Hey guys! So I'm the new Teen Talk (please excuse the cheesy, uncreative name. I'll make it better soon!) columnist. I wasn't really entirely sure how to start, so I decided to make this a rant column (kind of) about things that teens struggle with everyday. And then I found this article. If you'd like to read it for yourself, click on the external link, but for everyone else, I'll give you a quick summary.
Around the beginning of the month, high school senior Erin Cox got a call from a friend was a stuck at a party and too drunk to drive home. So, after work, she drove over to pick her friend up, beating the police to the party by a few minutes. They arrived and busted a few people for underage possession of alcohol.
While Erin was cleared by the police, her school felt a little differently on the matter. Feeling as though she had violated the district's zero-tolerance policy, Cox was stripped of her title as volleyball captain and suspended from playing in five games.
Cox's family and teammates have rallied against the punishment, filing lawsuits and making petitions, but to no avail. The court said it has no jurisdiction over the matter, and the petition has yet to make an impact.
And personally, I think the ruling is ludicrous.
How can a school district be so fixed on it's "zero-tolerance" policy that it's willing to punish a student for doing the right thing. Would they have rathered that she left her friend there? To drive herself home or make other drunk decisions, trapped at that party?
There was a similar situation in my town where a boy was cutting tree branches in his yard with a switchblade before a football game. He went to the game with the knife, forgetting that he had it, and security didn't find it. Once he realized he had it, he turned it in to security, who informed the principal, who forced him to leave the game. And then he was suspended for 10 days.
His family's attorney fought back, but, again, to no avail. In the time it took the matter to be resolved, the 10 day suspension was up.
Another completely ridiculous punishment. He turned in the knife and explained why he had it, yet was thrown from the game (which must've been humiliating) and then suspended! For what?
But I want to know what you guys think. Do you see any logic to these situations? Has anything like this ever happened to you? Leave comments below!
Also, leave suggestions on what I should talk about next week or a new name for the column. The winners will get dedications! Thanks and see you all next week:)
