Teachers walk in protest over kid bringing a taser to school

[proud2BlibKansan]

Posted on Fri, Nov. 18, 2005

Central teachers protest student readmittance


By JOE ROBERTSON The Kansas City Star

Nearly half of Central High School’s teachers stayed home Friday on a “sick-out” day to protest the re-enrollment of a student who brought a Taser to school.

Thirty-two of the school’s roughly 70 teachers were absent, Kansas City School District spokesman Edwin Birch said.

The student brought the stun gun in his backpack in October, Birch said. He could have been suspended for a full year, but after a hearing process, Superintendent Bernard Taylor allowed the student to return to classes this week.

A large portion of the school’s staff was concerned enough by the decision to make a one-day statement with a “sick-out.”

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13204018.htm

The article omits the fact that this kid somehow got this weapon through the metal detectors at the school. The teachers were also concerned about that.

[aquart]

1. How much do tasers cost?

[noiretextatique]

2. stun guns are cheap

you can find some stun guns for as cheap as $15.00 on ebay. you have to touch someone with a stun gun...not like the tasers police use.

[aquart]

9. So which did the kid have?

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. A taser.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. $800

http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/news/8009.html

[TallahasseeGrannie]

4. I don't want to be in any classroom

with kids who even have BACKPACKS, much less stun guns. This kid belongs in an alternative program.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Agreed

The superintendent claimed the kid had a spotless record so he agreed to let him come back to school. Yeah - like a spotless record will prevent him from tasering someone?

[TallahasseeGrannie]

6. I have some heavy duty heart rhythm problems

and I think if I were hit with a shock it could seriously cause me to wake up dead or something.

I vote juvie.

[Solon]

8. No backpacks???

I remember how my school started that rule, after I left thankfully, and for middle and high schoolers, it was damn near impossible for them to be on time to classes. I find rules like that as schools blowing things WAY out of proportion of a problem, sort of like all those "zero tolerance" policies that occur. About this kid with the taser, its a working weapon for crying out loud, no excuses, should have been suspended for the year.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

10. I am not a proponent of zero tolerance.

I'm kind of a .1 tolerance person myself.

But backpacks, to a teacher, are a nightmare. When you have a small room and 30 kids, each with a huge backpack and they are all on the floor, they are dangerous to me, to the kids, and all kinds of stuff comes to school in them, including drugs, bottles and weapons. I prefer a nice pile of books. Really, some of these kids carry half their house in their backpack, and the little ones look like turtles. It is hurting their backs! I know this makes me sound very, very old....but IN MY DAY we didn't have backpacks. AND WE LIKED IT!

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. The state law is NOT zero tolerance

That's how the supt was able to let the kid come back to school.

I hear ya on the backpacks! But we teach the kids to use them in elementary school. They are so great for organization. I wish I had a better idea.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

15. Just leave them in the lockers

or maybe a little insert could hold the books for class?

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. That works for most kids I guess

But I am a special ed teacher and the parent of two ADD kids. My sons would never have gotten to class on time if they hadn't been able to carry backpacks. Especially freshman year when their lockers were on the 4th floor and most of their classes were on the 1st floor. With only a few minutes between classes and a need to unwind (and use the restroom), it is asking a lot of an inattentive kid to go up 3 flights of stairs to a locker, get out the right materials and then go back down 3 flights of stairs and get to class on time. I'm not even sure I could manage that.

I suggested allowing them to keep their books and materials in the classroom but the teachers didn't like that idea. So we wrote in the IEPs that they be allowed to carry their backpacks. SInce then, the schools have implemented a strict no backpack rule. I have no idea how kids like mine manage nowadays.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

20. Personally, I'd rather keep the things in the classroom

meaning the materials. There just isn't room for the things in the classroom, is my biggest problem. I've tripped over dozens and actually landed on the floor a couple of times, and of course they trip over them all the time themselves. And I see them as a big hazard for evacuating the building, too.

I hear your concern about special needs kids. Happily, my building is one floor.

