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Dog Gone It
2007's Weirdest Runner-Up
This story was already discussed quite a bit in this blog (and is also from January 2007), and was quite the example of "zero tolerance":
Dog Gone It
John Cave, 14, is deaf, but it doesn't keep him from going to public school. He even has a new specially trained assistance dog to help him. But that's the trouble: the W. Tresper Clarke High School in Westbury, Long Island, N.Y., says the boy "doesn't need the dog" at school and, when the boy brought the dog anyway, school officials called the police. Responding officers refused to arrest the boy after confirming state law says public facilities cannot bar disabled people from having service dogs. Still, principal Timothy Voels refuses to let Cave onto school grounds if he has the dog with him, closing the door when he arrives. "All I wanted to do was give my son one more step toward independence," says John's mother, Nancy. (New York Newsday) ...There's your mistake, Nancy: Zero Tolerance-subscribing school officials don't want kids to be independent, since that would give them an advantage.
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There were, of course, many comments on this story when it first appeared; you can read those at the entry Zero Tolerance: The Backlash Has Begun. Comments from the voters include:
- I'm choosing this one because of all this is the most absurd. Believe me it was a tough choice but a school preventing a child bringing his service dog to class is just plain offensive. Frankly I'd like to see the door shut when the Principal arrives! --Trish, B.C., Canada
- ZT gets my hackles up. I don't always agree with your assessment of the situation, but keep up the good work. I'll continue to ignore the stuff I don't like. (Actually, that's a lie; the stuff I don't like gets me thinking, and at my age the brain needs some stimulation. --Steve, Maine
- The notion that a service dog can't be allowed is too silly for words. And the sanctimonious attitude of the principal stands as the new standard in "excellence at idiocy". To think he's charged with educating youth is frightening indeed. --Geoffrey, Arizona
- I'm not sure this is the 'weirdest' but for me it stands out as sad commentary on zero tolerance, stupidity and lack of common sense. Outrageous. Maybe I've become too cynical but most of them seem to be so 'common' as to barely raise an eyebrow. A sad commentary indeed. --Jo, Michigan
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Given that legally speaking, the boy and his service dog are the same person for purposes of admittance to schools, hospitals, movie theaters, and so forth... It occurs to me that one could make a case for pressing charges of truancy against that principal. Talk to the local police, point out that the principal has no legal basis for his actions, and ask them to enforce the law. If the police refuse, make a call to the state's attorney general. Truancy is, after all, a crime, and the principal is technically committing it.
Posted by: Bergman, Seattle | December 25, 2007 9:36 PM