Dad arrested, stripped searched for daughter's drawing

From the article > "From a public safety point of view, any child drawing a picture of guns and saying there’s guns in a home would warrant some further conversation with the parents and child,”

This reaction was far beyond a conversation.

I am so sick and tired of schools and teachers beleiving they are the keepers of your child's safety (beyond the time at school). I think children are more likly to get shot at school then at home.

You're right about that Kris. Even in Canada, we have school shootings. Look up Taber, AB.

Somehow I doubt they would have gotten away with treating a mother as despicably as they treated Jesse. Poor guy. If I was him, I'd feel so violated and I'd consider suing the city.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

"I doubt they would have gotten away with treating a mother as despicably as they treated Jesse. "

I don't know about that. The schools are suspicious of all parents and treat them all like idiots, no matter what the gender. And some people (especially female teachers) probably associate guns with evil intent. The article mentions that a child drawing a picture of a gun and mentioning a gun in the home warrants further conversation with a parent. I don't like the tone of that statement. Owning a gun is not against the law and it should not be implied that there is anything wrong with it. I also I don't think a teacher is the best qualified to investigate situations that might truly warrant further conversation about safety in the home.

I am on my local school's email list even though my kids don't attend, and I recently received an email about the kids no longer being able to choose juice as their drink at lunchtime because of the school's dietary recommendations. It went on to say that juice was still available for those children that need or want the juice for medical reasons or for personal preference but even if juice is for personal preference it requires a NOTE FROM A DOCTOR. (remember this is the same group that just categorized cheese pizza as a vegetable in order to satisfy the school's dietary goals). The form to take to your doctor regarding juice at lunchtime was available to download.

Again, the parents are treated like idiots and must need a note from a doctor because they allow their child to have juice at lunchtime. I am sure this is all about the extreme concern (/s) they have for your child and the need for safety (Wouldn't want children to get too much juice /s)

Thank God I am not part of the ridiculousness.

PS - sorry Evan, just as I post this I remember that you are going into the teaching field. Please don't take my rants against the public school system personally. I wish you well in your career and I am sure the students will be lucky to have you for a teacher.

I suspect that this sort of thing is going to become more common. In the wake of the Penn State scandal, many states are considering legislation that would require more people, such as coaches, administrative staff members, and others to report suspected abuse. I don't know of any legislation that would require the bus driver and lunch lady to make similar reports, but nothing would surprise me.

In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) provides for annual domestic violence screening. As we know, most health-care workers are already required to report suspected cases of abuse to authorities.

While all of these rules are well-intentioned, not all of the folks asked to take on the role of abuse detectives are qualified to do so. Even if they are, in all instances the abuse is only suspected, and the evidence for it may be marginal, at best. However, these people are likley to err on the side of caution, since their failure to report their suspicions could result in the loss of their jobs, professional sanction, and even criminal prosecution.

This is all worrisome enough, but becomes much more so if police departments and social service agencies do not show restraint in how they investigate such cases. With the volume of these reports increasing significantly, the probability of similar over-reactions increases, as well.

Thanks for your kind words, Kris. I will do what I can to make a difference.

I agree that things have gotten quite ridiculous in the public school systems, especially in the United States. My girlfriend told me about cheese pizza being classified as a vegetable. We both had a good laugh about it.

She also told me that a child who had a lunch consisting of a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, a banana, potato chips, and a juice box had her lunch confiscated by the school because it did not meet the USDA requirements. They gave her chicken nuggets to eat instead, something which is clearly way unhealthier than the lunch they confiscated.

It's quite strange what things have come to.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!