Monday, November 7, 2016

What is it with our public information officers?

Parents outraged after 9 students suspended for drinking at HS football game

The superintendent and school board directors refused to speak to the reporter about this. What about Cissy Bowman? Isn't she supposed to speak to the media? That's her job. What is it with our public information officers?

The policy on alcohol is here. Policy JICH Student Drug and Alcohol Offenses Evidently, parents are outraged because Mt. Lebanon is enforcing their policy. Entitlement at its finest.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wonder how the newspaper found out about it... I heard it was 30 kids but maybe 21 got off scot(ch) free.

The school has to protect identities of the students but a general statement would be appropriate as it is concerning to parents in the community that high school football games have become out of hand due to substances. The kids rented a bus? How can kids rent a bus? Thought you needed to be 25 for something like that... there's more to this story than meets the eye. Hope police find out who furnished the alcohol and rented the bus.

Anonymous said...

Too many parents not knowing who their kids socialize with, what they are doing and, and when. This has always been a problem in ML. Parents think when their kids hit Middle School, they don't have to supervise that much. It is, what it is.

Anonymous said...

My three children went to Mt. Lebanon High School over a period spanning 16 years. All of them reported the same things...drugs and alcohol could be purchased and consumed in the building. The administration did nothing. The children of the elite residents got special treatment. I was told other stories that at the time sounded outrageous and like typical teenage exaggerations, but now I believe they were probably worse than what my kids told me. Why didn't residents hear about this stuff? Because lebo always suppresses bad news and gets a pass from the local gutless press. That's probably because lebo and the local press sleep together.

Lebo Citizens said...

I was reminded of this post from 2012. Full count. Pass the bottle.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

One of the teachers at Mellon Middle School told his classes that the high school has a HUGE problem with its students doing drugs and drinking. He went on to say that Sisly (?) Bowman, the district's PIO, keeps all the bad stuff hush.

Kudos to that teacher.

Anonymous said...

Elaine--

Every year in Mt. Lebanon, I see many parents with open alcohol containers in hand, escorting their very young children on Halloween.

Buddy

Anonymous said...

Cis and Suz hang out on Friday afternoons and discuss the alcohol problem in ML over drinks.

Unknown said...

... one entitled dad was overheard admonishing his entitled child, "Dammit, kid, do as I say - not as I do whenever and wherever I please."

Anonymous said...

listen up fellas, anonymous high schooler comin at ya. First off, there were more than 9 kids cited. some were even german exchange students. second off, of the kids cited, some of them are actually really responsible, some are wicked smart, some are sick athletes, and a good chunk do not drink excessively or often. we all know eradicating drinking from high school is a lost cause. who's to blame then??? parents? teachers? maybe. kids? not a chance. people drink. almost every upperclassman drinks. very FEW upperclassman jeopardize their safety or the safety of others when they drink. instead of treating this problem as some sinful insidious thing and avoid talking about it passed like 5th grade, why not maybe address it. and educate kids. cuz we aren't gonna avoid substances that everyone will use eventually, regardless of how much of that D.A.R.E bs is shoved in our faces. im responsible. my friends are responsible. do we like to have fun? sure do. why haven't we gotten caught? we are
1. smart
2. a gang of savages
3. prioritize our well being (most of the time) and future (all of the time) over drinking the devils beverages.
are we gonna deny the fact the alcohol in moderation is a good release from the overwhelming workload of taking 2,3,4,5 ap classes at one of the most challenging schools in the state? nope.
i cant speak for everyone though.
there are some STUPID kids at this school whos life is surrounded by seeing how much they can ruin their livers on weekends. at that point its there parents fault. and im sorry that a couple of them tainted the future of many smart kids and the MTLSD.
p.s.
(don't ruin lebo)

Anonymous said...