I'm not sure what the answer is. I just keep thinking back to the days before backpacks and how "we" did it. As I remember, I got my morning class books when I got to school, maybe three, and then the other three after lunch. I carried a purse, which guys don't have the advantage of doing. Perhaps a compromise could be some size limit or something, truly some of these monsters are huge! I had a child put one on the back of my office chair once and it tipped the whole thing over.

Ah, but it's nice to worry about backpacks sometimes and little problems we can solve, isn't it?

[proud2BlibKansan]

21. You sound like a reasonable teacher

And trust me, I understand not wanting those backpacks in the classroom.

We do work hard at the elementary level to teach organizational skills to the kids. But they always seem so overwhelmed when they get to middle school. We clearly need to come up with a better system.

So back to the taser - I want to know how the kid got it beyond the metal detector. Are those things made of plastic?

[Horse with no Name]

28. Our school has a BETTER idea

Each student is given a set of books for home and there is a set for the classroom. Kids don't have to lug their books around.
Comes out to about 30 extra books purchased for each subject, but alleviates the need for backpacks.
All they need is paper and writing utensils.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I love that idea

We write that in many IEPs but it is a practice that should be standard.

[Robert Cooper]

16. Just a few days ago I was hassled over Home Schooling...

...and then I read this thread and wonder why those advocating that I send my son to PS failed to mention any of this.

Thanks, school is -definitely- not what it used to be.

Stay safe, Grannie.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. So ONE incident makes ALL schools dangerous?

Some logic you got there.

[Robert Cooper]

24. Perhaps this will help

Grannie said: "But backpacks, to a teacher, are a nightmare. When you have a small room and 30 kids, each with a huge backpack and they are all on the floor, they are dangerous to me, to the kids, and all kinds of stuff comes to school in them, including drugs, bottles and weapons. "

That didn't sound like "ONE incident" to me. And it's not like this is the only time I've read about it.

In Toronto, a teen was shot to death a week ago. Yesterday, his teen friend was shot to death at the funeral service.

Teen gangs may be old news to you, but up here it was rare until a few years ago. We are nowhere near geared up enough to eliminate the weapons in school. All the gangs are centered on schools, surrounding parks and public facilities. These are kids with guns peddling narcotics and 'defending their turf'.

From my point of view, this is a breakdown in parenting which the schools cannot fix. The pressure for both parents to work and delegate childcare at young ages (sometimes infancy) onward is detrimental to the development of self-discipline in the children.

The need for safety in the public schools is manifest. The question is, what lessons to the kids learn from entering such a facility, with policies designed to eliminate virtually -all- risk. Metal-detectors? What lessons does that teach impressionable minds? Security/Law enfrocement on the premises? I don't recall that in school. What are these kids learning about authority?

When do they learn to question authority? Or to challenge authority? When does their emerging individuality outweigh the need for conformity and how well does each authority figure handle the situation so as to nurture their individuality?

At home there are two authority figures. At school every adult is an authority figure to be reckoned with. It only takes one kid/adult to wreak havoc. At home everyone can take a break whenever they need it. At school they can't, and High School (I believe you call them Middle Schools) come in with a population of about 1500 in urban areas.

So where would I place my bet on which setting is more likely to cause criminal behaviour?

How many Columbines have there been?

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. And I could post a list

of hundreds of thousands of high schools in the USA which have had NO violent incidents.

I didn't stop going to my post office because a few postal workers went crazy. I didn't stop eating out at restaurants after the guy killed patrons at a restaurant in Texas. And I haven't stopped enjoying live music in bars after the fire in Ohio. I also wonder how many people stopped going to church after the guy shot up choir practice.

Stasistics will show the risk is MINOR. Over reacting will not solve the problem.

[Robert Cooper]

26. You are free to describe

the actions you've taken as an adult, judging the risks for yourself bearing in mind your ability to fend for yourself, given that you have rights as an adult that children seem to lack.

I am surprised you would compare yourself with a child or teenager and consider this an example of apples compared to apples.

