20 Kids BANNED From School For Stupid Reasons
#20: Engaging in a Staring Contest
A staring showdown can get pretty awkward for all parties involved, but you never really expect it to lead to a suspension. In September 2014, a 12-year-old Black student at St. Gabriel Consolidated School in Glendale, Ohio was suspended after engaging in a staring contest with his female classmate. The girl, who is white, reportedly felt intimidated by the game and her parents decided to take it up with the school authorities. The boy was made to write an apology letter, in which he recounted not knowing his stare was terrifying, due to it being a friendly game. His parents fought to have the suspension erased, but a Hamilton County court dismissed their claims against the school.
#19: Wearing an American Flag T-Shirt
Who would’ve thought patriotism would come at such a high price? Jaeger Goode, a junior at Seagoville High School in Dallas, Texas was cited by an administrator for wearing a T-shirt with the American flag and an eagle. The outfit was apparently a violation of the school’s dress code and earned Goode an in-school suspension. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with the boy’s mother, who feared that the punishment would tarnish his record and prevent scholarship opportunities. Turns out the incident was all a misunderstanding by the administrator in question. The school apologized for the mistake and expunged the suspension from Goode’s record.
#18: Tebowing
NFL quarterback Tim Tebow gained popularity in 2011 for his signature kneeling pose after scoring a touchdown. Tebowing, as it was known, became a cultural phenomenon across the U.S., but it didn’t seem to get much love at the Riverhead High School in Long Island, New York. Four student athletes mimicked the stance in the school’s hallway only to be hit with one-day suspensions. The school administrators claimed that twin brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll, as well as Jordan Fulcoly and Wayne Drexel, blocked the hallway and posed a hazard for other students. Fulcoly and Drexel eventually had their suspensions rescinded, but the Caroll brothers, who had previously been warned, had to serve their time.
#17: Burping Loudly
Some of us have gone to extreme lengths to try to get our friends to laugh. But not many were amused when a seventh-grader at Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque, New Mexico was arrested for his antics. According to reports, the teenage boy had been burping loudly in a bid to get other students to laugh. His teacher didn’t seem to find this funny and called the school’s resource officer, who handcuffed him and took him to a juvenile detention center. He also received a suspension for the rest of the school year. The boy’s parents filed a civil rights lawsuit, but the petty misdemeanor arrest was upheld by a Federal Appeals court.
#16: Asking Miss America to Prom
Top 10 Kids BANNED From School For Stupid Reasons
For many, the worst that could come after a promposal is getting told no. But for Patrick Farves, a senior at Central York High School in Pennsylvania, his efforts were crowned with not only a rejection, but also a three-day suspension. In 2014, then-Miss America, Nina Davuluri, made a stop at the school for a discussion on diversity and STEM studies. During the question and answer session, Farves went up to the stage and popped the question to her. Apparently, school authorities had gotten wind of his plan days earlier and warned him not to go ahead with it. In addition to his suspension, it seems Farves never got a date to prom. All in all, a lose-lose situation.
#15: Getting Assaulted
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The details of this case are so outrageous, they’d make your head spin. A student with disabilities in Republic, Missouri was allegedly assaulted by another student. So which of the two does the school then suspend? If you guessed the latter, you’d be dead wrong. Indeed, after reporting the alleged assault, the girl was suspended and forced to apologize to the boy she accused. But it doesn’t end there. Upon her return to school the following session, the attacks continued. After one particular occasion, a forensic exam proved that she was indeed assaulted by the boy in question. He even pleaded guilty to charges in juvenile court. So naturally, the school suspends the girl again for disrespectful conduct and public display of affection.
#14: Creating a Video Game Map of His School
School shootings are a matter of concern, so it’s important that administrators do everything in their power to prevent them. But in this case, a little discernment could probably have been used. When a student at Clements High School in Texas created a virtual map of the school for the video game “Counter-Strike,” he was called into the Assistant Principal’s office. After questioning him, the administrators deemed the incident serious enough to label it a terrorist threat. He was promptly expelled and transferred to an alternative education center. The school also alerted the police, who searched the boy’s home but found nothing illegal.
#13: Growing Hair for Charity
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Donating to a charity that turns human hair into wigs for children who have cancer would normally be seen as a worthy cause. Well, not if you’re an official at Madison Academy in Michigan. In 2012, the school found J.T. Gaskins in violation of their rules for growing out his hair to donate to the non-profit organization Locks of Love. Gaskins himself was diagnosed with leukemia as an infant, but had been cancer-free since 2003. He was reportedly inspired to donate his hair to charity by a family friend’s experience with the condition. However, the school decided that overgrown hair was a no for them, and hit him with a suspension.
#12: Having “Too Tight” Pants
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It seems dress code violations are the leading cause of unwarranted suspensions in U.S. schools. This case revolves around Morgan Hull, a student of Franklin Township Middle school in Indiana. Hull received an internal suspension for breaking the clothing rules, but if you look at a picture of her, it might be hard to tell what exactly is wrong with her outfit. Apparently, the administrators determined that her pants were too tight for class and sent her back home. Even after returning in a different pair, Hull was still turned back. Her mother, Traci, decried the decision, claiming that Hull had worn the same pair of pants the entire year. Nevertheless, the school officials remained unwavering.
