As some schools districts whore themselves out to corporate sponsors in a desperate attempt to raise funds (hey, we sympathize with them, but it’s still whoring), others are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against unwelcome intrusions. In New Haven, Connecticut, the school district banned candy sales in 2003 “as part of a districtwide school wellness policy,” and when an 8th grade honors student was caught buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate two weeks ago, he was stripped of his title as class Vice President and suspended for a day.
Reports CNN, “He says he didn’t realize his candy purchase was against the rules — although he did notice the student selling the Skittles on February 26 was being secretive.”
New Haven sounds sort of like that little town in Footloose, only against candy instead of dancing. Also, candy will make you chubby and give you Ren and Stimpy teeth, whereas we know from television that dancing will bring you fame and make you live forever.
(Thanks to MissBrooke!)
“Student suspended for buying Skittles at school” [CNN]
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Back in the day… my teachers would have been thrilled if Skittles were all I was on.
This is just too F**ked up!
@ElizabethD: Thank you for making my day.
The truth behind this story is that this was a sting operation…..When I was a kid I sold dirty magazines I found (when I went dumpster diving) in Jr High school. The only reason I got caught is that I was counting my cash at home and my mom asked me where I got the money. I sucked at lying. Still I hade some cash because I sold them for $5 bucks a magazine. That was back in 1985.
The school was probably ticked off because it has an exclusive marketing agreement with gummi bears or something. They were just squashing the competition. Wow!–I just noticed that the (indy) coffee shop I’m in is using corn-based plastic for its cold drinks. No wonder I can’t afford a bag of Fritos anymore.
@twist15:
“hey kid, wanna taste the rainbow?”
Glorious.
8th Grade?
Stick to selling drugs, it’s safer.
This is common in alot of schools, my 14 yr old is the candy girl, she makes about $10-20 a day , its a nice way to supplement her allowance and i think it shows a little ingenuity on her part ..she did get in a little trouble last year but only for selling during class , principal is aware of it ,and she has been class president for the past 2 yrs and they allow her to sell during lunch with no problems!
I have zero tolerance for zero-tolerance policies.
I know there are schools that do not allow the sale of candy – it’s in the parent/student handbook. I’ll bet that is the case here. Involved parents will already know that this is a rule. Therefore, this is not zero tolerance run amok, it is simple enforcement of a simple rule.
I’ll also bet that having candy/junk food is allowed. No one in this thread has shown, beyond jokes and speculation, that the possession of candy is prohibited. If the kid needs to have candy, it will be provided by his/her parents, and not by another child at school or the school store. Simple. Buy it before school, buy it after school, but do not buy it at school.
I have a friend that is a principal of a school in a “bad” neighborhood, and, yes, there are a lot more damaging things going on in the school and the households of these kids, but dammit, they’re at least gonna eat a decent meal (and maybe their only one for the day) while they are at school. I don’t think that is part of some big, oppressive communist plot. She told me about some fatass kid whose folks pack three candy bars in with their kid’s lunch. There isn’t much she can do about that, but to hell if he’s going to try to be “enterprising” and sell one of those to another kids, maybe one whose parents appreciate the fact that that this school does a lot to bring in fresh foods and prepare them on site and provide healthy snacks for the kids.
How can a school run by morons possibly educate our children?
This just makes home schooling look better and better. Unless, of course, you are in California, where they’ll throw you in jail for that too!
The rule bans selling candy, not buying candy. Even if it had banned buying candy, suspension is too severe. That school is lucky it’s not my kid. I’d be all over them.
So buying some candy in school get the same punishment as assault does in most schools. WTF?
@katylostherart: You’d think so. Then again, maybe that’s why they give me such a hard time trying to get into Hillhouse (although, to be fair, it is, uhm, Hillhouse)…
Skittles are wack.
Unbelievably stupid.
What’s next? TSA agents and guard dogs stationed at the doors to screen backpacks and seize such horribly dangerous substances like Skittles?
@HeyThereKiller: That would make a killer bumper sticker.
