Teen arrested after teacher sickened by his asthma medicine

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[chance33_98]

Teen arrested after teacher sickened by his asthma medicine

ABC13 Eyewitness News (1/16/04 - MAGNOLIA, TX) — A bizarre story in Magnolia ends with a teenager in lock up and a teacher in the hospital. Now the boy's family is concerned he's being treated unfairly.

The boy's family says eyewitnesses actually saw the boy take a couple of puffs from his rescue inhaler for treatment of asthma, then blowing the medicine at a teacher. The family, though, says he's a good kid and the charge of using deadly force simply doesn't fit the crime.

Judy McCreary wants desperately to see her son. Sixteen-year-old Michael Todd is in custody at the Magnolia Juvenile Detention Center, arrested and accused of illegally discharging his asthma inhaler at school.

"It's absurd. It's ridiculous. It's an inhaler," said McCreary.

Todd's family says the medicine was albuterol, a drug commonly used to prevent the onset of asthma attacks.

Both the school district and Montgomery County Constable's office say the discharge of medicine was unrelated to any medical necessity, though, and resulted in health consequences for a teacher. She apparently suffered an allergic reaction and went to the emergency room.

Todd's uncle, Steve Wilson, says the school told him the teen blew the medicine toward the teacher while asking her a question. But he also says witnesses believe the incident was not intentional.

"It's possible he was playing a joke, or whatever, to see the smoke come out as he talked to her," theorized Wilson. "That's possible, that it was not malicious."

Todd's family says he's been kicked out of Magnolia High School now because of the incident. More concerning, though, they say is that he may not be released from the juvenile detention center before Tuesday.

McCreary said, "I just think it's wrong to hold him four or five days is not right. Not when he's never been in any trouble."

The state legally has two business days to hold a detention hearing in any juvenile case. Since Todd was arrested Thursday, Friday would be day one. The weekend and Monday holiday don't count, so Tuesday would be two business days, although in reality it is nearly day six.

But the juvenile department has suggested that they may hold a special Saturday hearing on this case.

[blackbart.223]

"I think the people who live in the Northeast have had about all the Global Warming they can stand!"

Al Gore doesn't seem to think so.

[txzman]

She didn't end up in the hospital - she just went to the ER on her own. Oh, the pain, the pain.

Want to bet she's thinking....hmmmmm...lawsuit, damages, pain and suffering - ka-ching!

[SouthernFreebird]

They'll get my inhaler when they pry it from my cold dead fingers....


This is crap, you get one little puff from an inhaler and once you inhale there ain't much of that stuff left. I think this teacher has some mental health issues.

[FreedomGuru]

When asthma inhalers are outlawed only outlaws will have asthma inhalers.

[raybbr]

Meanwhile, Magnolia ISD released a statement saying the actions, “resulted in health consequences to a high school teacher. The district is working closely with law enforcement to complete an investigation and is taking all appropriate actions to protect the rights and interest of all involved.”

From here.

"They all agree it was not malicious, however, she ended up still having that reaction that supposedly threatened her life and so they charged deadly conduct ... the same charge as a handgun," said the uncle.

From here.

The school and the cops are nuts in this case. He will probably be better off out of the school anyway. I would like to see some action against the school based on medical discrimination. This is just plain nuts.

[Johnny_Cipher]

Something stinks about this story, and it isn't cow poots. Sounds like a wackjob teacher trying to get back at one of her students.

[cajun-jack]

not to mention worker's comp and maybe even lifelong total disability payments due to being so traumatized she can't function around teenages anymore.

Just a thought. I am sure she is a very fine and dedicated teacher /sarcasm/

[Nataku X]

My bet is that she's a hypochrondaic. She probably thought that the asthma medicine was much more dangerous than it really was (and maybe she didn't realize it wasn't some deadly drug) and went to the ER "to be safe" or whatever.

