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http://abcnews.go.com/WN/education-school-safety-tolerance-polices-lack-common-sense/story?id=9053934

Wow...just amazing overeaction there. I had many a food fight during my school days.

GG

yep.

I blame the over-protective/outraged parents. If schools weren't inundated with fear from parents who threaten to sue them when a teacher forces a student to sit in class with gum on their nose, because said student was chewing gum and knew he/she shouldn't have been. Teachers and school officials have been hamstringed so much as far as discipline goes, that their only recourse is to actually involve the police.

I love the overreacting responses on the article itself.

"THEY'LL GO TO JUVENILE HALL WHERE THEY'LL BE USED AND ABUSED AND TOSSED TO THE CURB LIKE TRASH!!1111!!"!(for emphasis)

Because you know, it's unlikely they'll let them just do community service in regards to the legal aspect.

Could they get a criminal record for this?

Would this stop them getting a job, or going to college?

...

Do you really think they'd try them for ANYTHING in regards to this?

Read what Ironhide said, very carefully. That's how most of the American school systems are. There are kids who have no business being anywhere but in a cage in some of these schools, and the teachers can't do crap to punish them. The school either has to do nothing, or call in the police to deal with them.

But the parents will still raise a stink, even if the police do it. However--the cops don't have to put up with those parents the rest of the week

I hope they rot in prison those bastard kids who picked on everyone else and especially me with all those noogies, stealing my lunch money and stealing my clothes after gym and and... oh wait I am projecting.

This is just ridiculous. Oh noes, they threw crappy government food at one another, oh noes! Call the police, the humanity!

They should probably clean it up, though.

If you're going to throw food everywhere, you can clean it up, or go to child prison.

Lord-Loss wrote:Could they get a criminal record for this?

Would this stop them getting a job, or going to college?

"I see that you are top of your class and have quite a few scholarships under the belt. What's this? Arrested for a food fight? I'm sorry, but our policy states that we can't hire criminals. Bad for the company you see. Ta!"

Whah. Some people are just crazily overzealous in their "Zero-tolerance" policies. There was a food fight at school today, but I'm not a hardened criminal mastermind.

Some people...just meh.

Lord-Loss wrote:Could they get a criminal record for this?

Would this stop them getting a job, or going to college?

No to both. Juvenile records are wiped clean at 17.

Police are allways useless.
Cant catch a real fething criminal, because they are too busy with speed cams or arresting kids for a bs reason.
atleast now they can go back to the station and have another 10 or so arrests on thier statistics report for the month.
Arseholes.

Little lord Fauntleroy wrote:Whah. Some people are just crazily overzealous in their "Zero-tolerance" policies. There was a food fight at school today, but I'm not a hardened crimina mastermind.

*dials 911*

Altered_Soul wrote:

Little lord Fauntleroy wrote:Whah. Some people are just crazily overzealous in their "Zero-tolerance" policies. There was a food fight at school today, but I'm not a hardened crimina mastermind.

*dials 911*

I Loled.

The level of stupidity present here boggles the mind.

UK police != US police, and vice versa. Nor do the schools.

The middle school I went to, required a constant police presence. And not for food fights.

Why?
Because of the fact that teachers can be sued for even BREAKING UP A FIGHT in this country. Several teachers who even tried to peacefully mediate got slugged by kids, and can't do a damn thing back to them without facing criminal/civil charges from the parents. Public schools can't do jack. Private schools can't do jack either. But the police?

The police are an outside force in this case, which can act based on the rules of the institution without fear of some spoiled brat's parents going after their wages.

Private schools can do what they want-which is kick them out of said school. I don't have a clue as to why you think they can't do something.

They can kick them out, yeah.

But the parents still manage to sue and get the teacher fired.

Kanluwen wrote:Because of the fact that teachers can be sued for even BREAKING UP A FIGHT in this country. Several teachers who even tried to peacefully mediate got slugged by kids, and can't do a damn thing back to them without facing criminal/civil charges from the parents. Public schools can't do jack. Private schools can't do jack either. But the police?

The police are an outside force in this case, which can act based on the rules of the institution without fear of some spoiled brat's parents going after their wages.

WTF, they cant break up a fight?

So they have to let them beat the gak out of each other if the police aint present.

Yea but its the teacher led paramutual betting on the fight that annoys me...




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Edit: I've not heard of private schools being sued for, well much of anything.

St. Timothy's/Hale back in 94 or so(I think. I was only 7 at the time) was slapped with an attempted lawsuit for throwing a student out because he kept trying to grope some girls in the classroom, but one of the girls' father was a lawyer and defended the school and got it tossed out like a joke.

Oddest part was that it almost made it to trial before the lawyer got involved. Your money at work, America. Ridiculous lawsuits!

I wore a jeff foxworthy t-shirt to school my freshman year at high school, my first week. My school wanted to suspend me for a week because they considered the shirt offensive, and under their zero tolerance policy, that was a week suspension.

the shirt said, "you might be a redneck if your favorite fishing lure is tnt"

I had to get a lawyer to fight back, until they let me off with a warning.

@horst really?
I wore a shirt with a topless girl with cards in her hand when I was in grade 8. Course I did wear a jacket...

Wait, there are Jeff Foxworthy t-shirts.

I love that guy, I needs one!

Does anyone else wonder if publicly provided lawyers would help fix the civil court system in America? On the one hand, people wouldn't have fear lawsuits as much, because it doesn't cost as much to defend themselves. On the other hand, I suppose it makes bringing stupid lawsuits all the less painful for the plaintiff.

Maybe there should be some sort of penalty for having sued someone and lost? Maybe change the standards of evidence to favor the defendant more? I don't know. It just seems like it's gotten into bad shape.

Food fights are an honored tradition at school! Of course, they're not an indication of hardened criminal behavior. Just another sign of the Nanny state smothering the world.

We can break up fights in my school without getting sued. That's mad, that you can't in America. The litigation culture is bonkers.

Orkeosaurus wrote:Does anyone else wonder if publicly provided lawyers would help fix the civil court system in America? On the one hand, people wouldn't have fear lawsuits as much, because it doesn't cost as much to defend themselves. On the other hand, I suppose it makes bringing stupid lawsuits all the less painful for the plaintiff.

Maybe there should be some sort of penalty for having sued someone and lost? Maybe change the standards of evidence to favor the defendant more? I don't know. It just seems like it's gotten into bad shape.

Your second part is whats needed.

Make it loser pays. You would be shocked how much nonsesne would immediately fall away if this was put into play. I know from personal experience.

The arrival of no win no fee litigation in the UK sparked a rise in 'blame for compensation' lawsuits.

Ironically, it's not uncommon in the cases that are won that the bulk of the winnings go to the law firm not the plaintiff.

What's next, arresting a clown after he throws a pie in the face of another clown?

Drains, we are circling them.