Brickbat: Stop Horsing Around

At Georgia's Murray County High School, about 20 seniors decided to play a prank: they would all show up to school in unusual vehicles. Some rode horses. Others rode bicycles or dirt bikes. Some came in toy cars. All of them got in-school suspension. High school officials declined media requests to explain why they suspended the students, but the students say there's nothing in the student handbook that barred them driving something other than a car to school.

Brickbat Archive

Comments

[Joe M]

They did something unexpected. Reason enough to be punished.

[Today's Tom Sawyer]

HOW CAN YOU HAVE ANY PUDDING IF YOU DON'T EAT YOUR MEAT?

[sarcasmic]

Is this really worthy of Brickbat?

I mean, if authorities shot the horses I could see it, but this?

[Kool]

Truly a post worthy of your handle.

[mr simple]

Oh, come one, sarcasmic. You know brickbats are the only time Charles is allowed to converse with the outside world. He just wants some sort of human contact.

[AuH2O]

Except that's how he becomes self aware. Then, he takes over our robot women and boom- you've got yourself a BSG situation on your hands.

[Episiarch]

That which is not expressly permitted is forbidden.

[Ramjet]

No fruit cup for them!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Students need to learn about arbitrary application of power somewhere.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

School was my first solid view of it.

[Loki]

You'd think they'd have learned that lesson before they got to senior year. The fact that they hadn't proves that the school had to come down on them hard. This may be the last opportunity to teach them the most valuable lesson they can learn in school: RESPECT AUTHORITAY!!!!!11!!!!

/sarc

[Just Dropping By]

The school has a rule against riding bicycles to school?!? I feel like I'm missing something here.

[Hugh Akston]

The school has a rule against coordinated collective actions not sanctioned by the proper authorities.

Or actually, it probably doesn't. But that won't stop the proper authorities from enforcing it anyways.

[Lurker Kurt]

+1 to you, good sir.

You are spot on.

[Ex Nihilo]

All of them got in-school suspension.

And the point of this was...?

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

To make sure they miss class, have to make up work, and yet not be able to be away from school having fun. IOW to be a pain in the ass.

[sarcasmic]

To condition them against doing anything without first asking permission from the proper government employee.

[Loki]

I suspect "in-school supension" is just a code word for re-education. As I pointed out above, they hadn't learned the proper respect for authority and they have to learn that before they graduate.

[Apatheist ?_??]

It could be that they can go to class but cannot do any other school activities after hours or something. That would make more sense than putting them in a room somewhere.

[Spoonman.]

Nope, at my school in-school suspension meant you were put in a room somewhere, generally right next to the cafeteria so the sounds of everybody else socializing would reach you and make you reflect on what you'd done, I guess.

I never went there because I got excellent grades.

[Apatheist ?_??]

At my school it was as I described it. What they did at yours is crazy, especially if they did it for bad grades instead of behavioral issues. Keeping them out of class will sure help them improve their grades!

[Spoonman.]

No no, they did it for behavioral issues, it's just misbehaving was treated very differently if you got the best grades in the school (me) or if you were more mediocre.

[The Unknown Pundit]

My guess is that by amusing their fellow students these pranksters created a distraction that day at school in the eyes of their jailers, er, teachers and administrators. Distractions aren't welcome so they decided to punish the students for creating a distraction. At least I imagine this was the rationale for the punishment.

Not saying I agree with it, but that seems the most likely scenario to me.

[Brandon]

I think the "Jailers" part got the point across that you don't approve.

[sloopyinca]

Instead of getting to school in an unorthodox fashion, why weren't these kids out wearing hoodies and marching, demanding George Zimmerman's head on a stick, as kids in Florida are doing. That or flashmobbing and beating the shit out of people or robbing their stores, crying "This is for Trayvon" while doing it?

I guess it's because these students are racists.

[Abdul]

The school screwed them AND the horse they rode in on!

[fried wylie]

You can lead a horse to school, but good luck trying to get it to drink from the water fountain.

[D.A. Ridgely]

On the bright side, from a purely educational point of view the students almost certainly benefited from not attending classes for a day or two at a Georgia public school.

[Doctor Whom]

There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always ? do not forget this, Winston ? always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of American education, imagine a boot stamping on a human face ? until graduation.

[Mr. FIFY]

The answer is obvious:

These kids showed individualistic traits.

It's a wonder they weren't expelled.

[sarcasmic]

I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay
I sleep all night and I work all day
He's a lumberjack and he's okay
He sleeps all night and he works all day

I cut down trees, I eat my lunch
I go to the lavat'ry
On Wednesdays I go shopping
And have buttered scones for tea
He cuts down trees...
He's a lumberjack...

I cut down trees, I skip and jump
I like to press wild flow'rs
I put on women's clothing
And hang around in bars
He cuts down trees...
He's a lumberjack...

I cut down trees, I wear high heels
Suspendies and a bra
I wish I'd been a girlie
Just like my dear papa
He cuts down trees...
He's a lumberjack...

WAHH! And I thought you were so RUGGED!

[sarcasmic]

Dammit!

[ChrisO]

A friend of mine actually rode his dirt bike down the main corridor of the school for his senior prank. He managed to elude the cops and get away with it, too.

[Bernieyeball]

A kid I knew rode his dirt bike through the gym at the last assembly before graduation...stark naked! Too bad it was BC. (before cellphones)

[Bernieyeball]

From the comments on the link.

"...What maroons! Moves like this just make you folks look backward and ignorant,.."

Was that the school color or a typo or...