Posted on 03/20/2014 11:55:06 AM PDT by nickcarraway
We teach kids that honesty is the best policy, but at one Virginia Beach middle school it might be better to keep the truth to yourself.
Last Thursday at Bayside Middle School, sixth grader Adrionna Harris came to the aide of a classmate who was cutting his arm. She faces expulsion for taking a razor from the student, throwing it away and convincing him what he was doing wasn’t right. She thought she was doing the right thing, so on Friday she told the school administration what happened. The way school officials responded led to this question: was the school’s zero tolerance policy taken too far?
Instead of getting praise from the school administration, Adrionna got a 10 day suspension with recommendation for expulsion. The interesting thing — the only reason Adrionna got suspended was because she admitted what happened. The alleged weapon was thrown away, and it was her word alone that led to her suspension.
“I was shocked and surprised. I was very shocked that a student would get suspended for saving another child,” said Rachael Harris, Adrionna’s mother. “The school system over-reached absolutely.”
The school’s own details of the event state Adrionna reported the student had a razor blade. She admitted taking it from the student then throwing the blade away.
“I took the razor blade, and then I threw it away immediately … I didn’t carry it around the school … I didn’t use it against anyone … I threw it away,” she told 10 On Your Side.
“I felt she did the right thing,” said Rachael Harris. “Under the circumstances, she thought he would bleed out, as he was cutting himself, and there was no teacher in sight. It was a 911 situation, and there wasn’t time to find a teacher.”
We asked Adrionna, if she would do the same thing again, knowing she would get suspended for holding the blade.
“Even if I got in trouble, it didn’t matter because I was helping him … I would do it again even if I got suspended, yes,” she said.
Most frustrating to the Harris family is they feel like they were ignored — none of their calls were returned about the incident until 10 On Your Side got involved. WAVY.com made calls and went to the school. We called school board members, who didn’t want to comment, but calls finally came in to the Harris family.
“It is amazing. They are listening to us now … she should be back in school tomorrow and that would be fair,” said Rachael Harris.
Wednesday night, Virginia Beach City Public Schools agreed to do something that makes the Harris family really happy — they’ve moved Adrionna’s suspension hearing, which was supposed to be in ten days, to Thursday.
The Harris family hopes after the hearing, where everything is explained again, that Adrionna will be allowed back to class on Friday or at the latest Monday.
You can count on WAVY.com to keep you updated on what happens.
You're right, of course. Let's hope she's strong enough to do so.
But just think of the lessons these children are being taught. These zero-tolerance schools are no different from abusive families where rules bear no resemblance to reality and where punishment can come for no reason from nowhere.
Zero-tolerance is the final gasp of the left's long march through the schools. Blind obedience is the goal. It will probably work.
Reminds me of a case some years back, where a parolee came to the aid of an officer by disarming an assailant, and immediately handing back to the cop the gun that the assailant had taken from the cop. Sent him back to prison for being in possession of a weapon.
Can’t find a link; too long ago, but I do remember the outcry.
I remember a case where an man broke out of prison. He was eventually found innocent of he crime but had to do time for th escape,
No where near DC area...Southeast Va at southern end of Chesapeake Bay. It is a very Liberal area though.
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