Randy Cassingham's Blog

Here's something that just blows me away about this story: there's a loud horn on the fire alarm pull station that goes off when the cover is opened? Are they insane? This is so stupid I cannot believe it, and as a taxpayer whose money was used to build that school (and pay those morons' salaries) I truly object.

Let's think about it just for a second. There's a fire at the school, and someone rushes over to the alarm pull station to summon the fire department. They yank open the cover and suddenly a horn blares. Whew! Firemen will arrive in minutes now! They can rescue those poor trapped kids!

But no: the alarm hasn't been pulled. You only think it has because you hear an alarm. No one has actually been summoned, but everyone thinks that the fire department has been alerted. Precious minutes tick by. The school burns down, the trapped kids die. All because some idiot school official thought it was a great idea to put an alarm on the alarm!

Unbelievable. But what can we expect from people who are paid $80,000 a year, and what they've come up with is "zero tolerance"?!

Kevin: I thought that felt a bit odd, but couldn't figure out why; you clarified it. However, there's a difference between a horn which presumably only blows for a couple of seconds at one spot, and an alarm that keeps on going all over the school. I agree with your point though, since in the confusion of a fire, whoever is trying to pull the alarm may not be thinking clearly. If they're really concerned about it, they should put cameras in the hallways, so that they have a good chance of seeing whodunit.

Randy: I've always thought "can and will be used against them in a court of law" was an interesting phrase, if taken to its logical conclusion.

Classes on citizenship and critical thinking and practical skills for modern society are not already required? I think the first two (citizenship and critical thinking) should always have been, and the latter certainly needs to be nowadays.

Next: Minors do not have the same rights as adults (otherwise, dragging your kid around would be kidapping). I'd like to see a site which spells out exactly what rights (especially in the U.S., as I live in the U.S.) minors ARE considered to have. A comparative with some other countries might be interesting.

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Kevin is right: such an "alarm on an alarm" would indeed be confusing in an already-confusing panic situation, and likely would falsely assure anyone in the vicinity that the fire department is on the way. And no, I doubt there are very many schools which offer -- let alone require -- classes in "citizenship and critical thinking and practical skills", which is part of the problem! -rc

Parents don't need to tolerate zero tolerance. Just pull your kids out of ZT schools and enroll them in online schools.

I enrolled my son in Colorado Virtual Academy this year. I made this decision shortly after a "dean" threatened my son with criminal charges under a city ordinance that had been repealed four years earlier because it was patently unconstitutional. Basically, the law made it a crime to say, do, or be anything that someone thought might possibly annoy someone at school.

Now I receive no phone calls about sagging pants; temporary tattoos; comic books; leather collars; ICP t-shirts; or other things that are no teacher's business. I don't have to investigate who hit who first on the bus. I don't have to throw a bucket of ice water on my son to get him up at 6:00 a.m. ;-) He hasn't been mugged and robbed this year.

He got a lovely HP computer; a flat-panel LCD monitor (I'm still stuck with a 19" CRT); a multifunction printer; and about $500 worth of commercial software.

I get $39 a month towards my ISP bill, even during summer break. I get copies of all email sent to my son from COVA teachers. His up-to-the-minute grades are available online, along with any late assignments. When I need to speak with a teacher or administrator, email does the job within 24 hours. Conferences with several busy schoolers, which used to take a month to schedule, are now as easy as the "cc" field of an email.

The COVA staff averages 7 years of teaching experience vs. 12 years for the sponsoring school district overall. Interestingly, COVA teachers are willing to work for about one-third of the district-wide average salary. Working from home and choosing one's hours has its advantages for both sides.

No, my son is not "socially isolated". He has MORE time to socialize with his peers, and can do so normally. Try socializing during "passing periods" that give you three minutes to get from one floor of a high school warren to another, and 30 minutes for lunch.

Colleges look kindly upon the homeschooled. Such students have higher test scores overall, and more importantly they are able to manage their time; display initiative; and seek help when they need it. Brick and mortar schools do not help students learn those skills. One is told what to do, when, and exactly how.

Parents, you do not have to put up with moronic rules applied with zero tolerance. Demand an online school for your kids. K12.com will help you find one.

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I agree that home schooling is a fantastic alternative, and ZT is one of the reasons it's gaining favor. It can be a real problem if both parents work, or in single-parent families. But those who can work past those problems should definitely look into it. -rc

I am appalled that there are no citizenship classes.
Where did they go??

I distinctly remember taking a civic class at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, NY, that covered citizenship as well as current events.

But then again I also remember learning how to make a bed, and make toast in High School as well. There was also Chapel once a week.

