March 19, 2008
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Schools
Honor student suspended for buying candy
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (UPI) — A New Haven, Conn., eighth-grader was suspended from school and stripped of his class vice president title for buying a bag of Skittles at school.
Sheridan Communications and Technology Middle School handed down the punishment in accordance with a 2003 New Haven school system policy banning all candy sales in schools as part of the district wellness policy, the New Haven Register reported Wednesday.
Michael Sheridan ‘s suspension was reduced from three days to one, but his mother said she still believes the punishment is too severe for the crime of purchasing candy from another student in the hallway.
“It’s too much. It’s too unfair,” Shelli Sheridan said. “He’s never even had a detention.”
However, the district said it has been very clear about its policy toward candy sales on school grounds.
“There are no candy sales allowed in schools, period,” said school spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo.
I’ve heard other school incidents where it seemed the school’s weren’t using common sense. Is the schools going too far in some cases?Oh! Look what I found he was cleared thanks beadbrat
Comments (29)
whoa…yup,it is unfair to treat some kids like that…he’s not killing or rape someone..my god,he’s just buying candy…
@farahamizah - That’s what I thought. & if he’s a nice kid that has a hard time of saying no…….?
Hmm… that is 20 minutes from me, and I didn’t hear about it! That is nuts… and if you can’t buy it at school, why was it being sold? and what was the punishment to the seller? Crazy crazy crazy!
Oh! Look what I found he was cleared
That is outrageous. I understand that schools are trying to get kids to be healthier, but there’s only so much you can do before you begin to throw things way out of line. And to me, that is out of line.
woah, that’s seriously ridiculous! I feel sorry for the kid.
That makes no sense at all! It makes me wonder what a punishment is for a really serious offense!
That is just the stupidest thing I have ever heard
I read about this and I think it is ridiculous! It amazes me that common sense seems to have no place in education anymore, and it is such a needed life skill. Whether they “reduced” the punishment or not, it is insane that anything happened in the first place.
Kathi
@Still_groovy - I agree. I picture this honor student as a nice kid that likes to help people – punishment for that?
@dingdongdingbat - I have to wonder if that is the same thought that is going throughout the school.
RYC: It is way out of line – borders on arrogancy.
what? i don’t understand why it’s a crime to buy CANDY at school. it’s not like he was smoking a cigarette or doing/buying drugs at school. that’s ridiculous! i often sold/bought candy on school grounds to fund raise for my band trips. it helped a lot with the cost!
@beadbrat - Thanks – I posted it on my site. I’m glad they cleared him.
@babydot74 - I have a lot of kids coming up to me to sell me things. We’ve asked the kids not to do it at church because of the overwhelming candy/cookie sales. So I can understand the ban at the school. But to punish like that – I don’t agree. When a child asks me to buy something at church I tell them I will – but please come to my house.
I like skittles.
Seems like the school realized they were wrong and I am with beadbrat. What happened to the seller.
oh my that is silly! they should give him atleast a warning.
The school? Completely ridiculous.
@FreeeVerse - Rules without sense.
Precisely.
well, the parents need to support the school even if it doesn’t seem right. That is the rule -then teach the kid to follow it or change it. If it’s zero sweets or zero guns or zero drugs -that is what the school says. How did someone even find out? who was the rat?
I am so tired of the parents not supporting the rules of the school and I would think by the time we got in our 40′s where we have children in school that we would work our rebelliousness out of our system and act like adults.
If my child was sick I would give them a free sample of Tylenol to take at the water fountain and say,”if you get caught;you know that it’s illegal and I know it is but I don’t want to go through the nurse and do all that bull.” I’m a retired nurse. I said,”don’t show anyone but around lunch time swallow it.”
So many ridiculous rules have been instituted since I was a kid that you have to wonder what has happened with society that has brought us to this state. I remember my junior high principal walking the halls with a big paddle and there was not a discipline problem in the school! LOL
I think there are more important things schools should be worrying for sure.
<3Ashley
@ashleynmofford - Agreed
@pitluvbooboo - After the school shootings it seemed like the schools went crazy. We need some balance.
Yeah, so true! If children will not behave like children then who else!
Keep smiling….Bless You! ~Namaste~ nidhi
I think some schools have gone a bit overboard. Suspending a student over violent behavior is one thing, suspending over candy sales, well, that is ridiculous.
Granted, sale of candy may be prohibited, however, aren’t teachers and administrators there to educate the kids and not be the candy police?
There needs to be a balance put in place, I agree. Once again this story proves that common sense is a rare commodity indeed!
I remember a couple of years ago a girl was expelled for bringing an aspirin to school for a headache when the school had a zero drugs tolerance policy.
How are people to ever teach their children about the real world – moderation, toleration, looking at situations individually, justice etc if schools behave in such stupid fashions? Its really anti-education.
@SavonDuJour - So true. I agree that students should be made to follow rules, but the schools should be responsible to make common sense rules.