Another great school, but when I attended, they had a horrible overcrowding problem. actually enjoyed Ida and the people there better. I remember the old gym teacher, coach K.
When did you go there? Since then they've added on to the two longest halls (A and E) but it's still way to small imo. I always think about how it would have been better to go to Ida.
I also went to Bedford. Of course when I graduated the school building was still brand new.
....and it sort of screams that nobody laughs anymore, or at least it seems that way to me. Yeah, there should be some reprimand, but from the school administration, and even then nothing more than cleaning up the mess and repairing anything damaged.
If they (i.e., the administrators) are so ineffective that they need to lean on the police, then I can think of someone else who should be reprimanded and it isn't a student. As a former Saline Hornet who was party to a few food fights, the only thing the school expected - at least in the early 90s - was no leftover ketchup on the walls.
Anyway, food can be fun:
I'm no delinquent; I've never had a penalty hall (what they call detention here) or anything. I go to a school in Monroe County as well (Bedford). All the changes to how the teachers are evaluated and how they're no longer protected by their union have made most of the teachers/administrators shit their pants. They're being nazis about everything. Our gym teacher (who no one likes because he always seems to have a stick up his ass) has been walking around the lunch room writing down people for having their cell phones out. If this is supposed to make schools better it sure isn't working.
My friends and I were trying to think up a senior prank recently, but if this is what we have to look forward to, maybe no one will do one.
I thought all the April 1 threads were done by now?
Yeah that is completely insane. I go to PCEP and it got crazy at the end of last year, with food fights and pranks. They are talking about making us eat lunch in our class rooms for the last two weeks of school. Here is a link to what happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51wPZfof1Y0
If that's all it takes to go to jail for now, I would've had a lengthy criminal record before I even made it to my senior year. Seems like the school is trying to make an example of them and is just taking it way way too far
and this incident was way more than just a food fight. They threw chairs and turned over tables and nearly created a riot. Not only did 4 go to jail but several others were suspended from school indefinitely. They deserve everything they get. There were some minor injuries reported. Not the way I want my tax dollars spent cleaning up after these idiots.
this sounds exactly like monroe county police work arrest people for stupid reasons like this instead of doing real work.
Awww yeah, Monroe County represent!
Oh, come on. These kids were not arrested for throwing food around a cafeteria. You people aren't that gullible, are you?
I'm guessing there's a little more to this story than just a little food fight.
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120328/NEWS01/120...
It doesn't seem like they learned anything from it....maybe they needed more time in jail, not less.
Stuff like this makes me question my faith in humanity....
"MEAP testing is an organized event and disrupts the school day for the entire building too Sgt. Plath"
I have no words...
Yeah, if you want any hope for our country, never read the comments section of an online newspaper. Unlike places like MGoBlog (where most of the discussion is at least halfway intelligent, though sophomoric), newspapers are read by everyone...and commented on by everyone.
Facebook.
I have a thought that stuff like this happens because it's the only way to maintain any kind of order any more.
The kids involved in this were clearly acting like idiots, and should have been forced to clean up their mess, pay for the damage, and suffer some other significant punishment at school and at home. There was at least some destruction of property, and it's also easy for something like this to get out of hand and someone to get seriously hurt. This doesn't strike me as "good clean fun".
The problem is that there is apparently no threat of punishment once they get home. Then, if the administration attempts to hand out anything that qualifies as a real punishment, most parents any more will threaten the school with legal action. Even the threat of a lawsuit is a costly endeavor fraught with peril for anyone, but especially a cash-strapped school district in this day and age. So the administration does the "easy" thing...and turns it into a legal matter.
The punishment is ridiculous and turns common sense on its head, but it's not surprising. If any of you watched the local news coverage of this, particularly the interviews with the parents, you might understand where I'm coming from here.
And look like they're applying for martyrdom rather than showing any regret over doing it. That comes from the parents. Though the one kid does bring out the classic "my dad will fight you" line. It may seem like overkill, but it's readily looking like the only discipline they've ever had.
I would qualify my comments about the ridiculousness of the punishment by observing the comments of both the perps and their fanboys and girls posted in M-Wolverine's link (which I have re-posted below).
It's clear to me that some folks didn't learn their lessons, and I'm not just talking about the idiots who spent some time in jail because of this. If this is going to be the reaction, maybe I need to rethink my "ridiculous" comment a bit...maybe the punishment was ridiculously lenient.
http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120328/NEWS01/120329974/-1/news
I weep for humanity...