You do not seem to have an argument to counter my claims, only that it happens in some places and not others and somehow, given the lack of predictability, it is silly to worry about the well-being of my child. No argument regarding authoritarianism and how that impacts the development of individuality, no acknowledgment that metal detectors at school (but not at home) are there for a reason, no acknowledgment that law enforcement/security are at the school (but not at home) for a reason. No acknowledgment of the reason, period.

Denial is a wondrous thing, but I have a child and cannot afford that luxury. Just ask the victims of school violence how convincing they find your arguments.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. I have been a teacher for 26 years and I know

not one victim of a shooting in a school. NONE. Sure it has happened. But my point is the risk is MINOR. There are state laws in place to deal with weapons at schools. The metal detectors are there to prevent violence. I'd like to see them in movie theaters, restaurants and stores as well. It seems to me that schools have done MORE to address this problem than anyone else. So yes, I feel very safe at a school.

[Robert Cooper]

29. You are still not addressing the points I've made

A society that needs to go to such lengths to "prevent violence" is desperately ill. There was a time when parents taught their kids not to be violent, and metal detectors were unnecessary.

But metal detectors do nothing to prevent drugs from entering the schools, do they? Nor do they prevent fists from flying, right? A child can still be kicked in the head, or the groin, right? I suppose it is a good thing you've never known a victim of a shooting. If that was the only way to victimize someone, I suppose that would mean something.

And if physical safety were all that a child required, extensive security precautions might be enough. But then there is the case of the VP in California who wanted to make sure none of the girls attending a dance wore thongs, so she checked each one in the hallway. And then there is that more recent case of a principal who eventually resigned because she marched an eight year old to all the classes, calling the girl a liar and a thief, only to find out later that this was not the case. Look at how ego and career concerns dictated how those debacles unwound. The ACLU lists several cases of infringement on freedom of expression rights by school authorities. And there is interference with GLBT teens as well.

Narrowly focusing on shootings, which is certainly one of the worst forms of violence, does not negate the existence of so many other forms of violence, both physical and non-physical, enacted by some students -and- some staff.

I fail to see the need for spin here. These are well documented problems in the public school system. No one whimsically decided to install metal detectors and security. These things were introduced to the schools out of a need to safeguard students and staff against real dangers in the community. That these things make students and staff safe does not negate the fact that their constant presence demonstrates to the children that society cannot be trusted.

Any wonder so many turn out anti-social?

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. You don't get it

The problems/violence in our society are neither the fault of the schools nor their responsibility to solve. They certainly aren't justification to abandon our public schools. Every family in America could withdraw their children and homeschool them but that won't have any impact on our crime rate.

I also believe that keeping your kids at home and depriving them of valuable social interaction not only doesn't prepare them for life in our society but also contributes more to developing anti-social behavior. Since I didn't want mine to turn out anti-social, they went to school.

[Robert Cooper]

33. You are still not addressing the points I've raised

Thanks, but I do get it. I've no idea what world you exist in where dodging bullets, knives, drugs, fists, feet, and/or authoritarian teachers who have difficulty addressing my points is considered "valuable social interaction"?

I find your first paragraph a complete denial of the truth of your second paragraph. You talk as if criminals were never children, or that they never turn into criminals until they graduate that grand theatre of "valuable social interaction": the public school.

If "keeping your kids at home and depriving them of valuable social interaction not only doesn't prepare them for life in our society but also contributes more to developing anti-social behavior" were true, then certainly the reverse would also be true. If the reverse were true, there would be no Columbines. Grannie wouldn't be speaking of "drugs...weapons". Given decades of public schooling, our crime rate ought to have been in sharp decline.

Obviously, this is not the case. Crime continues to increase. The prisons have never been so full. None of the inmates are old enough to have escaped the public school system and it is highly unlikely that all of them were homeschooled.

What does that say about your statement?

"Since I didn't want mine to turn out anti-social, they went to school." and thus we get to the heart of the matter.

My son is three and a half. I have no vested interest in defending either side beyond what makes sense to me. You on the other hand have already sent your kids through the PS system. You defend yourself as a good mother, rather than debate the facts and issues as they exist in the real world.

