[–] [deleted] 1 point -1 points (+0|-1) ago 

[Deleted]

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[–] dabork 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

They are being held accountable because they grossly overstepped their authority by detaining, interrogating, and harassing students without their parents present and even forbidding them from contacting their parents. You can't do that, period. Whether or not you agree with them being partially liable for the child's death isn't really the issue. The school getting too fucking big for its britches is the issue.

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[–] BitchBeCool 1 point 1 point (+2|-1) ago 

Man, I really don't know how I feel on this... While not conclusive, I think it's reasonable to assume that if this student had not been confronted and received disciplinary action for "smelling like marijuana", he probably wouldn't have taken his life. But it's also reasonable to assume that if he and his friends had not smelled like weed, they wouldn't have been approached by administrators and the officer.

It's the job of administrators to enforce school policy, and it's the job of the police to enforce the law; it sounds like they had probable cause to believe policy/law was being violated, and thus a response of some kind was justified. So the question is then whether their specific response was reasonable and appropriate for these students.

The letter claims the students were "verbally attacked" by the admins and officer, alleging that this kid was told that he "had ruined his life" and that they "would fail their classes, had ruined their academic careers, and had made the biggest mistake of their life". The letter also states the students were questioned without their parents, suspended for two weeks from school, suspended from sports, driver's license revocation, and under threat of criminal charges.

The suspension from school and sports is reasonable, as that's pretty standard for violating a school drug policy (though I will admit that when I was in high school, there were many instances where such policies were bent for certain students for various reasons). Potential criminal charges are also reasonable, since they had probable cause to believe the students broke the law.

So the only thing left to be more scrutinized, in my opinion, is how the students were addressed verbally and questioned, and whether their licenses should have been pulled. But even if these things could have been done differently, I'm still not sure that means they should be held responsible for what this kid chose to do. It was his decision to either toke it up or associate with kids that were, and it was ultimately his decision to kill himself.

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[–] Dont-Tread-On-Me 1 point 2 points (+3|-1) ago 

While the behavior of the school administrators and police, if true, is reprehensible and disgusting, you still cant hold them responsible for this because the kid committed suicide. The only person responsible for the suicide is the kid who chose to take his own life. Him and him alone. If what the school administrators and police did was so damaging and powerful, why didn't the other two kids also commit suicide??? Zero tolerance policies are one of the most absolutely vile things ever created and they destroy lives, not save them. But while Im sure the zero tolerance policy treatment contributed to this kids fragile state of mind, regardless, people still need to own the choices they make. What an absolute tragedy.

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[–] greycloud 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

the system is abusive, the teachers are responsible for the death, the child was a child, we don't respect their decisions to choose to have sex, than we can't respect their decisions over suicide. the child had no ability to consent to suicide, it was the teacher's fault.

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[–] acheron2012 0 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago  (edited ago)

In one respect if that is all it took to cause him to commit suicide he is clearly not of "normal" mental stability. Observationally he suffered some serious psychological problem. Also observationally one could not blame home schooling. Plenty of kids indoctrinated by the zero tolerance fascists have embraced zero tolerance and killed dozens of students and teachers. So home schooling cannot be considered causation -- said fascists are certain to try to claim this link.

On the other hand it is decades past time to apply the laws and rights of every other citizen of the land to school grounds and their occupants. That the Supreme Court allowed the government to ignore the laws and trample the rights of students is a moral outrage.

But this is how freedom dies. You have to start with the children. Every successful dictator knows this. Anthropologists have even proposed that the complete helplessness caused by school is a prime factor in the emergence of the mental disease known generally as Social Justice Warrior". Psychologists are too politicized to be trusted in such matters. But Anthropologists are much more creditable.

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[–] squidicuz 0 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago 

Zero tolerance is a totally dishonest policy, where is the due process?! It seems anymore that the schools are just a pipeline to the new slavery, and if you step out of the mold you are a threat to be berated. They are completely ineffective at preparing the populace for anything other than a life of serfdom and obedience. The young are easily abused and fail to find other means out of the ever enclosing grip of the system. I would expect more stories like this in the future; or maybe not as we begin to memory hole social medias..

This is how freedom died and there isn't much dying left to do other than by those that oppose the new order. Who would fight a losing battle against the super ego, when giving in is so damn comforting?