13-year-old suspended from school for candy??

Question

My friend's 13-yr-old and her friend were in the school bathroom with Pixie Stix candy pretending to snort it like cocaine. It was stupid and childish, but....well, she's a child! Two other girls went in the bathroom and saw them and went to the office and told on them. The school suspended her for 3 days. I can see a detention or something, but I think that is ridiculous. It was candy! What do you think?

You'll love this! They called it "counterfeit drugs".

When I was 13 (I'm 39 now) my friend and I pretended we were taking drugs with M&M's. I've NEVER done drugs.

Answer 1

That is outrageous! They were just playing around. What were the exact grounds for suspension?

Answer 2

Yes it does sound extreme, but on the other hand she should learn from this lesson. It is more the action that I think the school does not feel is appropriate. Snorting candy like cocaine is not something I'm sure the school condones and the fact that there are kids taking drugs to school, yes including elementary school (sometimes not even knowing what it is) is not okay. Better to learn now, than later. I know kids who were doing drugs when I was in middle school (including knowing several girls who were pregnant in the 8th grade when I lived in NY). Maybe you should face reality that you really do need to have a good talk about drugs, sex and everything else with your child, because your child at the age of 13 should know better.

Answer 3

Interesting question. I agree that suspension in this case is rather severe, but I don't know the school's side of it, if these girls had been in trouble before, etc. No doubt the school is trying to send a message that it is very serious about consequences for drugs. I suspect they are also trying to point out that what the girls were doing was not funny. I think the more serious aspect of this question is "Where did the girls learn how people snort cocaine?" If I was the principal in this situation I probably would not have suspended them, but there would have been consequences, such as standing in front of the whole school at an assembly and apologizing and explaining why what they did was foolish and childish and how it was showing a bad example to others and how they plan to make up for what they did to the whole student body. Even though it was silly and childish, they need to get the message about the seriousness of playing with drugs.

Answer 4

I think the lesson was about the drug culture not the candy. If she's at an age when she finds it amusing to fake snorting drugs..then it's time for some lessons in consequences.
In her mind the lesson needs to be harsh to remind her that the harsher realities of real drugs will lead to more than suspensions.
I'm hoping you and your friend didn't undermine the lessons being learned here. Think of the scene...two girls snorting powder in bathroom, oh, it's probably just candy...those pixie sticks again....we walk away...You have to look at the big message here. Good luck. Have a great holiday season.

Answer 5

You may look at this a unfair punishment, but with all things going on today, school has turned completely around from being a place to learn to more of a social meeting place. I think that the school is trying to make an example out of the teens showing that even though it was "just candy" making those type of gestures with it, is unacceptable. Show your teen and her friends the effects of drugs on the body and brain. It's not a joke or even anything to play with, it can and has ruined lives ; young and old.

Answer 6

Is there a rule at the school that bars having candy? if not, then, after a drug-test to prove that NO drugs were taken, I'd take the school administration on. I'd also strongly reprimand (Let's see, grounding until hell froze over, loss of all computer, TV, MP3, and any electronic amusement privileges, and phone) the children for such stupidity, including having the doctor explain the dangers of snorting ANYTHING up their juvenile snot-lockers. They were abysmally stupid, so some consequences are in order, but suspension doesn't seem to fit the bill in this case.

Answer 7

Obviously the school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to all things related to drugs. I can the school wanting to nip this type of "humor" in the bud and set an example by suspending the children involved. However, then parents should call the principal and see if there is a way to lessen the suspension by doing community outreach work. Perhaps if these kids met some children who came from homes of drug users, then they would better understand the horrific things that it can lead to and not be so quick to joke about it again.

Answer 8

Well school's now a days will suspend kids for anything. For example if one kid was punched by another kid even though he fights back as self defense they are both suspended.

In your case your friend's child being suspended was because of giving other children a vulgar image even though it wasn't real. Other kids might get ideas to want to learn more about the real thing. I find it concerning that a child would want to fake snort cocaine, that might alarm a parent that she has interest. For example if you fake smoke a cigarette you might actually have interest to start smoking.

Its just a suspension anyway doesn't really make a difference, most cases schools just do it to make an example but its not like it harms their criminal record or anything.

Answer 9

The 13 year old girls were acting stupidly. They probably should not even been in the bathroom at that time.

I don't feel that the school was wrong. Hopefully they learned a valuable lesson.

The drug scene is not the same today as it was when you were a child.

Answer 10

Schools have taken the ZERO Tolerance policy to drugs.
Yes it was candy they had but they were pretending it to be a drug. Which is serious..... Nothing to play around about.
So I imagine that's why the school made the punishment to enforce that drugs are bad,not aloud and nothing to play around about. Kids that play take drugs are curious about them and possibly if offered would try them. I think this was the correct step to take to discourage them about drugs.

Answer 11

I think that we're taking away everything that was "childhood" slowly but surely. I don't know a kid alive who didn't sniff pixie sticks are some point. Maybe we weren't pretending that it was anything other than candy but we did it. Detention would have been enough. Kids are kids and they have to be able to act like children. Children do stupid things that have no rhyme or reason to them. When my parents asked me why I did something and I said "I don't know," I really didn't know. This is ridiculous. You ban hugging, tag and dodgeball; you make bullying a federal crime; you drag first graders into court for $exual harrassment and you wonder why kids grow up so fast these days. It's a really sorry state of affairs.