Zero tolerance means ZERO tolerance

[pokerfan]

What was this kid thinking?

http://www.eastbayri.com/story/306824451458316.php

[Kerrytravelers]

1. So, kids wear costumes for their senior pictures now?

Man, I must be getting old.

[Kutjara]

2. The principal is doing the kid a favor...

...by saving him the time and expense of buying up every extant copy of his yearbook in about 25 years time, when he's running for public office.

[astral]

3. I think it's cool!

Besides, it IS a good pic! What the heck is it with these control-freak school officials? A year book picture is the student's expression of themselves! Although in the 'old days' it seemed just trying to make sure you had your hair combed and some makeup on was as far as it went -- it's great kids want to be expressive in it. This makes the yearbook all the more special, and also people will remember the ones who wanted to express themselves and stand out. What's wrong with that?

I could see if a fella or a gal wanted to show too much skin, or something, or flip off the camera, but what the heck is indecent about 'creative anachronism' as a theme for a pic?

[pokerfan]

6. But, it's a WEAPON!!!

Or at least a picture of one.

One of the local elementary schools mascot is a minuteman from the revolution. Right inside the front door, they used to have a mural that looked something like this:



Well, someone got upset and made them paint the musket out of the picture. Now it's just some dude in a triangle shaped hat. Didn't make any sense to me, but zero tolerance is zero tolerance.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

12. Who cares?

It's not like he wielded it on school property or threatened anyone with it. Zero Tolerance policies are retarded anyway because people over react to EVERYTHING. It's a cool picture and the kid shouldn't be punished because some other idiot kids ruined it for the rest of them. Like I said before, it's not like he brought it to school and threatened anyone with the sword.
Duckie

[madeline_con]

26. So's your bookbag if you know how to swing it.

As well as pencils, pens, sporks, books, chairs, toys in elementary classrooms, items on the teacher's desk...

[pokerfan]

9. It's like the other pic I posted, of the classroom making faces

I have no idea where that came from, but let me venture a guess. The photographer said, "go ahead and make faces; be silly and I not only will I shoot it, you will all get copies. Go ahead, get it all out of your system. Then we will shoot the one for your parents."

I wonder which one they will cherish more after 25 years?

[krispos42]

4. No mention of a zero-tolerence policy

It's the pricipals arbitrary decision, which, while more intelligent than a simplistic zero-tolerence policy, is still wrong, IMHO.

Admitedly, the kid will probably thank him within a decade, but still, I think we're getting a little PC here. Media hysteria aside, more kids die on school property from sports than guns.

Is the pricipal this rigerous when the police and military recruiters come on campus, in all those scary uniforms and carrying pistols, clubs, and pepper spray?

[China_cat]

10. Hell, is the principal that rigorous about where the ROTC

stores their guns and ammo? A few years ago a bill of lading came across my husband's desk at work for a truckload of LIVE rifle ammunition. The address on it was a local school. Turned out that rather than the wooden 'dummy' guns they tried to say they were, the ROTC in the county were storing real guns and live ammo at this school. An arsenal's worth, parcelled out to other schools at need.

Came out later that this is SOP and it wasn't long after that that a 'cadet' was killed during an exercise.

So, if this principal is going to disallow pictures of weapons, is he also disallowing real ones?

[crim son]

5. My son wanted to wear his coonskin cap in his picture when he was in

first grade. The school had a fit and I had to come in and tell them to take the damned picture as my son wanted it. They took the picture and it's still a favorite. Nobody will ever regret the fact that they were an individual and not a conformist in their youth.

[hfojvt]

7. schools have to practice CYA

If they take that picture they could have a mom screaming 'what were you thinking?' I am reminded of when Calvin put Crisco in his hair for school picture day so he would look like Astro boy. His mom was not happy, and the photographer is all about keeping the mom happy so she will buy lots of pictures. Does that even work in the digital age?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

13. You know his mother probably knew all about the picture...

Probably even paid for it. I think everyone needs to lighten up about this PICTURE.
Duckie

[crim son]

15. Yes, we buy them, although you did just remind me that

I could buy the bare minimum, scan and then print them. The quality would suffer but for certain occasions like the Christmas card, that would be okay.

[ellisonz]

8. This is exactly why the idea of "zero-tolerance" is wrong.

It denies the validity of responsibility in judgment in favor of arbitrary reaction.

*shakes head*

Case in point:

"I tried to talk to Mr. Littlefield about it, to show him that it wasn't about weapons or school safety but about something I enjoy and that I have learned a lot from," Mr. Agin said. "And I pointed out that the the school mascot (Patriot) has a gun and a sword" — to no avail.