Drugs and Alcohol aren't a new thing in high school by any means. Mt. Lebanon's only problem are that kids are going to be kids. Trust me, as someone who has been a part of several school districts, it's no different anywhere else. A drug problem would be a heroin epidemic breaking out in the halls. More than 9 kids were cited, and a lot more. But that's beside the point. The point is that many of these kids rarely drink alcohol, many are insanely responsible, intelligent, athletic, or musically talented. These kids, who just wanted to have fun and relax on a friday after a tough week of school at one of the most rigorous schools in PA, are not the problem. The problem is the one girl who drank so much, that she threw up and couldn't walk in front of police officers. That lack of responsibility is the problem. One persons carelessness greatly affected the lives of many great kids. Also, it's not difficult to rent a bus, and it's not difficult to acquire alcohol. All a kid had to do was convince their parents to put the bus money on their credit card, collect money from each kid riding the bus, and give the money to their parents. It was not the parents who rented the bus that did anything wrong, they were simply lending the credit card to rent the bus. There is no need to "find" the person who rented the bus. In addition, a parent is not the likely supplier of alcohol. Fake IDs and underage drinking are just as prevelant today as when you all were kids. There is no need for a massive witch hunt here, kids were being kids. We're supposed to make dumb mistakes like this while we're young, that's the point. A blog full of people with the median age of 50+ whining about entitled kids is pointless. This story is not unique to Mt. Lebanon. Kids are being cited everywhere. It's time to look out of the bubble and realize Mtl is no different from anywhere else. School is stressful. Looking for a fun escape from that stress on the weekends is certainly not a new, radical concept in high schools. The middle school health teachers and other teachers used to tell us there were horrible heroin problems in the high school, and made it seem as if everyone were drunk and high zombies walking through the halls. I assure you, that is not the case. We are some of the most intelligent kids in the state, but after class, we're just like every other kid. I'm sure the first sip of alcohol for every blog reader here was after they turned 21.....
There is no problem, all is normal.
- An Mtl Student

Anonymous said...

I don't believe that 8:43pm or 9:05pm are Lebo students.

Anonymous said...

9:41- believe what you'd like, but i promise you you're wrong
-9:05

Anonymous said...

is it absurd to you that two high schoolers presented a coherent argument regarding alcohol in the district? but ur age superiority complex aside and listen to what we are saying lol. just tryna show u guys that we arent maniacs running around licking liquor of the floor every weekend

Lebo Citizens said...

OK, 9:05 PM, here is where I'm at, for what it's worth. Mt. Lebanon School District has a public information officer. The municipality is now covering the District's news. The school board directors and the superintendent would not speak with the reporter. So where was Cissy Bowman? Why do we need her? With the team playing to an empty stadium, that's newsworthy. The district can't hide. Parents deserve an explanation. Not names. Timmy needs to man up.

I linked the school policy on alcohol above. What should the district do? Eliminate it? Pull a municipality move and look the other way and not enforce it? Either enforce it or get rid of it.

From the news footage, it looked like the students boycotted the game. Why? What were their expectations? In your opinion, how should it have been handled?

