coldnjl

April 1st, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^

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.

 

MilkSteak

April 1st, 2012 at 8:01 PM ^

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. 

Wohlverine

April 2nd, 2012 at 2:41 AM ^

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. 

Witz57

April 1st, 2012 at 8:10 PM ^

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.

BlueGoM

April 2nd, 2012 at 6:33 AM ^

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.

exmtroj

April 1st, 2012 at 8:12 PM ^

Classic Jefferson, should have been a Trojan.

In all seriousness though, this is ridiculous.  Let's put a permanent mark on these kids' records and possibly ruin their lives because they tossed some lunch meat around the cafeteria. 

MilkSteak

April 2nd, 2012 at 12:08 PM ^

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. 

LSAClassOf2000

April 1st, 2012 at 8:23 PM ^

....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:

UMxWolverines

April 1st, 2012 at 8:38 PM ^

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.

lhglrkwg

April 1st, 2012 at 9:26 PM ^

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

GoBluePhil

April 1st, 2012 at 10:20 PM ^

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.

Magnus

April 2nd, 2012 at 6:30 AM ^

Oh, come on.  These kids were not arrested for throwing food around a cafeteria.  You people aren't that gullible, are you?

MSHOT92

April 2nd, 2012 at 3:04 PM ^

this was more than just spontaneous pranks, it was rather premeditated by a couple of the kids who were arrested and because of the scope of the problem, ie, it caused huge disruption the rest of the day, the school took a hard line as tables and other property were damaged and injury occured. Sounds like it was more than just food being thrown. With that in mind, I know it's hard to fathom sometimes, but you can also guess the kids arrested were likely not first time offenders in school. Usually if a student receives extreme consequence they've already used up their free grace pass on other trivial stupid stuff...thus them probably lashing out and premeditating a problem...I know food fights happen, I've worked school cafeteria time. All it takes is some boredom and spare or inedible school lunches...which is a daily concern. Bottom line there is no doubt far more to the story and good for them for setting the line and having a severe consequence.  Without being there and knowing all the details it's easy to say the school overreacted to the situation. I have to believe this was more than just a few carrots and mashed potatoes being flung around with spoons.

Magnus

April 2nd, 2012 at 1:28 PM ^

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.