A school where ninety percent were Jewish were required to hear the principal read from the Bible, sometimes Old Testament, sometimes New Testament. And we didn't complain. OK we didn't listen either, but we didn't complain.

Where did we get all that time???

Sorry, I'm getting old and crotchety and reading about ZT only makes it worse.

Keep up the good work, reading This is True is the highlight of my time on the computer.

"Classes on citizenship and critical thinking and practical skills for modern society." What a GREAT idea!!! Oh, wait, first you would have to find someone qualified to teach them - that would be like Diogenes wandering around looking for an honest man.

I agree with David about home schooling. Public schools receive money based on how many students attend. The more people that take their children out of classes because of ZT, the more likely the schools are to change.

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I submit that there are people who are -- or should be -- qualified to teach those classes. I call them "parents". That sounds glib, but this stuff is important, and if the schools are doing a terrible job teaching the concepts, then it's the parents' job to step in. Yes, the schools should be teaching that stuff, but they aren't, and it's the parents' responsibility to ensure their children are educated. We've given schools way too much power in this regard. -rc

Regarding the story about "horn-blowing" 10 year old, what happened to the "adult" that did pull the fire alarm? Weren't they charged with pulling a false alarm? How can prosecutors be so egotistical that they wouldn't drop the charges against the boy once the facts came out. I thought only school officials were allowed to be ZT idiots. I also agree that anyone caught in a burning building, especially a frightened child, would confuse the alarm-alarm with the real fire alarm and assume they had summoned help.

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I haven't heard a thing about the adult being charged. I have no doubt that it was simply declared "totally accidental" and immediately dismissed as such. Why such good sense didn't apply to the kid is clear: because he's a kid. Childhood has indeed been criminalized. -rc

I love all the talk on the cases involving kids, but I am not sure the "ZT IN REAL LIFE, MINNESOTA and MISSISSIPPI EDITIONS" rise to the level of outrageous. I believe there do need to be limits as to what private citizens do as far as enforcing the law. In Mississippi, the bail bondsman (does that mean bounty hunter?) continued an armed chase into an elementary school. It does not specify whether the bondsman had his weapon drawn or not, but how else did the school officials know to report him as such. What was he going to do shoot him in the hallway? Corner him so that he would be tempted to take a kid hostage? It was a burglar (apparently), not a mass murderer. He should have called police and written down any details about what he saw, or maybe kept an eye on where he went.

Likewise, the guy in Minnesota grabbed a gun (loaded or not is not highly relevant) and engaged in a high speed chase? Again, over a burglary? Owning a gun for self defense is legal, but only for defending your own property. You are not, thankfully, allowed to take that conflict on the road.

From my armchair position, I can't tell if the two accused here were gun-happy vigilantes, turning a petty crime into a truly volatile situation, or if they were well intentioned citizens in a situation that got a little out of hand. I think it is good that we have some laws to protect us from the former, and would hope (probably foolishly, I know this is why we have ZT stories) that law enforcement would be sensible in the case of the latter. I just don't think it's inherently ridiculous for charges to be initially filed given the information provided.

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I won't debate all your points, in part because you're commenting on stories that aren't reproduced here, but let's just take the first case. A trained security professional witnessed a felony, and gave chase to the armed felon. If that armed felon runs into a school where children are present (and they were), I want that trained professional to continue after him! Not just to catch him, but also to offer some sort of protection for those children! You propose that he just let the children fend for themselves? That would be outrageous! If he did, and the felon killed a couple of kids, you would be second in line calling for his head for shirking his duty. (Second, because parents would be first in line.)

How did the school know the security guard had a gun? The same reason we know cops have guns: you can see them in their holsters strapped to their belts. The source story noted the security guard was in a uniform. -rc

I didn't suggest that he shirk his responsibilities, merely that, based on the information provided, the security guard's response may not have been the most appropriate (and, yes, given several of the security guards I have experienced, I might want the kids to wait for the real police).

When the guard noticed him, he was not an armed felon, that is information after the fact.

I'm going to break my usual rule and interweave my comments, because your assertion is incorrect. When you witness the man committing a felony, he is a felon -- right at that moment. While it's unclear whether the guard knew he was armed at that point, the fact is he was armed. Thus: an armed felon -- by definition. And I think it's reasonably likely the guard did know it. -rc

He was someone who was likely a burglar.

Burglary is a felony. -rc

Given the situation, he was probably not brandishing the knife (although that would change things considerably). The fact that the guard was in uniform also changes things considerably. But these are all details. You and I are not privy to many other details that I think could swing these particular stories from ZT ridiculous to merely unfortunate.