The docket showed that one of the girls was eighteen. Should she be treated as an adult?
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine,
Personally, I find the constant references to Dr. Steinhauer as "Timmy" in this blog childish and disrespectful. As a student at the high school, I would never dream of referring to an adult in such a disrespectful way. Although many of your points made on this blog are valid, they seem more childish and whiny when you refer to him as such. The arguments you make in blog posts, I feel, could be much more well received and understood if they were a bit more respectful and objective- and not like you are carrying out a personal vendetta against all you post about. Just a thought.
I don't not believe it is the districts responsibility to make a statement about private student matters. Whoever leaked this story to the press, simply made things worse for the kids who are trying to move passed their mistakes. I assure you, they are trying to move forward, and all the attention a month later does not help.
In no way do I believe the policy should be taken away. Underaged Drinking is illegal, and there should be a punishment. However, the punishment is much too hard. 10 days of out of school suspension only hurts the kids more- putting them far behind in the classroom. Many of these kids are in high level classes, and it is very difficult to catch up. Perhaps an in school suspension, keeping them out of the social aspect of class, but making sure they continue school work, could work. Also, the handbook states a 10 day out of school suspension and 30 day activities suspension. No where does it say that these are not served simultaneously. The school administration has turned a 30 day activities suspension into a 40 day, by forcing kids to serve them one after the other. This should be examined, as keeping kids from having school spirit for 40 days is almost 25% of the entire school year. This punishment, especially for seniors, is much too harsh. Of course there should be punishments, but ruining a school year for seniors is much too harsh for a stupid mistake at a football game. There was not a boycott of the game, i assure you of that. Many kids, those cited, were simply not allowed to go! In addition, it was freezing cold! I myself was there. Finally, the 18 year old should not be treated as an adult. No high schooler is an "adult" I assure you of that. We all understand the consequences of our actions, but kids will still always make mistakes. Holding them accountable as adults, and putting an arrest on their permanent record, will hurt their college chances and their future job applications. This punishment is also too harsh. The school district punishments are much too authoritarian, and should be carefully looked over to ensure that the academics of kids making stupid mistakes are not hurt, and that an entire school year is not ruined for seniors. Again, we're just kids.
-9:05, or whatever i was.

Lebo Citizens said...

First of all, I'm not a student. Yes, you're right, you would be disrespectful. I am a taxpayer. When you buy a house and get hit with increasing taxes, you will be paying their salaries too.

I do agree that the suspensions should be congruent. Go to a school board meeting and challenge the school board directors. You have a valid point.

You say that the eighteen year old should not be treated as an adult. Should an eighteen year old high school student be allowed to vote on Tuesday? No high schooler is an adult? That's a scary statement.

Timmy needs to man up. I assure you of that.
Elaine or Ms. Gillen

Unknown said...

The kids, if they are kids, make some good points... they also say some things of deep concern:

"are we gonna deny the fact the alcohol in moderation is a good release from the overwhelming workload of taking 2,3,4,5 ap classes at one of the most challenging schools in the state? nope."

"Also, it's not difficult to rent a bus, and it's not difficult to acquire alcohol. All a kid had to do was convince their parents to put the bus money on their credit card, collect money from each kid riding the bus, and give the money to their parents."

"I assure you, that is not the case. We are some of the most intelligent kids in the state..."

Follow the undercurrents of this logic and you get to the main problem with MTL: destructive entitlement. And, of course, it is generational.

Here is it:

1) We are at one of the most challenging schools in the state;
2) We take a lot of AP classes;
3) Our parents agree with us, therefore they give us lots of stuff;
4) We are the smartest in the state, by the way; so therefore...
5) We are entitled -- on the weekends only, for now -- to break the alcohol laws and be generally reckless.

Where do they get this line of thinking of?

"I live in Lebo -- I am entitled to kill deer at will to protect my precious property."

"I live in Lebo -- I am entitled to play when it rains, cancer causing black specks be damned."

High schoolers, if you are high schoolers, give me a moment. I used to teach high school, and yes, I believe high schoolers can express amazing thoughts in writing. And not just those who go to "the best school in the state," but poor and working class kids, who don't have the luxury to drink on the weekends because they need to work, or help parent their younger siblings because their own parents work multiple jobs ...

... the most important lesson you will learn, if you are lucky enough to learn it, is that you are no more special than any other soul blessed to be alive on the planet. Going to MTL HS, or living in Lebo, or having awesome new turf for your field games, does not make you better or more deserving of a drinking binge than the kid in Homestead, or the Hill District, or inner city Chicago, or Mosul.

Let that false self-prophet notion go, and you can live a good life.

But if you keep believing in your own superiority -- and who can blame you, your commissioners, your MTL Magazine, and many of your parents tell you this every day -- and you will only end up chasing that false dream to dark, dark places...



Anonymous said...

Jason--

Thank you for addressing the "high school students" whining. And let's hope that the above garbage was indeed written by high school students and not their parents.

B.

Anonymous said...