He added that the cropped version "looks horrible."

While neither confirming nor denying these accounts, Mr. Littlefield said, "In my position as principal I am constantly that walk a fine line between individual expression and the best interests of the school."

Ms. Farrington said she thinks Mr. Littlefield has "arbitrarily decided to use the school policy against weapons in school in this case — this is ridiculous."

So he has no responsibility to the student as an individual?

[NashVegas]

14. "The Execption Proves the Rule"

Without exceptions for cases where the rule could be pushed without being violated, the rule is invalid.

[GenDem]

11. At least two or three senior pictures in our annual yearbook

each year are poses with the kids holding some kind of hunting paraphernalia -- a crossbow, a rifle, or a shotgun.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. I hate to say it, but this is one area where the liberals really fucked the country up.

I find it sad.

The kid should be able to put in whatever picture he wants, so long as it's legal.

Unless the school has a policy that only pictures without props are allowed in the yearbook (and I would accept a school putting in that policy), I don't think they have a leg to stand on in this case.

It's a fucking sword. It's not a sign saying "DIE JEWS DIE!" or a nude picture or a human head.

[Midlodemocrat]

17. Zero tolerance also means zero common sense.

One of the kids at my daughter's high school got suspended for 5 days because he didn't have gas in his car, so he brought his brother's. Brother uses dip. Golf cart assisant principal driving around spying in the kids' cars saw it.

Another kid got in trouble at home and lost his car for a week. His dad was driving it. Dad has a bad back and keeps Aleve in the car. When the kid got the car back, they forgot to take the Aleve out of the car. 3 days suspension.

Common sense went out the window a loooonnnnnggg time ago with this shit.

[WindRavenX]

23. I always carried advil in my backpack from middle school-current

I really think these zero tolerance laws/rules are horrible and make those who uphold them look ridiculous in 99% of the cases.

The only time I can think of when any zero tolerance rules would even be a remotely good idea would be in life and death situations; anything else is just stooopid.

[Little Wing]

18. Why bother graduating? He's never leaving the basement

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

21. You ever been to an SCA event?

I worked with two guys that were way into it. Told me quite a bit about it, so I did some research. Nerds they maybe, but those nerds would stomp you. Some of the guys that battle each other are behemoths of 240lbs of pure muscle.

[Little Wing]

25. Bring on the nerds

:scoff:

[Deja Q]

22. He looks like the type who'll use that sword on his schoolmates less fortunate

[Oeditpus Rex]

19. It's more a question of *how* he was thinking

The answer is: rather independently, apparently.

School administrators hate that.

[Midlodemocrat]

20. .

:thumbsup:

[meegbear]

24. Like I said before ...

they must have a zero dork policy there. Someday, he'll thank them.

[Oeditpus Rex]

28. If schools had zero-dork policies

yearbooks would have maybe four photos.

[madeline_con]

27. You mean besides his strange obsession with things Medievel?

Well, he doesn't look all that dangerous, and he wasn't in the news for beheading teachers and/or classmates. I say, cut the kid some slack.

Talk about looking back and laughing. This one should go in the "Craziest of all time to Show Your Grandkids" file.

:rofl:

[carly denise pt deux]

29. at my kids high school

the full body shot would have been cropped anyway, because the up close head shot looks better.

[LanternWaste]

30. Ahhhh.... the SCA.

Ahhhh.... the SCA. Acne-ridden, bubble-gum chewing teenagers who can't get a date and use phallic symbols to overcompensate for the fact that they get their asses kicked by the Chess Club and are laughed at by that weird group of D&D players in the cafeteria table for God's sake.

On the plus side for them, well... sorry, there just isn't a plus side for those poor basstids.

(Family member was/is a member... so yeah, I've got plenty of room to talk)

[TimeChaser]

31. I'd have loved it if my parents let me take my senior picture in my medieval dress

As it is, the best I got was me in a long silk Chinese dress.

[m_welby]

32. Saw this on the local news recently, my reaction is WGAF?

Seriously, this is a stupid yearbook picture. I don't see the point of them at all myself (yearbooks seem to have nothing to do with getting an education).

Really, the kid has the choice of looking like the other pathetic teens in the yearbook or not having a picure at all (that was my choice at the time).

This shouldn't even make the news anywhere outside of his school paper. I'm amazed anyone would want to dress up like that, but that's his business.

The principal, the student, his parent, the local paper, and everyone else should have more important things to worry about than this.

people have too much time on their hands.