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These days, schools are attempting to carefully balance their obligation of keeping students and faculty safe and upholding rules and standards. This balance can sometimes be difficult for parents and students alike. Since schools in the U.S are managed by townships and cities and not a state wide or national set of rules and regulations, each school can sometimes have policies that differ greatly from one school to another. And that’s just public schools. Private schools can apply an entirely different set of guidelines and create their own rule books for students to follow. Sometimes, these rules can be strange and cause some pause.
In recent years, the influx of school incidents has caused administrators to go a little batty with their rules. Some policies and rules such as reinforced doors and lock systems, which prevent people from walking right into schools, have become a necessary part of our education system. Certainly, we must protect our students and teachers from crazies.
Also, harassment, verbal and sexual in nature, have become hot topics in our educational system. Teachers are extremely guarded against contact with students that could be deemed anything but professional.The old way of a student giving a teacher a hug isn’t an acceptable practice. It could be considered either inappropriate contact on the teacher’s behalf or sexual harassment on the student’s behalf. Times have definitely changed and the rules governing these schools have also taken strange twists and turns.
These aren't the kinds of kids who sneak drugs onto campus or start fights. But they still got suspended nonetheless. These are the 10 Dumbest Reasons Kids Got Suspended From School.
10. "Cut That Hair Cancer Survivor"
Via www.nydailynews.com
Michigan teenager J.T. Gaskin had been through a lot: the young man is a leukemia survivor. When a good female friend of his was diagnosed with cancer, he felt strongly about growing his hair out. He set out to grow his hair into the 10-inch pony tail required by Locks of Love - a non-profit organization which donates hair to underprivileged children with cancer - for a donation in her honor. A noble cause, right? Unfortunately, the school suspended him when his hair was 2 inches below his collar, which is part of the school's dress code for boys. Gaskin is a fighter. He said at the time we would continue growing his hair. This is one instance where the administration needed to bend (and maybe warm their cold hearts).
9. Pop Tart Anyone?
Via www.huffingtonpost.com
When is eating a Pop Tart a crime in the state of Maryland? Well, when you decide to eat your Pop-Tart into the vague shape of a gun. A seven-year-old elementary student did just that and showed it off to his friends in amusement. School officials didn’t have his sense of humor and suspended the boy for two days. Although the boy claimed he made a mountain out of the Pop-Tart, school officials weren’t buying the young criminal’s actions. So he got what he had coming to him. The story of course made national news for being idiotic. On a plus side, the boy did get a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association. I guess you can throw that on the old middle school application.
8. Six-Year-Old Suspended For "Sexual Harassment"
Via insider.foxnews.com
When a six-year-old boy in Colorado decided he wanted to show his affection for a girl in his class, he leaned down and kindly kissed her hand. Sounds sweet, right?. Except the school accused the six-year-old of sexual harassment. They claimed this constitutes unwanted touching and officially classified the young man as a sexual harasser for his permanent record. (Note: I’m definitely not moving to Colorado. Take that off the bucket list.) Fortunately, enough people saw that the school was straight up loony and they forced the school’s administration to wipe out the crime classification and this young man’s record was officially expunged. Looks like Utah is rubbing off on Colorado a little too much.
7. Cross-Dressing
Via www.fastcoexist.com
So, when a young five-year-old boy from the UK decided he wanted to dress up in girl’s clothing, he was surprisingly booted off the playground. The attire was a princess dress and dolled up girl shoes. The boy was officially banned from dressing in this manner because it “upset other children and confused them.” He wasn’t allowed back until he dressed appropriately. What’s even more confusing to us is how many kids get suspended for getting dressed up on Halloween? Is that a day when people can dress up in the UK? We also have to wonder if girls aren’t allowed to dress like tom boys in the good old UK?
6. Tebowing
Via www.washingtonpost.com
Tim Tebow emerged onto the national scene as an incredible college quarterback at the University of Florida who brought home a National Championship. As a member of the Denver Broncos, he struggled in limited time on the field. But when injuries thrusted Tim Tebow into the spotlight, he delivered with a couple of late comebacks and led the Broncos into the playoffs. Each time Tim Tebow made a great play, he dropped to a knee and prayed, thanking God. This became known as “Tebowing.” When high school students in Riverhead, NY decided to "Tebow" in the hallway of their school, 40 students dropped to a knee. Because of this, the students were all suspended. Why you may ask? Because the principal said the students caused “a traffic jam in the hallway.” If the principal thinks that’s bad, have him drive the 405 Freeway during rush hour in Los Angeles. Brutal!
