Students tried to poison Bainbridge Island (WA) teacher

[Ediacara]

Source: Seattle P-I / KOMO-TV

KOMO-TV STAFF

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- Two 12-year-old girls have been arrested for allegedly trying to poison their teacher on Thursday afternoon, police said.

Bainbridge Police Deputy Chief Mark Duncan said the two girls did not want to attend the teacher's class at Sakai Intermediate School.

One of these girls failed to bring a required progress report that was supposed to be signed by her parents, and the two apparently thought that if they could make the teacher sick the missing progress report would go unnoticed.

Duncan said the girls knew the teacher was highly allergic to strawberries, so they put strawberry lip gloss in the teacher's coffee and water bottle.

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/309690_poison30ww.html

[aquart]

1. Does artificially-flavored lipgloss count?

[Bozita]

2. This article made me think of tangerine lipgloss.

Maybe even some cranberries, mashed potatoes, and grrrravy.

[yasmina27]

3. This is inexcusable

I am deathly allergic (no exaggeration) to peanuts and other tree nuts. I have 2 signs posted in my middle school classroom that "This is a peanut and tree nut free classroom" I also have several students who are allergic, but so as not to single them out, I explain to my classes about my allergy, potential reactions, and what not to bring in for food parties using myself as the excuse.

MANY people, including several of my "educated" colleagues, do not understand the life-threatening situation these allergies can pose.

Gee, it's generous that the girls only used synthetic strawberry flavor since the real stuff could have killed her. I hope they are expelled and forced to attend an alternative education facility.

I also tell my students that if they ever wanted to kill a French teacher, now they know how. So far, in 20 years, none have tried :).

[superconnected]

4. I so know what you mean.

I'm very alergic to some flowers and perfumes.

In the early 90's a lady grabbed me as I was walking through the Bon and spayed some perfume on my arm as soon as she grabbed me. My throat went totally constricted where I couldn't breathe and all the Bon staff did was keep me in the bathroom over the sink asking me if they should call an ambulance or I would be alright - I couldn't talk as I could barely gasp for air.

Those fuck heads were still spraying people when I left over an hour later. I made a big complaint but they acted like it was my problem for being allergic and not their practices of perfuming people. I don't walk in The Bon anymore. I'm afraid they'll kill me.

What they do is grab unsuspecting women, spray them and ask how they like the perfume in an attempt to sell it.

I hope the kids get suspended.

[PSPS]

6. No worries. "The Bon" isn't around anymore.

[superconnected]

9. no it's been bought out by macys but it's still there.

I should be clear, it's called Bon-Macys now. Same store at the Everett Mall, in WA state where I live.

[merwin]

12. I thought all the ones around Everett had been changed to

Macy's now (as opposed to Bon-Macy's). Moot point, as they're still the same company, different name. I would recommend staying away from anything with either Bon or Macy's in it :)

That kind of shit should be illegal.

[superconnected]

18. The Everett mall one is still named the Bon Macys.

Yeah, I don't go in there.

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. did you bring a lawsuit against them?

i would have

[SemperEadem]

20. a very dear friend of mine died

after lingering in a coma for about 3 years after he ate something his wife brought home and set on the kitchen table which had nuts in it. His airways closed up and he was without oxygen for over 15 minutes. He was highly allergic--and he was extremely vigilent when it came to what he ate. He never took part in office parties where food was present. If you offered him something, he would always ask, first, "was it prepared with nuts or nut oils?", then more than likely, he would pass on it. He would carry antihistamines in his backpack, which was never far from his side, in case he did come into contact with nuts. How it was that ate something in his own home without asking what it was first, knowing how he was when it came to food, is a mystery to me.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

22. My ex-teacher used to have a serious allergy to coffee

And that included coffee flavored sweets or basically anything coffee flavored. She used to make that same joke as you did quite a few times. And on quite a few occasions when she was going to give us a test, someone would yell out "quick, get the coffee". It was all done in good jest and the teacher would laugh along with us

It's sad that some people out there have such a petty, vindictive and nasty side as to want to hurt or cause major discomfort to other people and play on their physical state for their own gratification. I agree with you -I hope they get the book thrown at them

[rebel with a cause]

23. I have the coffee thing as do several other people I know.

But I do not get the symptoms that are like described with the nut allergy. I get horrible stomach cramps, nausea, headache and then uncontrollable diarrhea. I get the same thing for tea, dark chocolate and pineapple. One reaction is enough, so I have never pushed it to see if anything else occurs. The others I have met have all the same things they react to except the pineapples. A doctor told me that these things all share a ph factor that I react to. :shrug: Cannot stand to smell coffee or tea without getting a headache and waves of nausea. :puke: ;-)

[AnneD]

5. I always tell folks that....

I keep my CPR skills current bet that if they have an allergic reaction or asthma, all my skills will not keep them alive. You can't force air into a closed pipe. RAD (reactive airway disease)is literally a life and death issue.

