Fun_People Archive
3 Oct
Tweety Bird Zero Tolerance

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Tue,  3 Oct 100 12:52:20 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Tweety Bird Zero Tolerance

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Forwarded-by: Jack Doyle <doylej@peak.org>
Excerpted-from: bonehead@oddballs.com
October 3, 2000

	********************************************
	*** TWEETY BIRD ZERO TOLERANCE FOLLOW-UP ***
	********************************************
What's the latest in the fight between Tweety Bird and that mean old Putty
Tat, the Cobb County, Georgia school system?

As you recall, an 11-year-old girl was given a two-week suspension for
having a Tweety Bird wallet because the 10 inch novelty chain violated the
school's zero tolerance against weapons in school.  Her punishment was the
maximum for a dangerous weapons violation.  The same punishment that would
be given for ice picks, swords and BB guns.

On Friday, after four days of the suspension had been served, it was lifted
owing to the tremendous negative press response.  Her record was cleared.
The administration will not admit any wrongdoing.  They just say that the
policy failed to define the size of chain that would be considered
dangerous.

But the young girl, Ashley Smith, is not likely to be returning to school.
"We don't trust the school system now," her father says.  The laid-off
computer technician and his wife are looking into private schools.  If they
cannot afford it, they say Ashley will be home schooled.

"Why something this trivial?" he asks.  "Why kick the kid out for two weeks?
Why let it go on for three to four days?  If she goes back, I can't really
guarantee that she is going to get fair treatment.  They didn't reverse
the decision because they thought it was wrong.  They made their decision
because you guys [the media] were going to crank up the heat."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2-Oct-00
http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/newsatlanta/zero_tolerance1002.html

© 2000 Peter Langston