If you'd had the means to refute my statements, I'm sure you would have. That you didn't means you've missed the opportunity to sway me twoards the PS system. That you repeatedly ignored my points and threw new ones my way that made no more sense than the ones I'd refuted, what should I conclude that you are not being rational about it. That you are defending your motherhood explains all.

Thank you for the discussion, but having my points repeatedly ignored bodes ill for me learning anything here.

[proud2BlibKansan]

34. You are refusing to read what I have said

I know NO ONE who has to dodge bullets at school. I go to one every day - for 26 years now. (And it is in the inner city.) Yet, I still know not one person who is dodging bullets. Yes, I did send my kids through our school system and neither one was EVER affected by all that violence you seem so concerned about. But my experiences don't count?

So if you want to use this as an excuse to homeschool it is a poor one. But I invite you to go ahead and do so. And be sure to also avoid restaurants, shopping malls, movies, post offices and all those other public places where a crazed lunatic has taken a gun and killed people. Don't be driving anywhere so you can avoid a road rage incident. You also may want to avoid encouraging your child to get a job since violence in the workplace is another of society's ills.

Parents like you who expect public schools to solve society's problems are not facing reality. You expect schools to work miracles and when they don't, you give up on them. And the rest of us are left wondering why it is the schools' responsibility in the first place. :eyes:

[Robert Cooper]

35. lol

I've been writing longer than you've been teaching, and the only statements that fail to register are the ones spouting gibberish.

For example: "Parents like you who expect public schools to solve society's problems..."

I suppose it makes perfect sense to you to say such a thing to an individual who sees the public school system as a part of the cause of society's problems, and certainly not equipped to solve anything. Perhaps that's why I plan to homeschool my child rather than send him into a failed system that churns out drop-outs and criminals in equal measure to those fortunate enough to make it through relatively unscathed.

Thanks but I won't be playing Russian Roulette with my child's life.

And thank -you- for epitomizing the problem with school staff. It is rare that anyone forgets they are in a public forum so completely as to provide a genuine example of their 'teaching style'. I'm sure homeschoolers will appreciate your candor.

Bon soir

[ulysses]

40. ?

It is rare that anyone forgets they are in a public forum so completely as to provide a genuine example of their 'teaching style'.

I suspect that she thought she was addressing an adult, not one of her students. She was, perhaps, mistaken.

[Robert Cooper]

43. lol again

If -that- is how she treats adults, who don't need to take it and are unlikely to be persuaded by it, I can well imagine how she treats children who have no power whatsoever.

Had there been any arguments to refute my points, she only needed to raise them. But having written for thirty five years I can honestly say I saw nothing more than emotional diatribes that dealt very little with what I had said.

<shrug> your mileage may vary

[proud2BlibKansan]

62. And you have been an infantile contributor

How dare you accuse me of being less than exemplary in my classroom (which, I might add, YOU have never and undoubtedly will never visit)? I do not allow anyone to comment on my treatment of children unless they have actually witnessed it. I also consider this insult to be below the belt and a bit too freeperish for DU.

I have tried (in vain apparently) to point out why it is wrong to reject public schools or to blame them for society's ills. We didn't cause these problems, we merely get to deal with them. And we do so very well most of the time where I teach. You however, have chosen to withdraw to a cave somewhere and pop out occassionally to slam a public school or a teacher.

Your agenda is clear. You had bad experiences in school as a child and a relative who quit due to the violence (which I will again remind you has NOT ever affected me) so you take it out on public school teachers here at DU. Nice.

I can't even express how sorry I feel for your children.

[countingbluecars]

63. Thanks proud2Blib.

It needed to be said.

[proud2BlibKansan]

71. You are welcome

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proud2BlibKansan]

70. I have asked the mods to lock this thread

You have ruined any chance for a decent debate.

I am also putting you on ignore. You clearly have issues and I don't care to be your punching bag.

