The New York Times reported yesterday that 25 students ages 11-15 were arrested for a food fight in the school cafeteria at a middle school in Chicago. The children were rounded-up, arrested, put in jail for eight hours, and charged with a misdemeanor for reckless conduct. The students were also suspended for two days from school.
Diana Shulla-Cose, President and co-founder of Perspectives Charter Schools, said that they have an on-campus police officer who had to call the police for back-up and then even additional police had to be called because the food fight escalated and that resulted in the large number of arrests. Diana Shulla-Cose described the food fight as “unfortunate” and added, “We don’t take this lightly.”
The New York Times reported that If the case isn’t thrown out when the kids go to court, then most likely they will end up with probation and the record would be removed when the students turn 17.
Seriously? At what point did we start arresting students for a food fight? So 25 students that are 11-15 years old may end up with a record for a food fight at school? Was it that there were so many students involved that they couldn’t control the fight? If schools are over populated and the number of students greatly out mass the teachers…is that the students fault?
Sources: Big Education Ape and The New York Times
Other recent articles from this examiner:
14 people have died of H1N1 in Utah in this flu season
Sesame Street celebrates 40th anniversary – continues to be a great educational tool for children
Sarah Palin Going Rogue book tour
eInstruction announces judging panel for 3rd annual Classroom Makeover Contest
Parents of California raped teen beg: stop the violence
Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin
Glenn Beck Arguing with Idiots
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance
12 people have died in Utah of H1N1 this flu season
Mary Jane Morris wins Utah Teacher of the Year for 2010
Nook ereader from Barnes and Noble is ready to compete with Kindle
Comments
I don't really think the kids should have gotten arrested.
At the end of the day, the school system showed lack of control, but I don't feel bad about the kids being arrested either. The school needs to do a better job, and if these kids are that far out of control, then a "scare" by the police is sometimes a good thing. I'm sure it'll get thrown out of court as it should and be removed from their records, but I don't feel bad for the kids either. People who complain about something like this or the same ones who don't want the teachers to be able to "grab" their kids. Teachers can't get physically involved out of fear of losing their jobs cause they grabbed a kid wrong. Schools need to do a better job of disciplining and preventing this stuff from escalating and parents need to quit whining. Obviously their kids were out of control and will learn lessons from this that make them stronger in the long run.
They shouldn't have been arrested. This go against the concept of treating children and adults differently in the criminal justice system. If an adult goes out in public and starts throwing food then of course they deserve to be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. If a child does this, he/she deserves a lesser punishment like suspension or cleaning up the cafeteria. These kids are now stigmatized for something as silly as a food fight. Think about how this will affect the kids mentally, especially at such young ages. Being arrested, had their mug shots taken, and put in jail for 8 hours. I hope the school system will make better decisions in the future.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!