According to "B," all differing opinions are now garbage... Perhaps this is why we find ourselves in this mess of an equation. Sheesh..
Jason- Although you make some good points, I'm afraid to may have missed the point of my own argument, and your argument contains a few flaws. One one, and this may come as a shock to many blog readers here, every trouble in Lebo can not be traced back to the deer or turf. As someone who has only lived in Lebo for a few years, I pay little attention to the trivial arguments in the local government. That being said, I assure you that neither I nor my parents have ever even discussed these matters, and they certainly do not cloud my judgment on these. Stress from high school is not limited to Mt Lebo High, and our high test scores aren't the reasons kids drink on the weekend... I assure you that from the #1 district to the worst district in PA, drugs and alcohol are just as prevalent... Also, the idea that Mt. Lebanon parents, as a majority, allow drinking to take place is preposterous. Although i'm sure that there are a few parents who allow these things to happen, as a student, i assure you that kids in the high school often get grounded by parents and face harsh punishments for drinking. Parents, however, can't do anything if the kids get away with it. That's not allowing it to happen, that's just not knowing. Finally, I assure you that drugs and alcohol are common among poor teenagers. The fact that we're more well off has nothing to do with this, and i'm sure you're aware that drugs are even more prevalent in the inner cities. My argument was that lebo is not any different from other areas with teen drinking, and you failed to see that, as once again all your arguments related back to the privileged lebo kids thinking they're more entitled than everyone else.
-9:05

Anonymous said...

election* instead of equation. you'll have to excuse some other errors. Typing on an iphone isn't always easy, especially with autocorrect.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me that a several of the comments here have been posted by people who are angry that they or their children or fellow students got caught. Suck it up. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Anonymous said...

I am laughing at this "smartest students in the state" crap. As if that somehow makes it Ok to get drunk.

Further, if there is a 10 day suspension, students actually are supposed to be provided with their work during that time period. Wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't happen though!

Who finances the buses to away games? Why did the athletic director go on it to look for the alcohol if it wasn't a school sponsored bus? Does he ordinarily search vehicles at away games? How many chaperones are on the bus? I

Taxpayers have a right to know and so do parents.

Lol. This is funny in a dark way.

Lebo Citizens said...

9:05 at 10:01 and 10:43 AM,
I sure hope you are writing these comments in the hallways between classes, in the cafeteria, or Student Activity Center or else you can face expulsion according to the Student Handbook pages 45,47, and 48
Your writing style is vaguely familiar. I can assure you.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine, The district doesn't enforce it's cell phone restrictions at all. The students set up alternate networks, from what I understand, to bypass the district wifi restrictions. Apparently, this is more common than otherwise. As a result, many students are doing whatever they want on the district wifi, whenever they want. The teachers feel that the procedures required to discipline a student for disregarding the cell phone policies are too disruptive and laborious for them so they don't enforce it despite the fact that some students use their phones through class. You can remind them of the Student Handbook but remember, these are the smartest students and they work on not getting caught.

Anonymous said...

Is Dave Franklin impersonating a high-school student again? Dude, let it go already... quit trying to go back in time for a second chance at being "cool". Maybe go back and re-read Jason's closing argument- you could benefit from it.

Lebo Citizens said...

I'm not buying into the idea that I am conversing with a student. I get the feeling that others aren't either.

What I do know is that a student would not be spending 42 minutes in total within two visits to my blog. "Someone" from the Mt. Lebanon Superintendent's office spent that much time this morning reading my blog.

Like I said, "Timmy, man up."
Elaine

Lebo Citizens said...

Dave has visited Lebo Citizens four times today and has spent a total of 40 minutes and 36 seconds. How do these people get these cushy jobs? Doesn't anybody do any work at work anymore?
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Dave Franklin? Well, isn't that what he does all the time while at work--he reads your blog and makes sometimes anonymous comments.

B.

Anonymous said...