[proud2BlibKansan]

60. LOL

Methinks we have a few issues to work out here and it is easier to blame the schools than to get therapy.

[ReadTomPaine]

41. Well said.

Your points here and elsewhere in this thread are spot on.

[Robert Cooper]

44. Thank you

It's sad, really. There -are- good teachers out there doing their best to make a difference. I've conversed with a few of them over the years, inluding my brother's wife who retired from the profession because of the violence and intimidation.

But it is the insecure ones who seem to find me (you know the ones: "I'm the teacher and you're nothing" types). A system that finds work for tens of thousands of college grads is bound to be less than discriminating when it comes to psychological profiles.

The proof is in the drop out rate, which in Ontario is running around 33% (tho' the government, in its embarassment, has just passed a law requiring kids to be educated till 18, no dropping out anymore).

A system governed by the clock and calendar rather than the success of their students is certainly going to cause problems in society when so many are failed and discouraged to the point of giving up on themselves, education and society.

My child is not a natural resource to be exploited for the profit of teachers and school administrators.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. How ignorant of you to believe that public schools are even part

of the cause of society's problems.

You must not understand where the children come from. LOL

[Robert Cooper]

46. Are you listening to yourself?

"Parents like you who expect public schools to solve society's problems are not facing reality."

"How ignorant of you to believe that public schools are even part of the cause of society's problems."

Neither part of the problem nor part of the solution?

Denial is a wondrous thing. Any wonder so many have so little respect for educators who engage in this kind of sophistry?

[proud2BlibKansan]

49. Let's get back to the posted story

A kid brought a taser to school. The school didn't give him the taser. The school didn't teach him to fire it. The school didn't tell him to solve his problems with a weapon.

I am hoping we can agree that the superintendent was incorrect in allowing this kid back into school. And the metal detectors that didn't find this weapon need to be examined.

But to take this story and turn it into a story about violence in our society and then blaming the school is absolutely ridiculous, IMO. If you don't want to enroll your child in a public school, you certainly have the right to make that choice. But come up with a more logical reason.

If you are concerned about violence in schools, the blame lies with the people who teach these children to solve their problems with violence. We certainly don't teach that strategy in schools. We just get to deal with the results. If society would join us in finding remedies, we may have some success.

[Robert Cooper]

54. I view it as a pressure cooker...

...with crime being the only way out. You seem to fail to realize it is a human quality to seek escape when trapped, often by any means necessary. A lot of kids are trapped in a system which, to them, is punitive and without reward. That they strike back in immature ways shouldn't be so surprising.

And bear in mind the schools are the first government institution most kids experience. They have no vote over how it is run, no say and no influence. They are required under threat of punishment to do as they are told from the time they arrive till the time they leave, each day for several months of the year for 12 years or so. In a nation that values freedom, independence, liberty and the right to pursue one's destiny, this particular experience is about the farthest thing from it. However, it is great training for assembly-line work or the military, two professions where knee-jerk obedience to authority means more than being independently-minded.

Couple this with the hormonal changes and the teen's need to define him/her self as distinct from authority and the situation becomes explosive for some. Another factor is the increased population density within the school (sometimes beyond the point of over-crowding). There are enough behavioural studies on what happens when populations hit a critical size to provide a reasonable prediction regarding the degree of stress experienced and the outcome when dealing with immature, hormone-controlled teenagers.

You'd rather not blame the school when it is so obvious the school system runs contrary to the human nature of our young as their personalities emerge. Look amongst the aboriginal peoples who still exist, and at the records of those that have ceased to exist. Find anything run remotely like our school system? With the absence of a school system, are they rife with anti-social violence?

If they were, these tribes would never have survived for -thousands- of years. Can the PS system make the same claim? No.

On another matter, I doubt I'd be so quick to judge the student or the superintendant without all the evidence available. I don't think that's been provided here. We all deserve a fair trial based on evidence, not a witch hunt based on bits and pieces of the whole story.

And if you look back you'll see I was commenting on Grannie's comment about "drugs, bottles and weapons". It was a relatively innocuous statement which you jumped on. I fail to see fault in me addressing your statements and answering your questions. If you'd wanted to stay on topic no one prevented it.

