School Administrators Run Amok

by Ron Kurtus (7 November 2015)

In the United States, many school boards, principals, and teachers have strict rules or a zero-tolerance against the distribution of drugs, bringing in weapons, and sexual harassment in their schools.

Although these rules are well meaning and intended to make the schools safer places for the students, there are many cases where the administrators go to bizarre extremes to enforce their rules. These school administrators have run amok in enforcing the rules.

Their actions make you wonder if their distorted sense of justice is meaningful and whether the administrators and principals should be replaced by reasonable people. In addition, they do not consider the possible consequences of innocent actions by students.

Questions you may have include:

What about zero tolerance for drugs in school?
What weapons should not be allowed?
How is sexual harassment prevented?

This lesson will answer those questions.

Drugs not allowed in school

The expression "drugs" should refer to illegal substances and not pharmaceutical drugs. Unfortunately, some school administrators and teachers do not understand the difference between the two.

When a seventh-grade student complained to her girlfriend that she had a headache, her friend let her have an aspirin that she had in her purse. When the teacher found out, the girl was then disciplined and suspended from school for bringing drugs to school and distributing them.

I think that the teacher should have been suspended for such stupidity.

Weapons not allowed

Schools have strict rules about students bringing guns or other dangerous weapons to school. They have zero tolerance for such actions. This is good, especially considering the recent violence in many schools. However, some school administrators do not consider the situations and enforce their rules indiscriminately.

An honor role high school student was setting up a science experiment where he would show the effects of pealing an onion. To do this, he brought a paring knife to class. However, administrators felt this was a dangerous weapon and expelled the boy from school. The expulsion would go on his record and may affect his chances of going to college.

Apparently, the administrators lacked any form of common sense.

In another case, a student made a digital clock as part of a science project. When the teacher saw the clock, he called the police and had the boy arrested. This was reported in the news media, and the boy was soon offered college scholarships and even met with President Obama.

This teacher and the principal of the school both looked stupid for their actions.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment in the workplace has been in the news. But also, school administrators and teachers have set rules to interpret innocent actions as sexual harassment.

A six-year old boy innocently hugged his "girlfriend" in class. The teacher saw this and had the boy suspended for sexual harassment. This had a traumatic effect on the boy, who could not understand what was wrong.

The parents of the boy should have demanded the removal of this teacher.

In another recent case, a girl in a Florida junior high school put her arm around a distraught friend to comfort her. The principal of the school had the girl suspended for inappropriate behavior. He has school rules against students hugging, holding hands, or even touching each other.

In my view, this principal has a perverted sense of decency.

Summary

Many school administrators and principals have strict rules against the distribution of drugs, bringing in weapons, and sexual harassment in their schools.

Although these rules are well meaning and intended to make the schools safer places for the students, there are many cases where the administrators go to bizarre extremes to enforce their rules. Also, they do not consider the possible consequences of innocent actions by students.

The disciplines of these school administrators make you wonder if their distorted sense of justice is meaningful and whether they should be replaced by reasonable people.

Logic is important in discipline