To the person who wrote about the schools inability to track what is done on the school's wifi, students aren't using complicated measures to get around wifi blocks. It is not possible for the school to monitor what is done on cellular data. Although technically a new policy exists this year limiting the use of cellular data, the spotty wifi around areas at the school makes it impossible to follow completely. Perhaps the district can find the log in their own eye, before finding the splinter in the students. That argument is ridiculous. Elaine, if you are suggesting that I, originally 9:05, are not actually a student at Mtl HS, I assure you that i am. The legitimacy of anonymous comment sections can only exist on the assumption that people are who they say they are. I hope from now on i can be trusted to be a student. Also, Ill have you know that I posted between classes, and am now posting in a free period, so your mentions of expulsion are ridiculous. I can assure you that no student will ever be expelled for practicing their first amendment rights, and following the BYOT policy. As I know you love to talk about first amendment rights on this blog with your many RTO efforts and posts about the municipality, I hope you will respect mine. I am not trying to cover for the students who got in trouble. As I mentioned earlier, they broke the law, and are well aware that they should face punishments. Also, I have said several times that our high ranking school is not what makes kids drink. I wish people would finally understand my argument, saying that anyone who argues that the kids who drank were over privileged, whiny kids is foolish. Kids at every high school, poor rich smart dumb, consume alcohol. So once again, my point was misunderstood. Finally, the idea that the "taxpayers have a right to know" is completely foolish. The bus was privately funded and the kids got in trouble in a seperate area- away from lebo. The only part of the story that concerns Mt. Lebanon is with the high school. In no way should kids name's be released publicly, so what else do the taxpayers have a right to know? Should a memo be released from Dr. Steinhauer's office every time a kid gets in trouble so all the "taxpayers" can hear about it? Funny how the only time the word "taxpayers" is used, is when someone is complaining about taxes. If you don't like the high taxes in Mt. Lebanon, please move to Peters or St. Clair or wherever. You will get a lot more house for the price, and will pay lower taxes. Unfortunately, you will have to rake your own leaves, and you may find that kids are the same there as they were here. Finally, to whoever mentioned that kids with a ten day should keep up with assignments at home, NOTHING can replace the experience of learning in the classroom, and anyone who says otherwise is foolish.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Tim did right this time. If he is the one who enforced the school policy and suspended the students, he deserves a raise. Wait, he already got the huge raise. Maybe he is trying to work for it.

B.

Anonymous said...

Some people, especially those with inferiority complexes, desperately attempt to overcompensate for their own perceived adolescent shortcomings by overcompensating for those of their children. For example, a MTLHS parent may OK the hire of a party bus and look the other way when the bottles go missing so that their kid can be part of what the parent perceives as the "in-crowd". The parent then attempts to justify the kid's subsequent reprimand by attempting to leverage his kid- through himself- as being better than others, and therefore wrongly persecuted. Sadly, the kid sees this pattern of behavior as normal and is unable to function in the real world. This very same group-think can be directly attributed to the existence of the smelly rubber field on Cedar Blvd.

Anonymous said...

Wondering why my comment was not published? Didn't personally attack anyone. I guess it didn't fit the narrative that i was "Dave Franklin." Whoever that is. This blog is a joke. My friends and I at the high school get a good laugh at all the cynical people who's biggest problems are deer and turf. Get a life and stop acting like lebo is the worst place on earth.

Anonymous said...

Oooooh the superintendent's office... so busy and important! So many papers to shuffle! P.S. Elaine, it's almost as if the "students" who previously commented had Googled teen slang to oversell their age...

"listen up fellas, anonymous high schooler comin at ya"

"some are wicked smart, some are sick athletes"

"a gang of savages"

"Typing on an iphone isn't always easy, especially with autocorrect"

Anonymous said...

How do you propose I can convince you I'm an actual student without giving away my real name? Almost impossible. If you can think of a way, I'm all ears. Until then, don't use anonymous blogs if you're going to focus on who you think is commenting, more than the comment. Trash.

Zak said...

Hilarious- anonymous "student" calling out anonymous commenter for being anonymous.