[countingbluecars]

55. Quite a view.

I agree that the public school system could be improved. Certainly many of our inner city schools need overhauling. Different programs for different learning styles, more music, art, and physical education would be great. But I doubt that all of the doctors, nurses, scientists, etc. who are products of the public school system felt trapped. Perhaps they were even inspired by their teachers and enjoyed learning.

[Robert Cooper]

68. A thoght or two

I have readily conceded that for some the PS system works to their advantage. Students score at the top of their class and move on to university and whatever they wish. I see no argument here.

But I consider it basely false to suggest that it is so for all kids in the PS system. One-third, here, drop-out. They vote with their feet at the first opportunity or at least prior to completion of their secondary education.

Furthermore, I consider inmates of all the prisons. If the percentages there reflect the percentages of PS students vs HS students, then the sizable majority of inmates (and by extension, criminals caught and uncaught) have participated in the PS system.

While a life of crime can begin at any time, the statistics I recall suggest crime begins in youth most often. That tells me there is a sizable chunk of the PS student population involved in various acts of crime, and another sizable chunk representing their victims.

By way of an example, recently in Toronto -14- youths were charged with assault and/or sexual assault of a fellow student in a high school. The acts were said to have occurred over the period of a year (the girl never reported them till now) and the latest report claims a security camera caught one of the sexual assaults in a stairwell at school.

I am not pronouncing judgment. That's for a judge and jury. I cite it as an example of incidents reported that occur -because- kids are sent to school. Incidents no metal detector can prevent, nor bags in lockers. The spread of drugs is made much easier by concentrating teens, frustrating them with demands that they learn according to the schedule, and isolating them from their natural support structure: their family.

Another point, how many GLBT teens have been allowed to grow up with dignity and self-respect in the PS system?

And I haven't even begun to deal with the fragile mental state of some teachers and how that impacts impressionable children.

Some students make it through the PS system, many do not make it through unscathed. It's not a 'one-size-fits-all' solution to the need to educate our kids. If we do not recognize why it fails so many, it can't be fixed.

[ulysses]

61. ah, ok.

However, it is great training for assembly-line work or the military, two professions where knee-jerk obedience to authority means more than being independently-minded.

That explains a lot.

[Fescue4u]

38. yea, TSA everywhere

"The metal detectors are there to prevent violence. I'd like to see them in movie theaters, restaurants and stores as well."

Sounds like A republican utopia.

[Robert Cooper]

45. I thought so too

It is a curious thing that metal detectors (and other security systems) exist only in places where either crime occurs or crime is expected. I'm sure the kids don't overlook that little fact.

It was bad enough in my day being forced out into the hall because I refused to rise for the Lord's Prayer. I really can't imagine growing up in today's authoritarian dream-world for children.

If it isn't religion, it's prison-lite. I really can't imagine why anyone wouldn't support the PS system ;-)

Just look at the trends for the last 25 years: crime and drug use down to zero percent, everyone graduates and moves on to higher education, voters are intelligent and eager to participate. And George W. Bush, the smartest man alive, is president of America. Everyone knows about global warming and is opposed to it, the media can no longer spin the audience, no one watches Faux News. In fact, no one wastes time on anything but furthering their education thanks to the inspiration of their teachers.

And no school board would think of removing evolution from the curriculum, let alone replacing it with something as stupid as Intelligent Design.

Yep, looks like the PS system is doing a bang-up job ;-)

[countingbluecars]

48. I teach in a large school system

in northern Virginia. During my many years of teaching, we have had no major violent incidents in our schools. However, we have had several students accidentally kill friends with guns at home. We have had a few student suicides which also occurred at home. I have seen children who were victims of abuse by parents. In my experience, school is a safe, secure place for children, and for some, the only safe place.

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. Yeah it does doesn't it?

But then again, letting folks walk around packing heat sounds even worse to me.

