Teen girl expelled, charged with felony for science experiment

[NUance]

Earlier this year, a five-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 had made a terrorist threat. (from the OP article)

An aspiring terrorist nipped in the bud. Somewhere Barney Fife is smiling.

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

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?

My high school has had the option to take 7am classes for as long as I can remember.

[strigori]

If what way is what was described there an 'explosion'? The top of a pop bottle came off. And 'smoke' is hardly an indicator of anything. Better keep the mentos and diet Coke away from kids too.

[zoogs]

I think she probably should have gotten in trouble for that, just like how any number of lab safety violations can land anyone in trouble. Sounds like she should have gotten I dunno, detention or something.

 

But expel her from school? Derail her HS career? Come on now. That's outrageous.

[tschu]

God forbid a student show a little curiosity and will to learn

 

Perhaps racism? This is in the south after all

[strigori]

God forbid a student show a little curiosity and will to learn

 

Perhaps racism? This is in the south after all

Well learning science is some parts of the south might get mistaken for witchcraft...

[Count 'Bility]

I think she probably should have gotten in trouble for that, just like how any number of lab safety violations can land anyone in trouble. Sounds like she should have gotten I dunno, detention or something.

 

But expel her from school? Derail her HS career? Come on now. That's outrageous.

HS career?

 

How's about life. Her LIFE will never be the same. She was charged with crimes. The sh#t is gonna ride on her record. And it's bogus bullcrap.

[zoogs]

Yeah, I was going to say her entire career but it didn't sound right since it hasn't really started. Her life is a better way of putting it.

[QMany]

The state attorney for Polk County, Florida announced on Wednesday that both felony charges had been dismissed against Wilmot, but that the teenager must undergo a “diversion program.”

http://gawker.com/high-school-student-wont-face-charges-for-exploding-sc-507073908

[StPaulHusker]

Divert her from Science? That's a good step to get women back in the kitchen where they belong!!

[scarletNcream]

I don't know why Dr. Nolan needed to use the race card in this article but I can tell you from experience that more Autistic kids are expelled in OPS by zero tolerance than any other group of kids. White, Black, Hispanic it doesn't matter. No, I do not have an autistic child, my wife works as a Speech Language Pathologist and I get the pleasure of hearing about the injustices when she gets home. Young people today are being taught to lock everyone up so you don't have to waste your time finding out what caused the behavior. A child mixes chemicals at school, right or wrong and gets expelled. A principle doesn't report to a family that their daughter was assaulted by 3 boys at school until 5 hours later AND then calls the police, not to report the incident, but to file assault charges against the father for pushing papers off her desk and she still has her job. Where is zero tolerance from the public on this. Now lets readdress Dr. Nolan's statements.

[carlfense]

Good news!

http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=19236561

[Junior]

Good news!

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=19236561

 

Funny, I immediately thought about Dr. Hickam and his book "Rocket Boys" when I read that this girl was being expelled. Kudos to him for doing a great thing.

[Junior]

http://www.aclu.org/...ake-me-criminal

 

My science teacher said we could each pick a science project that has to do with biology, chemistry or physics. He said we couldn't do a baking soda and vinegar volcano because that was at the fifth grade level. I especially like chemistry, and the reacting. I like seeing two or more different things become something else. So I was asking friends around for project ideas. Someone suggested to me to combine aluminum foil and toilet bowl cleaner in a water bottle to make a volcano.

 

That morning I was taking the experiment to be approved by my teacher. My friends and I were outside, and they wanted to see how it worked. Eventually they convinced me to try it. It did not react the way I expected it to. The lid popped off and smoke came out. If I could go back in time, I definitely wouldn't have done it.

 

---

 

Right now I'm at Bill Duncan Opportunity Center, which is for students who were kicked out of school. People are teasing me and calling me a terrorist. And the school is actually quite easy. I'm not getting the challenge that I used to have. I don't have homework. There is no German class, and there is no orchestra. I probably couldn't even bring my cello because I was told the students would steal it.

 

[TGHusker]

This is small potatoes - When I had chemistry class in high school - so long ago - if there wasn't something quirky happening each day - either the class was asleep or the class wasn't meeting. We were lucky we didn't burn down the school or start some chain reaction of some thermal kind.

 

zero tolerance = zero thinking required of adults in authority