My intention was to point out that the laws behind the "gotcha" in the stories may be well founded, and, there is at least the possiblity that the charges weren't completely unfounded.

Here we agree! But that's the entire point. ZT laws and the resulting menality don't allow for "the details" -- intent, especially. They're simply "1) THIS is the rule; 2) THIS is the penalty for violating the rule, no matter what the details or intent." There's no discretion, no mitigating circumstances, no thought put in, just reaction. If we're going to pay a school principal $80,000, shouldn't we require a little thought out of them?! -rc

Sorry for the confusion on the blog vs. e-mail commentary. I'm only replying again to try to clarify my devil's advocate position. I really don't think I'm that far off base, and certainly don't think the implications of my comments are in favor of allowing felons to kill kids. Did it really sound like that's what I meant? I need to practice.

I'm just playing my own devil's advocate role. -rc

Thanks, Randy, for fostering independent thought and potentially changing the world, while still being one of my favorite diversions every week.

As usual when reading ZT stories, I found my face getting hot and my blood pressure going up. Injustice -- which is of course what ZT stories are ultimately about -- always infuriates me. The last section of your essay lifted my spirits somewhat: real attempts at reigning in ZT in
our schools, hurray! The last paragraph, however, gave me a cold chill.

I have a daughter in middle school. It's never occurred to me to caution her not to step up and be honest about any transgressions. (In fact, I've encouraged her to read a lot of "old-fashioned" books where the children are honourable and admit their part in any shenanigans -- particularly to keep other children from taking the blame
unfairly or alone.) Tonight I will be speaking with her about keeping her mouth shut until I get there should she ever become involved in any sort of problem at school, and under no circumstances confessing to anything without discussing it with me first. I'm really mad that I feel like I need to do this. What a world.

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You should be mad that you feel a need to do that. But you do. It's ridiculous, but it's something every parent needs to consider. One of my own friends, a Premium subscriber, had his kicked out of school for life over a ZT case. My friend had read all the stories and knew the danger. But the kid -- an honor roll student, smart, helpful, kind, and deeply religious -- confessed to what he did (at a public park, not even on school grounds!) and that was used against him. They consulted a lawyer, but it was too late: the kid had confessed and he's out. He's probably better off: he's home-schooling now. My friend actually feels lucky that the police were not involved. "What a world" indeed. -rc

The story about the security guard who was arrested and charged with a felony for chasing a thief through a
school while wearing a pistol especially caught my attention.

This vividly reminded me of your own comments, written some time ago, from the closing paragraph of your zt3 page:
"Would you want someone who saved your family from being murdered to be tossed in jail? I don't. But if people are 'punished' for 'doing the right thing,' they'll learn to walk away and do nothing. We have -- plenty of times -- heard of people who 'don't want to get involved,' and
that attitude is to the detriment of our society. I want people to 'get involved' if they see me or my family being held at gunpoint! Don't you? Thus, if society starts pressuring us to move in that direction, common
sense demands that we speak out against it. It's self destructive. It's uncivilized. It's irrational. It is wrong."

Slightly different scenario, but the premise is the same! Would anyone REALLY have wanted this security guard to have said, "Whoa... wait up there, that's a children's school and I have a gun! I'd better just let that aggravated assailant and knife-wielding thief run around in there until he gets tired or bored and comes back out! Maybe I'll just head on back to my office and call the principal to let him deal with it." Um, no. If I were a parent in that neighborhood, I would insist on his commendation!

Blatant injustice is unconscionable, in any context. A soldier of war has a moral responsibility NOT to follow orders when instructed to inflict harm upon obvious noncombatants. Our city officials, government employees, principals and politicians carry that SAME responsibility.
Those who hide behind their ZT rules should be held equally accountable for such crimes.

While it may seem strange to some, I've come to find that your ZT-heavy issues are some of my favorites - because they make me so angry! - and I would not know about most of these stories without your efforts.

From my perspective, this subject has become as important, possibly more so, than tort reform and the Stella Awards. I'm beginning to think that this subject could stand on its own as a separate publication, or at the very least should have an annual "award of shame", similar to your Stella. Please consider it. If not, I'd like to ask if you might put together a web page that contains a large collection, if not all of your ZT stories in one place. I often find that the stories speak better for themselves than a lengthy discussion about the subject, when it comes to helping others to realize the seriousness of the problem.

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I have been thinking of doing a book on ZT and, more importantly, where such thought processes are leading us. I'll take your note as a vote for that. -rc