ST. CHARLES, Minn. (WCCO) – Some parents are considering suing their kids’ school for what they consider a violation of their rights.
Seniors at St. Charles High School had to take a breathalyzer test at their graduation rehearsal on Friday. Parent Jim Welp says he was shocked when his son Alec called Friday morning to tell him he’d be given a breathalyzer test at school. Alec tested negative. He told his Dad all 73 of his classmates were also tested.
“When he said that right away I knew, they can’t do that,” said Welp.
Welp immediately drove to the school to question administrators about their authority to administer breathalyzers. “They said they did, I said you don’t, I said you have to have probable cause,” he said.Faculty told Welp and other parents they had smelled alcohol on some of the students. “I said you can’t test them all because some of the students have alcohol,” he said.
Superintendent Mark Roubinek says teachers told the principal they observed unusual behavior by a group of 20 or more students.
CINCINNATI - Winning football teams are used to a lot of cheering.
But for the second leading tackler of the Mt. Healthy Fighting Owls, cheering has earned Anthony Cornist a penalty he doesn't think he deserves.
"It's crazy how somebody can do that to you," he said from his family's living room Monday. When Anthony walked across the stage at his high school graduation, his family made some noise. "It was my dream to graduate," he said. "I'm very proud of my son," Traci Cornist said.
Apparently, so were a lot of others.
"Teachers, other students and other family members who weren't with us were also cheering for him also. He's well known," Traci said. The excitement proved too much for the administration. Instead of a diploma, Anthony got a letter from the principal, Marlon Styles, Jr. "I will be holding your diploma in the main office," the letter said, "due to the excessive cheering your guests displayed during the roll call."
"I did nothing wrong except walk across the stage," Anthony said.
The school demands 20 hours of community service before he can graduate
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -
In some places it's fine to be proud of your graduating children -- just not too proud.
A mother in South Carolina was arrested moments after she cheered for her daughter as she walked across the stage to accept her diploma.
Shannon Cooper was handcuffed at the South Florence High School graduation ceremony and charged with disorderly conduct. “Are ya’ll serious? Are ya’ll for real? I mean, that’s what I’m thinking in my mind,” Cooper told WPDE in Myrtle Beach. “I didn’t say anything. I was just, like, 'OK, I can’t fight the law.'“
School officials had announced before the ceremony that anyone cheering or screaming for those graduating would be escorted from the building. Cooper's daughter, Iesha, wasn't aware her mother had been arrested until she was informed by friends while she was still participating in the festivities
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
School officials had announced before the ceremony that anyone cheering or screaming for those graduating would be escorted from the building.
Well done school. I detest that graduation yahooism where friends and family seem to think the entire thing is about them and not the students - and they deliberately flout the rule about holding applause to the end.
It's the same at concerts when similar kinds of people burst into wild applause two bars into a tune to show that "hey, we recognise that song - how cool are we or what?" thus drowinging out the musician who kinda thought they'd enjoy actually listening to him/her instead of themselves.
Meade
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
I'm intrigued by the breathalyzer thing. Is it a violation of your "civil rights" to have your breath analyzed by the (state) school authorities?
What right would that be?
While as a general proposition, you cannot be searched without a warrant or "probable cause," the Police are permitted to conduct random stops to check for drunk drivers on the highway.
I seem to recall that the school authorities are permitted a bit more latitude in searching and investigating things than the police are, generally, but this is an interesting question.
Still, the more salient point is the reaction of the parents. Their "children" suffered nothing more than a moment's inconvenience and theya re ready to hire a fucking attorney.
Too bad we have effectively eliminated the death penalty in this country. Parents like that ought to be shot.
Back in 1966 when I attended a Catholic prom I was searched by two nuns upon entering the gym to make certain that I was not trying to introduce alcohol into the proceedings. BTW I was Methodist and my date was Chtholic. Those nuns were none too gentle in the body search.
I expect to go straight to hell...........at least I won't have to spend time making new friends.
Did they scar you for life, or did they leave you with a nun fetish, Miles?
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Gob wrote:Did they scar you for life, or did they leave you with a nun fetish, Miles?
LOL, not really but I certainly felt rather odd. Perhaps if they had been young it would not have been quite so uncomfortable, but they were very old and demanding.
I expect to go straight to hell...........at least I won't have to spend time making new friends.
I agree, Reaper, that the level of inconvenience is not a good indicator. Hell, putting a hidden camera in the Girls' shower is no inconvenience to anyone, but I suppose it violates something or other, eh?
But what right was violated by screening the kids for the presence of alcohol?
Just as the police cannot just stop someone walking down the street and force them to sibmit to a beathalyzer, school officials do not have unlimited authority to do the same to their students. Absent probably cause, the courts have limited the school's authroity to conduct such testing to extracurricular activities; not sure if graduation is an extracurricular activity or not.
For Christianity, by identifying truth with faith, must teach-and, properly understood, does teach-that any interference with the truth is immoral. A Christian with faith has nothing to fear from the facts
The point is, they don't ALWAYS need probable cause, hence the random roadside checks for drunk drivers. Also, school lockers are not immune from searches by the authorities, without a warrant or probable cause - merely a reasonable suspicion.