[Fescue4u]

51. Well thats ok

My post isnt really about guns anyway, although it may appear that way on the surface.

Really i was commenting about the trend towards submission to authority.

I just find it shocking that some people would find it comforting to walk through a metal detector, remove their shoes, have their bags(purse) x-rayed, have their shoes examined, and then pat down by an agent, just to buy a pack of gum or watch a movie.

[proud2BlibKansan]

52. Yet is is okay in a school

I am hoping I am not alone in finding that sad.

[Robert Cooper]

53. Imagine being raised that way nt

[Solon]

22. I don't see why they are such a nuisance...

Back in Elementary school, we had hooks and a designated space for backpacks, coats, etc, to put in, usually behind the blackboard, which was a partition wall in itself. In Middle and High schools, I never used my locker, to be honest, it was too small and too far away from my classes, and it wasn't even a large school, but the halls were only about 4 feet wide in places, making going from class to class a 10 minute affair when you only have 5 minutes to get to class. Onto the small part, in high school, it wasn't unusual for us to have two books for some classes, like English or History, I would have about 8 or 9 pretty large books to lug around, which I didn't, thankfully, the good teachers would tell us what books were needed for which days, and so I would leave some at home the lockers could barely hold a coat if we were lucky.

Besides which, our school started that policy for "security" reasons, and had to rescind it as impractical the next school year.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

23. Small room, big kids, bigger packs

lots of falls, spills, things knocked over, etc.

[MojoXN]

32. Book straps much?

I was always enchanted by the idea of a book strap. Probably because 30ish pounds of books on the back was more of a physical burden than was strictly necessary... :)

MojoXN

[sakabatou]

36. That's why I love my caomputer bag that I use as a backpack.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. It seems silly to me to ban backpacks when

the school has metal detectors.

Of course, they failed to find this taser.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

12. I don't want them completely banned, just kept in lockers

because I don't need luggage in my classroom.

[tammywammy]

17. The high school I went to

didn't have enough lockers for every student to have one. And if you did get one, it would be on the opposite side of the school where you really were (it was a very very large high school with over 4000 students).

So, we were allowed to have back packs. Teachers had one of two rules: it had to fit under your desk (the little cubby under the chair for books) or you had to get out your supplies and keep it up front in a designated area (and no going to your backpack during class).

I had a disk start budging the second week of my senior year, so really, if a class had a big book, I only took it when we had to have them (a lot of teachers would tell us if we needed the book the next class if it was thick, like the English literature book).

But at the same time, we only had 4 classes a day (3 in the morning and then 1 after lunch; school started at 7:45am) so it's not like we had 8 subject books each day and I think that helped.

[LostinVA]

47. I graduated from HS in 1982,a nd we were not allowed to

take backpacks to school. WE could take bookbags, but everything but books, notebooks, etc. had to stay in your locker. Girls could carry a very small purse -- basically just big enough for tampons, etc.

I went to HS in a very safe, rural HS. This wasn't done for safety reasons, but for distraction reasons.

[Fescue4u]

37. Backpacks are evil now?

wtf?

[ProudToBeLiberal]

57. I never used my lockers

Always carried m backback to classes. I barely made to classes on time like it is.

[jazzjunkysue]

7. Somebody warn Florida that they're about to lose their #1 Trailer Park

Scandal State status.
:scared:

[DavidBowman]

67. What do you mean?

[FreedomAngel82]

39. Oh wow

[DavidBowman]

56. Get back to work

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. Huh?

[ulysses]

59. mind if I ask what you do for work?

[DavidBowman]

64. I'm unemployed

Why do you ask?

[ulysses]

65. ok, what *did* you do?

I'm asking because I want to know if people where you worked routinely brought tasers to work with them.

[DavidBowman]

66. I just left a law practice

The answer is no, although I didn't ask. I've never gotten tazed at work, though. I don't know anyone who has, either. Things got pretty heated sometimes, but I don't think that there were any taser incidents.

[proud patriot]

72. I'm locking this thread

At the request of the original poster
I'm locking this thread .

proud patriot Moderator
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