The girls were premeditative and need intense counseling and alternative education for a while. I can't make up my mind if I am sad because they have no moral grounding or sad that they thought that killing/hurting someone was ok.

[nealmhughes]

7. Two middle school aged students put White Board Cleaner into a teacher's water bottle

in North Alabama a couple of years ago, and the teacher was in the hospital for a few days!
Their excuse was "We thought she could smell or taste it!"
I've had a college freshman jump out of her seat wearing a Baptist Youth Choir teeshirt and raise her hand to slap me when I caught her palgiarizing and gave her a big fat zero on an exam.
A week earlier, another guy I worked with had a student come over his desk and had attack him during office hours for the same thing. It took 2 professors and 3 TAs to get the guy off of Paul . . .
But I had a clerk yell at me in front of a few dozen students and my co-workers when I had tasked her to find some books for my student worker to get into the mail that day, so it obviously is applicable to middle aged people as well as youth.
Why can't we just go back to the days when pocket pool was the worst one could expect in the classroom?

[yasmina27]

8. Pocket pool?

Is that what I think it is?

:rofl:

[Bigmack]

15. Pocket pool is not serious....

... until you get to the "away" games.

[juno jones]

10. Have a friend who is allergic to BOTH

strawberries and artificial strawberry flavor....stupid kids...

[SquireJons]

13. Silly Kids...

They should have used the poison lipstick and just kissed the teacher. <sarc>

[Sabriel]

14. Yet another negative middle-school-oriented media piece

Hey, it's great for generating discussion in my middle level education course, but not so great for the middle schoolers themselves. If you judge by the media, adolescents are sex-crazed, violent, thieving druggies.

Media folks, how about knocking off the adolescent bashing and doing a piece once every year or so about the many GOOD POSITIVE behaviors they engage in?

Here's a list to get you started:

--Buddying with elementary students to help them read and provide role models
--Participating in Locks of Love
--Food, clothes, and book drives
--Penpals for the elderly
--Clean-up and other environmental-concern efforts
--Other community and social action projects too numerous to list

Parents, teachers, and friends, feel free to add your own "positive middle schooler" post to this thread.

[yasmina27]

16. What a wonderful post!

Anyone who has taught middle school understands exactly what you are talking about! Middle school kids can be the most fascinating, amazing, frustrating, irritating and INCREDIBLE age to teach.

Every time I tell someone that I teach middle school they say something to the effect of "OMG, how do you stand it?" I always tell them - that I relish it with a little love, alot of discipline, and a great sense of humor! I love middle school kids and I would never teach anything else (even though yesterday at dismissal I told the kids - smile on my face - "I love you, go away!").

I've often thought of soliciting stories for a book entitled "Angels in the Middle", chronicling the positive actions of students in middle schools across the country, both in-school and as public service. I could contibute a number of stories myself.

[Sabriel]

17. That's a great idea, actually

It's not impossible, yasmina27. I don't see why that wouldn't make a super non-fiction children's lit title.

[yasmina27]

19. I always get stymied

at the prospect of soliciting stories. Not sure how to go about it. I suppose I could start with sending letters to middle schools around the country, put ads in middle level education journals, contact online middle school discussion boards, etc. I would also like to reach out to parents and other adults and get stories from the kids themselves, so I guess that is where I can't figure out how to get the stories.

Or maybe I could just start with just in-school stories, and if it becomes a best seller, write a sequel about out-of-school activities :).

[rebel with a cause]

25. When I substituted

I would much rather have taught the middle school age than the kindergartners. Second grade was the one I dreaded the most. They were at the age where they knew how to be smart alecks but did not know how to deal with the consequences.

Now I had a girl in one middle school call me out one day, but most of the kids wanted me to sub for them all the time. When I thought I was being mean (strict) they thought I was the nicest teacher they ever had. (they told the principle that) Who knows why, but I did enjoy that age group most of the time.

[SemperEadem]

21. every single generation has gone through this and it never abates

when I was young, they said the same thing about kids my age...

I don't think any generalizations are being made, but when something as criminal, serious and potentially fatal as purposely doing something you know will make the teacher ill, then it does need to be put out there, if for nothing else but discussion for teachers to be on their guard.

[acmavm]

24. ???

<snip>

The teacher is so allergic that the school doesn't "even put strawberries out in the lunchroom because just going by and smelling them can cause this teacher to have an allergic reaction," Duncan said.

edit: To add that's one hell of a sensitivity!