Teen girl expelled, charged with felony for science experiment

[Junior]

And people wonder why this country is falling behind in the sciences. A little scientific curiosity gets rewarded with an expulsion.

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Talk about an explosive outcome.

 

 

I will take a lap...

[CornHOLIO]

I totally agree with the "case by case" thing and am saddened that she might get in trouble.

 

But

 

Would any of your views change if it was your child that was next to the explosion and maybe lost their hearing? Or an arm? Or worse?

[knapplc]

Would any of your views change if it was your child that was next to the explosion and maybe lost their hearing? Or an arm? Or worse?

 

Calling it an "explosion" seems a bit much. Here's a better description:

 

Kiera Wilmot of Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida, was mixing household chemicals in a plastic bottle on school grounds when the ingredients suddenly interacted in a negative way, causing the top of the bottle to fly off and smoke to billow from the bottle.

 

No damage was caused and no injuries were sustained.

 

LINK

[ZRod]

When I was in sixth or seventh grade we had some science projects and one kid decided he was going to make a dry ice bomb to "demonstrate" pressure in a volcano. The teacher basically knew what he was going to do and let him do it. After it exploded, outside of course, she wrote him up. I think he just got detention was all.

 

In Chem 109 in college it was standard for every professor to blow up a balloon full of hydrogen. That would get you fully awake at 9 in the morning!

[Count 'Bility]

This is what I mean by no common sense. Zero-tolerance? Fine. But damn it, why cant there be a little perspective too. Common sense. There is no such thing anymore. This is really upsetting.

[sd'sker]

This is what I mean by no common sense. Zero-tolerance? Fine. But damn it, why cant there be a little perspective too. Common sense. There is no such thing anymore. This is really upsetting.

it is. it seems like there could be zero-tolerance for students with violent intentions and then common sense for honest accidents. if that was my daughter, i would be furious.

[KJ.]

I totally agree with the "case by case" thing and am saddened that she might get in trouble.

 

But

 

Would any of your views change if it was your child that was next to the explosion and maybe lost their hearing? Or an arm? Or worse?

Even if that was the case, who is really responsible for that? The kid who is still learning about chemistry, or the supervisor that should know what happens when certain chemicals are mixed?

[KJ.]

Who else liked this gem from the article?

 

Earlier this year, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl was suspended from kindergarten after she told another girl she was going to shoot her with a Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles. School officials told the girl’s parents she made a 'terrorist threat.'

[knapplc]

It's probably important to note that this girl mixed these chemicals in what appears to have been a soda bottle, outside the building, and it popped the top off the bottle in an area where no other students were. Nothing I've read says she brought this stuff from home or that she got it at school, either from the janitor or from the science classroom.

 

Also, her classes started at 7am. What high school starts that early?

[sd'sker]

Who else liked this gem from the article?

 

Earlier this year, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl was suspended from kindergarten after she told another girl she was going to shoot her with a Hello Kitty toy gun that blows soapy bubbles. School officials told the girl’s parents she made a 'terrorist threat.'

send her to gitmo! she's an enemy combatant!

[ZRod]

Also, her classes started at 7am. What high school starts that early?

Some Lincoln high schools had a 7:00 or 7:30am first period option until about 7 or 8 years ago. I think budget cuts forced them to axe it.

[Ziggy]

It's probably important to note that this girl mixed these chemicals in what appears to have been a soda bottle, outside the building, and it popped the top off the bottle in an area where no other students were. Nothing I've read says she brought this stuff from home or that she got it at school, either from the janitor or from the science classroom.

 

Also, her classes started at 7am. What high school starts that early?

 

Yea, there seems to be a lot of information we don't know yet. But the fact it was in a soda bottle outside seems a little suspicious. Sounds like common sense all around is to blame for this whole thing, but who knows.

[Someone]

Wearing this T-Shirt to school:

 

 

can get you expelled, even if you just got a full ride scholarship to to compete in this sport for one of the schools.

 

Ironic.

[JJ Husker]

There really isn't enough information in this article to hazard a guess as to her actions or motives. It is not clear if she was involved with any science classes or if the incident was conveniently portrayed as some kind of experiment. My gut tells me she knew there would be an adverse reaction and began back peddling after being caught. But, it is still disturbing that anyone would apply a zero tolerance "firearms" type policy to this situation. No one was hurt, nothing was damaged. Maybe it's time for adults to start using their brains and acting like adults instead of relying on cover-your-butt zero tolerance policies. By all indications in this story, she was a good student and not a source of repeated trouble. I think a stern admonition about the dangers of doing such a thing and possibly a detention period would have covered it. There are just way too many stories like this anymore. Where in the hell are we headed as a country? It can't be a good place.