mooneye777
12-31-2009, 05:56 AM
This is very long, please read if you have the time, this is very true and happened to our kid. It sickens me evey time I think about it. Feel free to post this on every site you go to for the world to see.
Parents beware, your kid could be next. Did you know Constitutional rights and common laws do not apply on school property ?
We had an incodent happen on Friday Dec 4th 2009 that might make a good discussion platform. Our son was eating lunch at school, age 14, 9th grade. This is in Lafayette IN. While eating lunch a kid held out his fist and said take this, my son said , what is it, he said just take it, grabbing his hand and dropping a pill into his hand. My son told him he did not want it and tried to give it back. The kid then got up and got his lunch from the line, then returned to my sons table. That is when my son returned the pill and said I do not want it, and the kid took it back.
Afer lunch the vice principle called my son into the office, where the vice principal and a county sheriff searched my 14 year old son of his pockets and backpack. They found nothing because there was nothing to find. He was then asked if he knew why he was in the office. He answered back, its probably about the pill I was given. From there he was interogated for about 2 1/2 hours over the incodent. We were never contacted about the search, or interogation by the police or school. My wife was called around 2:30 P.M. by the school and told our son had been arrested and we need to go to the police station for a meeting in a couple hours. My son was then handcuffed and placed in the squad car in front of the whole school that was released to go home at the same time he was taken to the car, parked next to the bus loading area. It was a public humiliation hazing to take him at that time for the whole school to see.
We arrived at the station where we found our 14 year old son handcuffed and shackled sitting in a chair. We were then informed that he was under arrest for a class C felony possesion charge, and was being sent to Hamilton county jail for 5 days. Hamilton county is in Indianapolis about a 60 mile disstance from where we live. He was read his rights, We were allowed to give him a hug and then he was paddy wagoned away to jail for 5 days at age 14 for saying no to drugs. We were assured that our son would call us upon his arrival so we would know he made it. They never called, my wife called the next morning asking if he was at the facility, she was told they could not give information about minors, she said she just wanted to know if he was there, they again told her no info could be given. So now we were not even sure he was even there at all. Our son was not allowed to call for the first time until Monday night at 8:45 P.M. And of coarse it was a 30.00 charge for the call, as if the 10 grand we pay in taxes every year is not enough.
We went to court on teusday for our sons 1st hearing with our lawyer present. The judge threw the case out for lack of evidence, (thank you judge). We were handed a copy of the police report and ordered to pay 700.00 for his jail time and left with our son. We then had a meeting with the vice principal after court to discuss our sons permanent expulsion for the rest of the 9th grade year. The vice principal started off by saying how much he enjoys working with kids speach, He then explained that its not the point that he gave the pill back, but that he touched it period, and there was no way he could have been forced to take the pill. He said we had to sign our son out for the rest of the year and he could finish the year at an alternative school. And if we apealed his decission he could never return to that school again. then he started into the incodent involving the pill. He stated that our son told them he had the pill for about 3 to 5 minutes, He said our son was not honest about the time span and it was more like 15 minutes. My son said no it was only a couple minutes, the principal argued back, as if it were a proven fact that it was 15 minutes and we were not arguing any longer, it was over. We figred maybe they were right since there were wittnesses and our son just lost track of time being under the pressure of the situation he was put it.
A few hours after we got home I finally read the police report for the 1st time. This is the shocking part here. Our son was called into the office because someone stole a cell phone from the locker room, our son was spotted as one of the last ones to leave the room, so he was assumed as the theif. Thats when he was taken to the office and searched and nothing was found, because well he has his own phone anyway and he was taught lifes basic principal #4 not to steal. Thats when the question was asked if he knew why he was in there, and our son being brutally honest brought up the pill, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. What really gets me mad is that the vice principal states in the police report and to our face that our son is lying about the time frame in withch he had the pill, We know now that our son is the only true wittness to this whole fiasco, the vice principal is only going from his speculation that my son is a punk skater and therefore cant be a good kid, he is being judged for his appearance. The other boy also stated in the report that our son gave the pill back after he recieved his lunch from the line backing up our sons statement. I think our son was guilty of something before he even set foot in that office, they had every intention of hanging him on something. I am not sure if common laws and constitutional rights do not count on public school property or not, but they should.
UPDATE FROM OUR LAWYER, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND COMMON LAWS DO NOT APPLY ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO INTEROGATE, AND SEARCH, AND ARREST, A MINOR CHILD WITHOUT THE PARENTS CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE.
We have always taught our son 4 main principles his whole life, things I have always thought to be very important values in life.