Clearly the school officials saw that “Reno 911!” where Terry was all hopped up on Skittles.
I look forward to the marketing campaign that’ll be built around this.
if skittles gets you that punished I’d hate to see what a real crime would get someone in that school
I was this close to the Vice Principal for Boys giving me 3 weeks detention for selling Snickers to my middle school classmates.
Phew. Did he let loose a hearty chuckle when he found out it was only hashish.
@glycolized: You story about the healthy meal reminded me of one time when I was a child and I had packed myself a nutella sandwich for school. Anyway my teacher found it and assumed I was spreading chocolate on bread and taking it to school, regardless I informed her it was something my mother had bought and I didn’t eat it often just decided to take it that day.
Teacher than decides this is a matter that the principle should be involved with, so here I am in grade 2, my teacher and principle practically telling me that my mom is irresponsible and that I am a moron to put chocolate sauce on bread.
My mom arrives at the school after having been called and told I was spreading chocolate on my bread. After I explain to my mom, the teacher or principle had no clue what the product was but assumed I was eating an unhealthy meal. Now I see athletes on the jars of nutella promoting how it’s healthy. Haha. Morons.
I was a teenage candy dealer.
Sure, it started innocently enough, as a Boy Scout fundraiser. After the fundraiser ended, however, I kept at it. But how horribly wrong it went.
Wait, it didn’t go horribly wrong at all.
1) Purchase a 36 pack of king sized M&Ms (plain and peanut) and Snickers for $24 at Sam’s.
2) Sell to hungry honor students for $1 each in classes where the teachers like me more than they do the administration, and are oddly blind and deaf (and sometimes hungry) before class starts.
3) Profit. Literally, this time.
@glycolized: Why don’t you and your friend worry about your own kids and let the other parents raise their kids?
Zero Tolerance = Zero Intelligence. Instead of looking at each case on its own merits, we’ll just shut our brains completely off.
Hehe … doctor mayo (see original story).
Dr. Mayo and the Board of Ed:
dr.mayo@new-haven.k12.ct.us, Sonia.Flanagon@new-haven.k12.ct.us,
briank.perkins@new-haven.k12.ct.us, Carlos.Torre@yale.edu,
rabbatiello@aol.com, fPadilla@rcn.com,
Susan.Samuels@new-haven.k12.ct.us,
patriciamccann@msn.com
(Some addresses missing or guessed.)
Well, you know those Skittles can lead to smokin’ the devil’s weed, then onto the needle.
@mopar_man:
Buy a Dyson….good for floors, great for abortions!
This reminds me of the time People to People called my parents (years ago, in the early high school days) and told them that I got caught with a gun, but never bothered to tell me about the call…. I bought one of those knockoff Nintendo Duck Hunt guns. Thank god they were smart enough to think beyond the “zero-tolerance”
Update from [www.cnn.com]
Superintendent Reginald Mayo said in a statement late Wednesday that he and principal Eleanor Turner met with student Michael’s parents and that Turner decided to clear the boy’s record and restore him to his student council post…the classmate’s suspension also will be expunged, school officials said.
What a clever idea. Sort of a drug-dealing training program, start smuggling candy into schools, and then once you’ve got some experience under your belt, use the same skills to push different merchandise. Very practical for a city like New Haven.
Hey, if you don’t nip it in the bud here, before you know it these kids grow up to be politicians paying for a different kind of sugar. Today CT, tomorrow NY.
@Jericho114: Did your mom do any asskicking for wasting her time with their idiocy? I certainly would have!!!
@Jericho114 – That is a great story.
@dandd – that is exactly what she is doing. If a child needs to be provided candy, that can be done by the child’s own parents, not by any decision or transaction with the school or another child at the school. I will give my child candy when I want to. The school enforces that desire. Why can’t you see it from, that side of the equation? Some people don’t give their kids candy as often as others. BTW, you should get into the bumper sticker business with a winner like that slogan, you’ll make a mint.
BTW – I should mention that I think the punishment was a little too harsh, though I agree with the rule in general. Now it looks like the entire punishment has been rescinded (according to the update).