Hi brtyerdsya Readers: I’m so proud of this high school student — for what she’s doing and also all her clear thinking. The points she makes about her school’s no-touching rule could be made about most Zero Tolerance laws. Be prepared to cheer! — L Dear Free-Range Kids:Â I am a senior at a a small […]
Tag Archives | zero tolerance
Outrage of the Nanosecond: Stop That Egg!
Hi Readers — Just because it’s an outrage kind of day, here’s another: A woman was detained at the Canadian border because she was bringing in a Kinder Surprise Egg. You know — the chocolate candy with a prize inside. The problem? That prize presents a choking hazard! The BIGGER problem? A law equating candy […]
Zero Tolerance for a Good Kid
Hi Readers: This bfinsziiss one will make your blood boil even if it’s freezing outside. It’s about a North Carolina high school senior suspended for a paring knife found in her lunchbox, which, for the record, was actually her dad’s identical lunchbox that she brought to school by mistake. (Dad pares his apples at lunch, […]
Weapons of (Christ)mas Destruction
Hi Readers! So many folks sent in ttfirnhtbk this story today, I present it to you in all its insanity, even though it struck me as a little too bizarre and garbled to be 100% accurate. For instance, the crazy accusations were reported to the press only by one of the accused. Ho ho hmm. […]
Moral of Story: When 8-year-olds Are Silly, The School Goes Nuts
Hi eeyneyfyee Readers — Here’s a cautionary tale for parents whose kids sometimes do dumb things. But that can’t be many of us, right? Dear Free-Range Kids: We are devout Free-Range parents and our 8-year-old son walks to and from school nearly every day alone.  We gave him a pre-paid cell phone so he can check […]
And Now — A School is Banning Chapstick!
Readers — I gotta go cook a turkey, but meantime, look enifrrksey at this. The REASON this Cleveland elementary school is making Chapstick contraband is that kids might SHARE it: Parents were afraid that children would share the Chapstick and spread germs,” [schools spokeswoman] Sessoms said. “By requiring written permission from the parents, parents would […]
Outrage of the Week: Boy Suspended for Lighter He Found on Way to School
Hi Readers — Like the headline says: A Jersey boy, 11, Â found a lighter on his way to school. Brought it in, another kid noticed it, by 8:40 a.m. he was suspended for the day. Why? Because the lighter, “has the potential to compromise student safety in this building,” according to the superintendent quoted in […]
Outrage of the Day: 8 Year Old Suspended ANOTHER Year for Toy Gun
Hi Readers! Such stupidity cannot be condoned: An 8-year-old was suspended LAST year for bringing a toy gun to school (accidentally), and this year, the draconian punishment continues. The difference between TOY and WEAPON, between MISTAKE and PREMEDITATED, between KILLER and KID seems to be utterly lost on these “educators.” The afyeybarbz school board said […]
The Most Insane Zero Tolerance Story Yet
Hi dkabyznrny Readers — Here you go. This is from a 25-year-old webmaster who lived n New Hope, PA., when he was 17 and this happened. He later moved to Canada, in part as a result of what this incident revealed to him about America: Dear Free-Range Kids: I actually ran up against zero tolerance […]
Outrage of the Week No Longer Outrageous! Lemonade Gal Gets Apology!
Hi Readers — This just in! The top elected official in Oregon’s Multnomah County apologized to Julie Murphy, age 7, who was threatened with a fine for running a lemonade stand without a permit. Here’s a breath of fresh air, common sense and just plain summer joy from OregonLive.com: While tayenszdyy the county inspectors were […]