# 1 Say no to drugs, # 2 If you ever need help you can always trust the police, # 3 Never lie honesty is always the best policy, # 4 never steal or cheat
Lets start with # 1 our son did the right thing he said no to drugs, he was given a pill not knowing what he was being handed, When he saw what it was he gave the pill back. I really think he should be commended for doing the right thing, not ridiculed and called a lier, and definately not hand cuffed and shackled and sent to jail for 5 days at the age of 14
# 2 Trusting the police, I think his view has changed dramatically on this one as so has mine, the officer that was at the school and the V.P. found it more important to make an example out of a punk skater look a like, then to understand the value of a child saying no to drugs. Had this have been a school athlete this would have been a different story and we would not be here right now. According to TSC policy athletes do have different rules pertaining to drug possesion.
# 3 Never lie always tell the truth. Well he did that and that landed him in jail for 5 days as well. Now they have just taught my son to just lie about any question asked by an athority figure, because if you tell the truth you will get yourself into unnessacary trouble. As I have now instructued my son to never admit to anything again. Because I have now been shown that honesty is not the best policy.
In a nut shell our 14 year old was detained by the vice principal, and police. He was searched and interogated and arrested behind closed doors for 2 1/2 hours without any parents consent or knowledge of it. He was publicly humiliated in front of the entire school by being handcuffed and placed into a squad car during school release time right out the front door. he was arrested and spent 5 days in jail for a senseless crime that he did not commit, he was more a victim then a criminal. And that is just a shame to put a child through that, talk about the punishment not fitting the crime, there was no crime on his part though. We have 1400.00 in legal fees wrapped up in this, and the school has now dropped all charges from there end, as well as the police and our son can return to school. But now he is being judged by his peers as a drug addict, and a narc, theif, and his friends are not allowed to hang with him from the other parents judging him as now a bad kid. And he is now receiving threats from kids at school. He was shoved in the hall, the 1st day at finals and threatened in the office lobby, next to the staff by the same student the next day also, and no nothing was done about the threat. All we really wanted at first was an apoligy that we will never get, as I have written the head principal, and my wife has called the school board, and they are very disconected and want nothing more to do with it. They just say well its over and we all made mistakes. I had to switch to 2nd shift at my job because we thought we were going to have to have a parent at home 24/7. Now we dont but thats too late for a while, talk about a total disruption of a household for nothing.
Parents beware, your kid could be next. Did you know Constitutional rights and common laws do not apply on school property ?
We had an incodent happen on Friday Dec 4th 2009 that might make a good discussion platform. Our son was eating lunch at school, age 14, 9th grade. This is in Lafayette IN. While eating lunch a kid held out his fist and said take this, my son said , what is it, he said just take it, grabbing his hand and dropping a pill into his hand. My son told him he did not want it and tried to give it back. The kid then got up and got his lunch from the line, then returned to my sons table. That is when my son returned the pill and said I do not want it, and the kid took it back.
Afer lunch the vice principle called my son into the office, where the vice principal and a county sheriff searched my 14 year old son of his pockets and backpack. They found nothing because there was nothing to find. He was then asked if he knew why he was in the office. He answered back, its probably about the pill I was given. From there he was interogated for about 2 1/2 hours over the incodent. We were never contacted about the search, or interogation by the police or school. My wife was called around 2:30 P.M. by the school and told our son had been arrested and we need to go to the police station for a meeting in a couple hours. My son was then handcuffed and placed in the squad car in front of the whole school that was released to go home at the same time he was taken to the car, parked next to the bus loading area. It was a public humiliation hazing to take him at that time for the whole school to see.
We arrived at the station where we found our 14 year old son handcuffed and shackled sitting in a chair. We were then informed that he was under arrest for a class C felony possesion charge, and was being sent to Hamilton county jail for 5 days. Hamilton county is in Indianapolis about a 60 mile disstance from where we live. He was read his rights, We were allowed to give him a hug and then he was paddy wagoned away to jail for 5 days at age 14 for saying no to drugs. We were assured that our son would call us upon his arrival so we would know he made it. They never called, my wife called the next morning asking if he was at the facility, she was told they could not give information about minors, she said she just wanted to know if he was there, they again told her no info could be given. So now we were not even sure he was even there at all. Our son was not allowed to call for the first time until Monday night at 8:45 P.M. And of coarse it was a 30.00 charge for the call, as if the 10 grand we pay in taxes every year is not enough.