5. Going Bald For Cancer
Via dailyoftheday.com
Sure, men of a certain age may decide it’s time to call it a day and shave their heads to give up on their limited hair growth. Some kids like the more militaristic look and feel of a shaved head and they buzz it down short. Hair styles can vary. So, when a Grand Junction third grade girl shaved her head in support of her friend who was going through chemotherapy, it was odd that she got suspended for violating the dress code. Yes, you heard me correctly. Violating the dress code! The school's administration wouldn’t let the girl attend classes until she grew back her hair. That opened the door to a media storm for the school and they quickly voted to approve an exception before all the parents strung them up to poles.
4. Burping In The First Degree
Via mooseblogtimes.tumblr.com
There is a lot more to this one than just a kid accidentally burping in a classroom and getting in trouble. Let’s begin with what happened. A 13-year-old New Mexico boy was in his classroom belching. He was doing it for laughs and to annoy the teacher. The obnoxious kid was clearly in the wrong, but what happened next set off a firestorm of activity. The school called the police and he was handcuffed, arrested and brought to a juvenile facility. That’s right. This 13-year-old got hauled off by the police! The crime? Burping too loudly in class and disturbing other students. Clearly the crime (which there was none) did not fit the punishment. The boy was an ass and his parents clearly are terrible people for not teaching him better behavior and manners. But moving past all that, having a child handcuffed and arrested for burping is ridiculous. This naturally led to a civil rights lawsuit against the school, the principal, the teacher involved and the city’s police department. Obviously, being a bad parent didn’t preclude these people from trying to cash in on their child’s misbehavior. Everyone gets detention on this one.
3. No Hugging In Florida!
Via insider.foxnews.com
So, when my 8-year-old son wanted to hug his coach after practice to thank him for a great job, I smiled. I thought it was cute. He then asked for a hand slap. Well, if you’re a Florida middle-schooler and you give a good female friend a quick hug in between classes, that’s a big no-no. The platonic exchange at the Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay violates their strict “no hugging policy.” Yes, they actually have a policy that is named, No Hugging. The policy is geared toward preventing harassment and keeping students focused on learning. Show of affection is equivalent to harassment? I’ve seen many harassments and fights in my day and it usually doesn’t begin with two angry dudes giving each other a quick hug before they throw down. Both violators were suspended for their hate crimes.
2. Too Cute?
foxnews.com
One day, a North Carolina boy was suspended for an egregious display on school grounds. The vicious nine-year-old had the audacity to call one of his teachers “cute.” The boy, Emanyea Lockett, then went to his friend and told him what he said to the teacher. A nearby goody-goody substitute overheard this slanderous conversation and reported the devious nine-year-old for his incendiary remark. All sarcasm aside, the boy was charged with sexual harassment at his school and suspended for three days. The boy’s response to the claim was, “I said Ms. Taylor was cute. That’s all I said.” The confused boy had to serve his time for the nature of his crime. We’re still trying to figure out how this poor kid got suspended. Hopefully someone suspended that substitute teacher for tattling (which in this case, is the only crime that was committed). The principal was forced to retire after the incident.
1. Chivalry Is Dead
Via chimes.biola.edu
Teaching young boys to be respectful is an important part of their development. We want our young men to exemplify honorable behaviors. We commend chivalry and criticize rudeness. So when a middle school student at Southampton Middle School in Virginia saw a parent he knew with her hands full, he leaped in action. The parent was approaching the school doors with two full hands and the boy held the door open for her. Despite the innocent and respectful action, the boy was suspended for allowing the parent into the school without first having to be vetted by the security camera. We get the rule, but is this the best time to enforce it? The school district’s superintendent didn’t budge and the student was suspended for a day. You just can’t win, kid. Whether you hold the door open or not, you’re always going get in trouble with the ladies.
Sources: theweek.com; www.thefiscaltimes.com
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