Lebo Citizens said...

I don't give a rat's behind who you are. Are you ready to answer my question about eighteen years in high school voting, since you say that no high schooler is an adult?
One name has been released. She is an 18 year old, who you think should not be treated as an adult. For those who know how to look up a docket, it is under Westmoreland County. Search by date, 10.07.16. Her trial is scheduled for 12.05.16. Perhaps you and your "friends at the high school" can try to convince the judge that she should not be treated as an adult. That will go over real well.
By the way, most of the commission meetings are about deer or turf. And instead of telling us to move to Peters where the taxes are lower, try a little humility and appreciate the fact that there are people like us who make it possible for you to attend MTL by paying those high taxes.
Now the subject at hand is about kids getting busted for underage drinking. You have managed to run the gamut to go off topic.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

You are the ignorant, stubborn issue that Mt. Lebanon students have to worry about. If you drank in high school, you would understand all of the outrage with the parents. If you didn't drink in high school, that is why you write this blog, you're upset your experience was not as enjoyable most kids have today. A majority of the kids cited were high honor roll, national honors society, future college athletes, and even members of a majority of clubs, including student council. You should not look down on the students, in fact, you should aid the process. And if you are not willing, either move to another district or top complaining. As the person you are, you have enough authority to help these above average students throughout this punishment. But instead, you do not help the cause, and talk negatively to the students standing up for their high school friend. At the end of the day, you are picking a fight with a group of students, so who really wins? At least we are attracting attention to your blog :/

Lebo Citizens said...

Yeah, you're right. I wasn't one of the drunks in high school, so that is why I write this blog. You have to be a drunk to have a good experience in high school. You got me.
Elaine

Lebo Citizens said...

It has now become all about how popular I was in high school 45 years ago. I graduated in 1972. I waited until 2010 to start blogging because I wasn't one of the drunks.

It is funny how it always comes down to how stupid this blog is, or that only idiots, the uncool, or those without substance abuse issues read this blog. Gee, maybe half of us are even deplorables!

I'm not the problem. The administration cracked down on kids who were breaking the law and you (meaning students OR adults) can't handle that.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine,
You don't give a rats behind who I am, yet you and several others spent a good while speculating that I was some dude named Dave Franklin, flattering yourselves that the superintendents office was sweating in their offices about whether or not they needed to comment on private school discipline matters to the Lebo Citizens Blog. Of course 18 year old should be able to vote, many are very enthusiastic and passionate about who they are voting for- I see it around the schools. Dumb mistakes are made by people of all ages... If we got to pick and choose who could vote, perhaps we would not have the candidates we do. Also, I'm sure the judge is not planning on treating a high school student as harshly as other adults. No one wants to ruin the life of a 18 year old, who hasn't even stepped foot in college yet. High school is a time for making mistakes. Flip back through your year book, and I'm sure you will remember the foolish things you did. Would you like to still be held accountable for them today? I assume not. I am also not the commenter who drove the conversation away from under aged drinking to deer and turf, I believe that can be attributed to Jason. From the beginning, I have said that the kids have admitted their mistakes and will accept their punishments. I spoke to one who just wishes it would all be over. I am saying that news articles and critical blog posts from older, cynical Lebo Citizens are not helpful in this process. Furthermore, you practically giving out the name of the 18 year old student without actually saying it is despicable in my mind. Are you really going to try to smear the name of a child/family in the community to please your blog readers. Really makes me sad to see such cynicism exists, and I hope to never reach that point. I understand criticism over local government is important, but perhaps trying to release the names of high school kids who made honest mistakes is a biiiiiiiiittt too far. My parent's paying taxes are the reason I can attend Mt. Lebanon High School... Perhaps, however, if you are so displease with paying "Timmys" salary as you so disrespectfully put it, you can pull one out of Thoreau's playbook and refuse to pay your taxes. I'm sure it will work out for you as well as it did for him, and you can transcend above the rest of us in the community. Also, let it be known I have no affiliation with the above commenter who suggested being cool in high school is attributed to drinking.
- 9:50.