We went to court on teusday for our sons 1st hearing with our lawyer present. The judge threw the case out for lack of evidence, (thank you judge). We were handed a copy of the police report and ordered to pay 700.00 for his jail time and left with our son. We then had a meeting with the vice principal after court to discuss our sons permanent expulsion for the rest of the 9th grade year. The vice principal started off by saying how much he enjoys working with kids speach, He then explained that its not the point that he gave the pill back, but that he touched it period, and there was no way he could have been forced to take the pill. He said we had to sign our son out for the rest of the year and he could finish the year at an alternative school. And if we apealed his decission he could never return to that school again. then he started into the incodent involving the pill. He stated that our son told them he had the pill for about 3 to 5 minutes, He said our son was not honest about the time span and it was more like 15 minutes. My son said no it was only a couple minutes, the principal argued back, as if it were a proven fact that it was 15 minutes and we were not arguing any longer, it was over. We figred maybe they were right since there were wittnesses and our son just lost track of time being under the pressure of the situation he was put it.
A few hours after we got home I finally read the police report for the 1st time. This is the shocking part here. Our son was called into the office because someone stole a cell phone from the locker room, our son was spotted as one of the last ones to leave the room, so he was assumed as the theif. Thats when he was taken to the office and searched and nothing was found, because well he has his own phone anyway and he was taught lifes basic principal #4 not to steal. Thats when the question was asked if he knew why he was in there, and our son being brutally honest brought up the pill, AND THE REST IS HISTORY. What really gets me mad is that the vice principal states in the police report and to our face that our son is lying about the time frame in withch he had the pill, We know now that our son is the only true wittness to this whole fiasco, the vice principal is only going from his speculation that my son is a punk skater and therefore cant be a good kid, he is being judged for his appearance. The other boy also stated in the report that our son gave the pill back after he recieved his lunch from the line backing up our sons statement. I think our son was guilty of something before he even set foot in that office, they had every intention of hanging him on something. I am not sure if common laws and constitutional rights do not count on public school property or not, but they should.
UPDATE FROM OUR LAWYER, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND COMMON LAWS DO NOT APPLY ON SCHOOL PROPERTY, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO INTEROGATE, AND SEARCH, AND ARREST, A MINOR CHILD WITHOUT THE PARENTS CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE.
We have always taught our son 4 main principles his whole life, things I have always thought to be very important values in life.
# 1 Say no to drugs, # 2 If you ever need help you can always trust the police, # 3 Never lie honesty is always the best policy, # 4 never steal or cheat
Lets start with # 1 our son did the right thing he said no to drugs, he was given a pill not knowing what he was being handed, When he saw what it was he gave the pill back. I really think he should be commended for doing the right thing, not ridiculed and called a lier, and definately not hand cuffed and shackled and sent to jail for 5 days at the age of 14
# 2 Trusting the police, I think his view has changed dramatically on this one as so has mine, the officer that was at the school and the V.P. found it more important to make an example out of a punk skater look a like, then to understand the value of a child saying no to drugs. Had this have been a school athlete this would have been a different story and we would not be here right now. According to TSC policy athletes do have different rules pertaining to drug possesion.
# 3 Never lie always tell the truth. Well he did that and that landed him in jail for 5 days as well. Now they have just taught my son to just lie about any question asked by an athority figure, because if you tell the truth you will get yourself into unnessacary trouble. As I have now instructued my son to never admit to anything again. Because I have now been shown that honesty is not the best policy.
In a nut shell our 14 year old was detained by the vice principal, and police. He was searched and interogated and arrested behind closed doors for 2 1/2 hours without any parents consent or knowledge of it. He was publicly humiliated in front of the entire school by being handcuffed and placed into a squad car during school release time right out the front door. he was arrested and spent 5 days in jail for a senseless crime that he did not commit, he was more a victim then a criminal. And that is just a shame to put a child through that, talk about the punishment not fitting the crime, there was no crime on his part though. We have 1400.00 in legal fees wrapped up in this, and the school has now dropped all charges from there end, as well as the police and our son can return to school. But now he is being judged by his peers as a drug addict, and a narc, theif, and his friends are not allowed to hang with him from the other parents judging him as now a bad kid. And he is now receiving threats from kids at school. He was shoved in the hall, the 1st day at finals and threatened in the office lobby, next to the staff by the same student the next day also, and no nothing was done about the threat. All we really wanted at first was an apoligy that we will never get, as I have written the head principal, and my wife has called the school board, and they are very disconected and want nothing more to do with it. They just say well its over and we all made mistakes. I had to switch to 2nd shift at my job because we thought we were going to have to have a parent at home 24/7. Now we dont but thats too late for a while, talk about a total disruption of a household for nothing.