Banned: Imagination

Posted by Jerry Bader on

This isn't the first story like this, but this one is particularly disturbing. Look at these rules:

ABSOLUTES for Mary Blair Elementary

To insure this Time to Teach Program, we have come up with some ABSOLUTES to make Mary Blair a safe environment.

The ABSOLUTES for Mary Blair Elementary:

  1. No Physical Abuse or Fights – real or “play fighting”
  2. No weapons (real or play), illegal drugs (including tobacco) or alcohol
  3. No serious disrespect toward people or property (includes, but is not limited: profanity, racial slurs, deliberately refusing to follow a staff directive, graffiti, etc.)

 

ABSOLUTE Procedure:

  • An ABSOLUTE must be witnessed by an adult
  • A student will be placed in the Principal’s office or sent home for the rest of the day if he/she violates an ABSOLUTE.  A student will be allowed two non-severe, non-suspension occurrences.  The third occurrence will constitute a formal suspension, which could be up to five school days.  A conference is always held with the teacher and the principal as to the severity of the consequence.
  • Each time a student violates and ABSOLUTE, a “Parent Notification of Behavior Problem” form will be sent home with the child.
  • Each time a student is suspended, a “Behavioral Plan” will be written with parents, principal, teacher and the student (when possible).  This conforms to Thompson R2J School District policy and Colorado Discipline Code.
  • Every ABSOLUTE that is broken following the first suspension will also be a suspension.
Okay, "Absolute" #2 says: No weapons (real or play)...it doesn't say imaginary. Even if the school reacted to a plastic grenade this way I'd think it was stupid, but he was suspended for a totally imaginary scenario!(Think linked story incorrectly says "imaginary fights and weapons are banned. It says "play.") So if a child sits on a playground pretending to be on a space ship firing imaginary lasers, should he be suspended? This isn't weapon control, it's thought control! This is absolutely Orwellian!

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