Anonymous said...

5:15 pm. You are a little edgy. Maybe go for a job? Don't go for the booze. No one wants to know WHO the kids are -- the post was about the story of what happened and the consequences. Student disciplinary info is confidential from the school side of things. If 18 year olds are involved, however, and the police press charges, that's a different story.

If you haven't noticed 5:15 pm, the high school is all about harsh punishments. Haven't you read the emails the principal sends out whenever there is an issue? They usually involve comments like, "The school intends to prosecute the responsible party to the fullest extent possible with school consequences and criminal charges". When visitors go into the school, the bulletin board behind the front desk has a visible sign regarding the in school detention schedule. There is no "welcome visitors" sign, or a "welcome students" sign for that matter.

Have you ever seen "Kids for Cash"? It's a true story about teens receiving **severe** punishments that don't fit the crime in PA and associated issues. Kids in PA should all see that movie because it is quite obvious that there are significant problems at the local and state levels.

Zak said...

"Dave Franklin." Whoever that is."

"some dude named Dave Franklin"

Come clean Dave...

Anonymous said...

The last poster put "rat's behind" in italics successfully. It must be Susan Morgans!

Lebo Citizens said...

I doubt that. She didn't know how to change a pdf into a jpg for me.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Hmm. Not Ms. Morgans, eh? Looks like no one is familiar with the sarcasm html tag.

Anonymous said...

5:33-
Are you on my side? I never advocated that high schoolers should drink alcohol, just said it's somewhat inevitable wherever you go. Part of my original point was that there should be discussions on the punishments given out- and perhaps new punishments can be arranged that don't hurt the academics of the student so much, and don't wreck them from participating in any school events for the majority of the school year. It's not like they were taking shots during lunch. Adults are so very mature when they consume at sporting events, too. lol. I agree that punishments are much too harsh for kids. Also, I'm glad you're all so impressed that I have a basic knowledge of html tags. I'll add Susan Morgans to the list of people who I don't know (but have been accused of being.) -Right along side Dave Franklin, who Zak really seems to believe I am. Putting a first name with no profile is basically being anonymous, Zak. We're all the same in the end.
- 9:05.

Lebo Citizens said...

At 11:30 this morning, I agreed that you had a valid point, "9:05." I advised you to go to a school board meeting and see if you could get the policy changed. The next school board meeting is a week from tonight. But no, that isn't what you wanted to hear. You continued by bringing up how I address Timmy, go on and on about anonymity, and how terrible I am for a number of things. You want to be treated as an adult but remind us that you are just a kid.

You want to change things? Go to a school board meeting. That is how Mrs. Judith Kolko's position as Student Activities Director was saved. Students fought for her. You or 4:38, posing to be you, expect me to fix it because I "have enough authority to help these above average students throughout this punishment." Actually, these "above average students" should be able to figure that out on their own. Or are you saying that average or below average students aren't worthy of any help? I'm not sure what you are saying when you continually bring up their QPAs, etc.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

9:05 - I agree that punishments in this school district are way out of hand and it begins in elementary school. But then, conveniently, the district shreds all disciplinary reports -- even though on forms related to discipline that parents are required to sign -- we are told those forms will be kept in the child's records.

The police are over the top, too. Sometimes, they even cite and put kids on probation for silly behavior. That's right -- silly behavior. I suppose that's why the new juvenile detective position has been created and costs only about $168k per year. Imagine, 9:05 pm, if the municipality did something KIDS LIKED or NEEDED with that $168k? Perhaps, there were be fewer crimes to track and silly behaviors to monitor. Kids could be kids!

By the way, 9:05, don't worry about this discipline stuff going into stats released by the high school. Unlike every other high school in the nation, they don't release their disciplinary data.