We all know these types. A friend of mine once went to the ER when she cut her finger on a canned-food pryed-open lid (was convinced she'd get tetanus from a bunch of canned vegetables). The nurses "punished" her by making her wait 6 hours for her shot--good for 'em.

[corkoman]

This is total blarney - each dose from an inhaler is about 250 micrograms of which 100 micrograms gets lodged in the throat upon inhalation. about 100 micrograms is deposited in the lungs. At best about 50 micrograms could be expelled if he immediately exhales. Even if he were doing CPR on this teacher she(?) could have been exposed to miniscule amounts of drug.

There is a extremely low incidence of hypersensitivity to albuterol.

An "allergic" reponse would be indicated by an elevation of histamine and other inflammatory agents in the blood and if these are not present in a blood sample this teacher is guilty of a hysterical reaction not allergic reaction.

[Amelia]

Most public school "teachers" are members of The NEA.

Actually, in the rural South, in my experience, teachers are more likely to be conservative. There are some liberal NEA types, but not as many and they don't seem to be as radical as in the "Gore zones".

This story seems very odd, however. I wouldn't think second-hand asthma medication would put someone in the hospital.

[meyer]

I wouldn't think second-hand asthma medication would put someone in the hospital.

I wouldn't either. But second hand albuterol combined with a union brainwashing, a chip on one's shoulder, and a good lawyer might just put someone in the hospital.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

If this story is true ,and the poor ,frail teacher did suffer some sort of minimal effects, I find it hard to be sympathetic because there are many teachers who are more harmful to their students every hour of everyday.... And they don't get kicked out of school for their abuses.

[Amelia]

But second hand albuterol combined with a union brainwashing, a chip on one's shoulder, and a good lawyer might just put someone in the hospital.

Details are obviously lacking in this story, and yes, it does sound weird, but everyone automatically assumes that the student is an innocent angel and the teacher is an evil liberal union-brainwashed idiot?

With all due respect, one reason that the schools are in such bad shape today is parents who want to sue if their child is punished for misbehaving, doesn't follow the dress code, or makes grades the parents don't like. Mostly it seems to be parents who've bought into the Dr. Spock child rearing mentality, and feel they should never ever punish the little darlings, lest the self-esteem be damaged.

[meyer]

Details are obviously lacking in this story, and yes, it does sound weird, but everyone automatically assumes that the student is an innocent angel and the teacher is an evil liberal union-brainwashed idiot?

Based on what's in the story, its hard NOT to draw the conclusion that the teacher is at fault. However, I will agree that there seems to be a lot of information missing here. Perhaps some suspicion should be raised about what's NOT in the story rather than what's in it.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

I wonder how many times he could be raped while being held for two days?

Most of the time, these Zero Tolerence laws, make zero sense.

[Amelia]

Based on what's in the story, its hard NOT to draw the conclusion that the teacher is at fault.

That may be because the story is based on statements by the student's family. There seems to be only one sentence giving the teacher/school side of the story.

However, I will agree that there seems to be a lot of information missing here. Perhaps some suspicion should be raised about what's NOT in the story rather than what's in it.

Good thought.

Remember that in most of these cases, the school can't release much information because of concerns about violating the privacy rights of the minor student.

[Amelia]

Most of the time, these Zero Tolerence laws, make zero sense.

The student seems to have been arrested for assault on a teacher, not for violating a zero tolerance law.

[StriperSniper]

a hysterical reaction not allergic reaction

That's what I'd put my money on.

[ladylib]

We had an 8-year-old arrested, charged, and convicted for writing "bomb" on an envelope. Actually, the "bomb" consisted of the remains of a Chinese dinner he had the night before. The prosecutor said it was a "weapon of mass destruction." It's now called the "duck sauce bomber" case.

And now from NY:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lifink143628524jan16,0,965854.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

All I can say is if you have a normal, healthy boy, the last place you want him is in a public school with ridiculous policies and ridiculous people running them.

Best let him take on-line courses at home or send him to a boys' school whose school officials don't wet their pants over a practical joke.

[ladylib]

They fine them in Texas.