More zero-intelligence, er, -tolerance

[Kheldarson]

I assumed none of those things, nor gave any indication that I did. I was pointing out how, in THIS case, everyone is against punishing the innocent, while in the other, many were looking for every conceivable excuse for it. Neither more nor less.

Because in the team situation, you had an issue of the team image and spirit being injured by a portion of the team. They weren't functioning as a unit in a way the coach wanted. So he forced a clean slate upon all to rebuild the team and its focus. This works as discipline to establish what the coach wants to establish: a new status quo.

In this situation you have a single member of the team going out to do what most would consider to be the right thing, which may or may not have involved just members of her school. All we know is that one of her friends was there. This could have been a party thrown by teens from another school. The punishment here is inappropriate because it sends the wrong message, i.e. don't do the responsible thing because you might get punished for it.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Because in the team situation, you had an issue of the team image and spirit being injured by a portion of the team. They weren't functioning as a unit in a way the coach wanted. So he forced a clean slate upon all to rebuild the team and its focus. This works as discipline to establish what the coach wants to establish: a new status quo.

Bang on. I don't agree with it, but it is plainly obvious what the coach is trying to do and you summed it up quite neatly.

In this situation you have a single member of the team going out to do what most would consider to be the right thing, which may or may not have involved just members of her school. All we know is that one of her friends was there. This could have been a party thrown by teens from another school. The punishment here is inappropriate because it sends the wrong message, i.e. don't do the responsible thing because you might get punished for it.

The primary problem here is that most schools out there try to drive home the message of "Don't drink." Followed by "And if you *do* drink, for God's sake don't @#$%ing drive."

Then give all sorts of ways of getting home safely without running into a bus load of nuns. Usually involving things like calling a cab, calling your parents, calling a non-drunk friend, staying the night to sleep it off...etc.

So the real problem here is that this school is likely preaching "Don't drink and drive" on one hand while at the same time is punishing someone who goes out of their way to prevent someone from getting killed and/or killing others when they try to drive whilst being several sheets to the wind.

It's just one more example of how Zero-Tolerance is teaching our children that doing the right thing is likely to get you figuratively fucked in the ass with an agave cactus and that not doing the right thing is the best thing to do since they have the power of your academic future in their hands.

One wrong word on an academic transcript and you're lucky to get into a community college and forget about all the nice scholarships.

[Rageaholic]

I can't think of anything that could defense the school districts decision, but some idiot youtube commenter said this girl was wrong for covering up the horrible crime of underage drinking.

And apparently, Mothers Against Drunk Driving supports the school and their zero tolerance!. Even though, by picking her friend up, she prevented her from driving home drunk. I knew there was a reason I hated MADD.

[Barracuda]

Zero tolerance rules allow for zero common sense, it seems like. Like the Eagle Scout who came to a school football game, realized his hunting knife was in his pocket from camping that weekend, handed it over voluntarily to a security guard and was expelled afterwards. Or the Eagle Scout who had gone skeet shooting, forgot his shotgun was in his truck, called his mom to come get it so it wouldn't be on school grounds, and as a result was expelled, arrested and charged with a felony (never mind a school administrator in the same district had deliberately brought a loaded handgun to school not that long ago and been suspended for 3 days with no arrest. Gotta love double standards and idiocy.)

[hinakiba777]

Sad to say, but when I read the OP all I could think was "Well at least she wasn't suspended or expelled" because as this point I would not be surprised. She did the right thing, and was punished for it. Lovely.

Plus as someone else pointed out, maybe she didn't know about the party until her friend called for the ride. This whole thing just makes me sad.

[Greenday]

Zero tolerance rules allow for zero common sense, it seems like.

It's a way to prevent schools from getting blamed. "Hey, the rule applies to everyone equally. Don't blame us!"