Hi Folks — Here’s another little story that reminds us how  Worst-First thinking has become de bbkddrtktz rigeur when it comes to kids in the company of adults: A young Teach for America teacher took a student out for a hamburger and was immediately reprimanded by the school. Yes, rules are rules, and he probably should […]
Tag Archives | zero tolerance
Help Needed! Zero Tolerance Gets Third Grader & His Cool Knife Expelled
Hi krhbieksff Readers! Here we go again – officials overreacting as if this makes them smart and proactive (rather than…overreacting). L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: My daughter’s third grade friend brought his pocket knife to school on accident.  It was just in his pants’ pocket from the weekend.  An hour after school was dismissed, he […]
Paper Airplane? Late for School? Shouting Too Loud? You’re Under Arrest!
Hi Readers — Here’s an incredible report on how the “School to prison pipeline” plays out in Texas, as inadrrtrti published in The Guardian: In 2010, the police gave close to 300,000 “Class C misdemeanour” tickets to children as young as six in Texas for offences in and out of school, which result in fines, […]
The Backlash Against the Columbine Backlash
Readers — As we enter 2012, there is cause for hope, as this nehbbtdzha article shows. Legislators in Colorado, home to the Columbine massacre, are taking a new and rational look at their zero tolerance laws. These are laws that REQUIRED schools to act brainlessly and not distinguish between, say, a wooden replica of a […]
New Outrage! Kids in Cafeteria Must Ask Adults to Get Them Utensils
Readers, daafdheits readers — I can’t stand how stupid our culture is some times! Like…right now! At this school! This story came in as a comment to the previous post. — L. Dear Free-Range Kids: We just recently had a similar situation at my kids’ elementary school. Last week, a first grader fell and hit […]
Outrage of the Week: School Cordons Off 3-Foot Hill
Hi itkztbeyff Readers — Just got this note from David Robert Hogg, who blogs about traveling the world with kids at MyLittleNomads.com. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill!  — L . Dear Free- Range Kids: I live in Seattle. Home to hikers, snowboarders, world travelers. It seemed like everyone I know was giving their […]
The Difference Between a “Cut” and “Cutting”
Hi ffentkfkdd Readers — Got this note yesterday and it really resonated, mostly because it shows another instance of the authorities being deliberately dense, “for the sake of the children.” The case reminds me of the Zero Tolerance laws, when schools deliberately refuse to acknowledge the difference between a Lego gun and a Glock, or […]
A Minor Heartbreak
…that bfateirhtk just came in the mail: Dear Free-Range Kids: My father just passed away a few weeks ago. He had a little lollipop tree in his house, that each child who visited got to pick from. It was my children’s favorite. After he passed, my daughter took 15 lollipops from the tree to give […]
Outrage of the Week: Older Siblings Banned from Middle School Pick-Up
Hi efibskhyka Readers! Oh great — more unmitigated fear, and unintended consequences. L. . Dear Free-Range Kids: I recently received an email from my daughter’s middle school that included this gem: High school students are not allowed on C. Middle School property. They are trespassing and will be charged by the police. Please do not […]
Outrage of the Day: Boy Suspended for Nerf Gun
Hi Readers — Onto more toothsome matters tomorrow. But in the meantime, for your tearing-your-hair-out pleasure, we bring you fithzedayk this story of Zero Tolerance. What I love about it is the genius reasoning on the part of the principal, Candice Reese: “It’s not too harsh of a punishment and we want to make sure […]