-5:33

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, I celebrated 26 years of continuous sobriety. Sounds like a lot but it is only one day at a time. I was a bad, fall-down drunk. Alcohol is up there with heroin, cocaine, in terms of toxicity. That is a fact, not my opinion. One thing I have learned in the past few years of sobriety is that if someone comments to you that you have a drinking problem, you do. That person cares about you. If you get arrested on a DUI, you have a drinking problem. If you get in trouble at school or work due to your use of alcohol, you have a drinking problem.

What am I getting at? I am NOT insinuating that the nine or twelve or however many Mt. Lebanon kids who got busted at the Norwin football game will grow into a bad, fall-down drunks. But, statistically speaking, at least one will. When that one student took his or her first drink, it was like turning on a switch. That is when the alcoholism that you were born with kicks in and eventually takes you to the bottom. That is when you will feel the full impact of severe punishment. It is a living hell.

Alcoholism is a non-discriminatory disease. It doesn't care if you are rich, poor, black, white, smart or stupid. It's a disease and it's not your fault. If you have it or suspect you might or someone you love might, please go to the Alcoholics Anonymous web site. In the Pittsburgh area, there are more than 600 AA meetings per week. Many of those who voluntarily attend are teenagers.

Nothing about this post is intended to be judgmental. I wish you all the best.

Anonymous

Anonymous said...

Thank you, 9:38PM. Well said. You spoke to o the heart of the issue. God bless you!

Lebo Citizens said...

Thank you, 9:38 PM. Congratulations. That is remarkable. I hope people take it to heart.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine,
I will end by saying this. What student in their right mind would go protest the school punishments for alcohol use? Perhaps saving the job of a beloved teacher is one thing, but not only would we be laughed out of the meeting by the school board, anyone who signed any sort of petition for this cause would certainly be suspected by the administration of consuming alcohol, whether they did or not, and a call down to the office would certainly be likely. With one or two years left in the prison of a high school, where the librarian spends all of her time watching kids on cameras and making up ridiculous rules instead of reading books, it's simply not worth it. Thanks for the interesting debate this past few days.

Anonymous said...

Of course certain progressives in Lebo see imbibing by minors as nothing more than a right of passage to be overlooked.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/wsus-greek-community-banned-from-hosting-campus-events/

Sororities, frats at WSU face event ban

Anonymous said...

7:20 pm. I think imbibing by minors is a substantial issue. However, i also think there is a general trend toward harsh punishments in Mt Lebo. Remember the kid who dressed up as a homeless person and since he didn't identify himself as he was "in character" at the time he was approached by a teacher, he was suspended. so both things can be true: the kids are at risk for substance abuse AND the high school admin generally doesn't know what they are doing. the context those kids operate in is fairly punitive and authoritarian. there is no welcoming of "student voice" but there is a welcoming of "tailgates" and "fan buses".

Anonymous said...

The issue is that these kids rented a bus with the intent to drink. Even if kids got on that bus without the intent to drink, they were surrounded by kids with vodka in water bottles or other means and the peer pressure would have been horrible. Kids not intending on drinking were in a compromised situation. In my opinion, the punishment was not strict enough. With regards to the comment about the kids boycotting the home football playoff game, To clarify, the kids were not boycotting the game, they were not allowed to go to the game because they have a 30 day restriction of school activities following their 10 day suspension. These kids all knew the rules and many were athletes in the middle of their seasons who were not able to finish out their seasons, others are not able to start their seasons. It is harsh, but these students knew the policy and knew they were representing Mt. Lebanon and chose to take that chance. Enough of the parents complaining about punishment after the fact.

Anonymous said...

No kid getting on that bus didn't know that there would be drinking going on. Peer pressure is the most overblown problem in history in terms of teens. It really just doesn't exist. No one cares if kids don't want to drink. Punishment wasn't harsh enough? Ridiculous. Mt. Lebanon has one of the harshest punishments in the state for alcohol use. Give me a break. Punishing kids by taking them out of the classroom and other social experiences crucial to personality development for extreme lengths of time is ridiculous. Relax.