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The Jonathan Dolhenty Archive |
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The Dolhenty Report A Commentary on the Human Condition by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty Zero-Tolerance Terrorism Not Permitted!
When I was a young school principal back in the 1960s, I suspended seven eighth-graders for sipping vodka in the girls' lavatory. One of the girls, daughter of a school board member no less, had brought the alcohol to school in a small perfume bottle. The girls were having a good old time passing the bottle around until discovered by one of the female teachers. She brought them to my office where, of course, I chastised them for their behavior and then called the parents, informing them of the situation and asking them to pick their child up at school. As I recall, the girls were suspended for three or four days. When they returned, the incident was promptly forgotten and never, never made the national news. Things, unfortunately, are different in these "enlightened" days. It seems that every little incident, whether it involves an intentional act or is just one of those ordinary human mistakes we all make, has to be subjected to detailed investigation and protracted analysis. It may even make the evening newscast or be written up in one of the tabloids. Government officials at all levels are apparently so impressed by the policies they administer, they forget that these policies should be applied with common sense and that a distinction should be made between an action that is deliberate and one that simply involves ordinary human error. This distinction, however, seems to be over the heads of bureaucrats even at the local level of school administration. Here, briefly, is a story which I think is a perfect illustration of a good policy badly applied, showing an amazing lack of common sense on the part of local school officials. While hurrying to get her children off to school, Judy Densmore-Mallette of Federal Way, Washington, was trying to pack three lunch boxes for the children. At the same time she was trying to quiet the family dog who was barking at the cockatiel. Reaching into the refrigerator, she grabbed what she thought was a can of pop and stuffed it into her daughter Pam's lunch box. Instead of being a can of pop, however, it was actually a can of beer. The cans apparently look similar. Pam and a school friend, both attending Sherwood Forest Elementary, volunteered to help serve lunch in the cafeteria. Afterward, they sat inside the kitchen area and began to eat their own lunches. Pam pulled the can out of her lunch box and her friend, who didn't have anything to drink, asked for a sip. Her friend took a sip and quickly spat it out, telling Pam it was beer. The children then went to the principal's office and talked to the principal, Sharon Stenersen. Ms. Stenersen called the district office which informed her she had to suspend the children. It seems that the district has a no-tolerance policy regarding drugs. Pam's mother has admitted to the oversight and no one, including school officials, is claiming that anything intentional was done. When the children discovered the mistake, they did what any honest child would do. And for being honest, they are suffering suspension. Judy Densmore-Mallette is not happy about the punishment meted our to the children over what everyone seems to consider a simple mistake. But the school district is sticking to its guns. According to Valerie Phimister, the district's drug-alcohol coordinator, "If you equivocate with policy, you may as well throw the policy away." Well, I cannot argue against the drug and alcohol policy of the school district since I support such policies. But I can argue with the particular application of the policy in this situation. It seems to me that the school officials exhibited a profound lack of common sense. There is nothing wrong with no-tolerance drug policies in schools. I applaud them. If the beer had been intentionally brought to school, I would support the school district in its decision to suspend the students. This situation, however, involves a simple human mistake with no intention to violate any school policy. It certainly didn't warrant suspension. The above incident made the Associated Press wire and was headlined in many newspapers. However, had good old common sense prevailed, no one outside the elementary school would have heard the story. The beer would simply have been poured out, the children congratulated for their honesty and the mother's attention called to her mistake. Done, over with and forgotten, period. It does seem today that every little human mistake has to be magnified into a major affair. Gone are the days when little incidents can quickly and quietly be resolved. Judy Densmore-Mallette is not happy with the school district's action in this situation and I don't blame her. It must also be confusing to the children who simply did the right thing. A tip of the hat to them. As for the school officials in Federal Way, I think they need to attend a seminar on the application of common sense. What they did, is nonsense. Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Book... Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Magazine...
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