#11: Holding the Door Open
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One is typically praised for helping a person hold a door open when their hands are full. But when a middle school student in Southampton, Virginia did it, he was handed a one-day suspension. Apparently, the boy had opened the school’s exterior door for a woman he recognized, not knowing that he was violating the security policy in the process. The school district had recently installed a $10,000 security system that prevented visitors from gaining entry into the building unless they were buzzed in by a staff member. This punishment angered some parents who deemed it too harsh, considering the student had an excellent record. That, it seems, did nothing to change the superintendent’s decision.
#10: Sharing a Jolly Rancher
Sharing is caring...unless it’s candy and you’re at Brazos Elementary School in Texas. Third grader Leighann Adair accepted a Jolly Rancher from a friend at lunch. This simple exchange among friends was treated as a heinous act and punished by the student being banned from attending lunch and recess with other students for a week. Administrators said that having the candy violated their policy against non-nutritious foods, even though Adair never even opened the Jolly Rancher. Healthy lifestyle choices are important, but this punishment for one piece of candy seems a bit excessive.
#9: Having At-Risk Genes
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You’d need a microscope to see why this Palo Alto student was taken out of school. In 2012, 6th grader Colman Chadam was told he’d have to leave school due to his carrying the genetic markers for cystic fibrosis. The logic behind this decision was somewhat legitimate. Two other kids in the school had the disease and there was a risk they could get each other sick. On the other hand, his medical information was allegedly disclosed by another teacher without permission and Chadam never showed signs of sickness. All in all, Chadam missed two weeks of school and his parents sued the school for discrimination against his genes.
#8: Asking for Tylenol
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Keeping drugs out of school makes complete sense. But in the case of Maine student Tracy Jannicelli, things went a little overboard. When the 9th grader had a headache at school, she asked classmates if they had Tylenol and was handed two white pills. Later that day, she was called into the assistant principal’s office and asked to sign a statement about her actions. By that night, Jannicelli had been suspended from school for five days for violating the school’s zero tolerance policy against drugs. She was later expelled for the incident, prompting the ACLU of Maine to take on her case.
#7: Recording a Harassment Incident
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Being harassed by fellow students is bad, but coming from a teacher is unacceptable. When 11-year old Brianna Cooper witnessed her teacher spewing insults and threats at another classmate, she took action. She recorded the teacher’s taunts on her cellphone and handed it to another school official. Unfortunately, since taking audio of a teacher without their knowledge is illegal in Florida, Brianna was given a five-day suspension. Her actions led to the teacher getting fired, but it’s still a shame she was punished for standing up for a fellow student.
#6: A Mother’s Facebook Rant
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Most of us are guilty of getting a little angry online. Ashley Habat’s online rant, however, cost her son his spot at school. Habat felt that Sonshine Christian Academy didn’t give her enough time to prepare for her preschooler’s picture day. She took to Facebook to vent her negative feelings on her profile page, making the post friends only, but also while tagging the school. The next day, Habat was called into the main office and her son was asked to leave the academy. Her son’s expulsion sparked debate about which side had overstepped their boundaries. Hashtagging the school in a rant may not have been the smartest thing to do, but surely the innocent child deserved more consideration from the school.
#5: Carrying a Leaf
A sixth grader’s problem all started with a leaf. An assistant principal at Bedford Middle School in Virginia discovered a leaf and a lighter in an 11-year old’s backpack. Believing the leaf in question was marijuana, the student received possession charges and a 364 day suspension. Months later, three negative tests proved that it had just been an ordinary leaf. With the truth coming to light, all charges were dropped against the student and he was able to go to another school. On probation. Once again, there was little flexibility against a zero-tolerance policy.
#4: Hugging a Friend
The “Full House” gang would be banned from Southwest Middle school in a heartbeat. Why? Because the school has a strict no-hugging policy. Student Nick Martinez learned this the hard way when he and a female friend were seen embracing in the hallway. Though it was likely just an innocent gesture, it violated the school’s strict rules against PDA and earned the two students in-school suspensions. With similar policies in surrounding area schools, if you end up taking classes in that area, you’d be better off sticking with a friendly fist bump.
#3: Hairstyle Choices
A surprising amount of educational troubles have started with a hairstyle. In 2017, a student was suspended when her red hair dye came off as “too unnatural.” In 2014, a male student’s dreadlocks kept him out of class. But it was a 9-year-old’s hair-related punishment that really had heads turning. Nine-year-old Kamryn Renfro shaved her head for a friend going through chemotherapy. The school board issued a suspension because her shaved head violated the dress code. Fortunately, social media backlash led the board to overturn their decision, and Kamryn was free to return to school and support her friend at the same time.
#2: Keeping Up with “Glee”
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There are some people that don’t like the musical show Glee and others who consider it a punishable offense. Chris Peterman was attending Bob Jones University, a Protestant college in South Carolina. He had already been on the university’s radar for his social media activism when a fellow student reported seeing Peterson at Starbucks watching “Glee.” Since the show had some content that the school found unacceptable, such as the depiction of gay relationships, he received 50 demerits for tuning in. Although this wasn’t the act that would ultimately get Peterman suspended from the school, keeping up with the musical hit was still a costly choice that brought him closer to the suspension.
#1: Building a Clock
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It’s not everyday that the President gets involved with a school punishment. In 2015, 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed wanted to share a digital clock he’d constructed with his teacher. However, it was confiscated over concerns that it supposedly looked like a bomb. He was then arrested for having a “hoax bomb” and received a three day suspension. Ahmed’s story caused a social media firestorm over the belief that he was targeted because of his Muslim identity. Fortunately, the charges were dropped. As icing on the cake, one of his supporters, then-President Barack Obama, invited Ahmed to the White House to show off his clock in person.
