USC (MN HS) expels 'model student' for pocketknife

Just read about this in my local paper. A 17 year old girl who inadvertently left a pocket knife in her purse which was found by police during a ''routine, drug search through the lockers'' has been suspended for the rest of the school year, for violating school's zero tolerance policy on weapons.

Described by family, friends and even school officials as an exceptional student and citizen, United South Central High School junior Alyssa Drescher was nonetheless expelled Thursday night for the rest of the school year after a pocket knife was found in her purse on April 15 during a school-wide drug search.

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Bear in mind this is a very rural setting. The school is for a consolidation of a few very small farming communities and is headquartered in Wells, MN which has a population of about 2,000.

Now, I'm not sure which is worse, the drug shakedown, with drug dogs, or that they rummaged through everyone's belongings looking for anything that could considered contraband. When I was in school, I thought it was a prison. Nowadays, they prove it. She was already suspended for 6 days until her hearing yesterday when they decided to can her for the rest of the year.

Any thoughts ATS?

Again, a school shows that it has no concept of common sense. These things need to be addressed on a case by case basis, and it really is as easy as that.

A pocket knife in a purse in a locker wtf I hope they remove all them big ass machetes er kitchen knives from home ec and remove tools from shop class those are way more dangerous and accessible then the measly pocket knife in a damned locker. Better ban cars from the student parking lot too, they can become guided missiles and all that. Hey while their at it, may as well ban gasoline too someone could make a cocktail to chuck into the pep rally. Madness people absolutely madness if in fact this is the only reason why she was expelled, if there is more to the story then my sarcasm just disregard it.

I never used a locker in High School.
The option was there, but so was the random locker searches.

Once again, that zero tolerance policy gets in the way of common sense.

I have a zero tolerance policy for zero tolerance policies.

The justice system is based on a jury of your peers...USE IT!

And quit being so damned afraid of everything.

We all get about thirty thousand days of playtime on this
little blue ball and for some reason it seems our greatest
industry is to create laws that stifle future generations
ability to ENJOY IT.

Here's a clue...you're gonna die anyway. Enjoy yourself
and get over it.

originally posted by: JHumm
Again, a school shows that it has no concept of common sense. These things need to be addressed on a case by case basis, and it really is as easy as that.

This is really how courts should operate too.

They never would have been able to put police in my high school. Crap like this makes nobody safer. Turn all the kids into little narcs snitching on each other and if they do not , then bring in the dogs.

This is why I support WWIII ...

a reply to: Brotherman

Nope, absolutely nothing more to the story other than a small camouflage pocket knife buried at the bottom of her purse. From what I know of women in general, at any given time they can't tell you the exact contents of their purses. Use to be a day when a pocket knife was required carrying. Hence, pocketknife. Like a kitchen knife belongs in the kitchen and your combat knife belongs in combat.

Discretion is the better part of valor, so this superintendent is most likely soon to find himself sending out resumes. He and the district are going to be sued and there seems to be some strong public support. In the end it will be a big waste of time and money.

Zero tolerance policies have done little to prevent school violence or drug use or bullying. Last I checked, murder has been a zero tolerance policy since pretty much forever and see how well that works out?

I hope this administrator can take his zero tolerance policies to a more dangerous school district that can benefit from his strict adherence to school policy.

a reply to: cosmicexplorer

The kids will probably be afraid to bring their weapons to the combat zone for fear of getting kicked out.

a reply to: dfens

I agree, my tangent of sarcasm was geared more to vent frustration. I know there are way more dangerous available resources just laying around a school then a pocket knife so why be all zero tolerance about a pocket knife in a locker, If I kept a baseball bat in my locker would that be considered a weapon? I know there are knives in Home Economics why are those special? I agree with you

a reply to: Brotherman

Exactly. Your post just reminded me of the safety scissors for the young kids that can't even cut construction paper. Why even bother with any of it? It sounds too dangerous to go to a school. A comet could come from space, hit a school, and some dumbass administrator will add that to the list of banned objects.

It's like, Where do they find these people?

a reply to: dfens

Ill see your safety scissors and raise you one pack of fruit scented markers, HA! sniff a marker in school these days see what happens. You are right, where do these people come from???

a reply to: dfens

Wow this reminds me of something very similar that happened in my classroom a couple of years ago. We have unannounced locker searches and students are also waned with metal detectors. On this one occasion, the police and administrator picked my classroom to do a locker search. When they waned one of my students, they found he had a 2 inch pocket knife on his key chain. This boy was a senior with only 2 months left until he graduated! I swear just because the kid had long hair, they considered him a threat and expelled him from school. He also wasn't allowed to participate in the school's graduation ceremony!

This was a bright and respectful kid! He came from an abusive home and used to confide in me because he would talk about his troubles and I would listen about his situation at home. I would keep telling him things will get better, and to keep doing what he was doing and focus on his education, because it was the only way he can get out of his situation and start a life of his own. It broke my heart to see this young man who was trying so hard to stay focused on doing his best in his classes just to be expelled for a stupid 2 inch pocket knife on his key ring. The entire class was even surprised they expelled such a good kid. He even came up to me later and told me he blamed himself because he forgot he had it on his key chain.

I immediately went down to the office and pleaded with the principal to let this kid off because I could verify this boy wasn't a threat to anyone. He was even meeting with our counselor at school to talk about his situation at home. She even tried to help, but the administration went through with the expulsion.

School officials have created a "0" tolerance policy when it comes to weapons, but that policy just like in other schools across the country does not take into consideration any common sense, the situation, the student's demeanor, and past behavior history. Teachers know their students sometimes better than their own parents because we're with them so long throughout the day.

It's a sad state of affairs when an institution who is supposed to look out for the welfare and education of children, can at the same time, ignore the motivation and potential of a good student. They actually added to the despair, and hurt the confidence of a student who had shown a great sense of work ethics and the potential to be successful in his area of interest, which was physics. Since than, he's asked me to write a letter of recommendation for him to help him get into the local community college. I wish him the best.

These "locker sweeps" aren't really about weapons, drugs, nor anything of the sort.

It's police-state conditioning, pure and simple. It's a method of training kids from as early an age as possible to accept state supremacy over the rights of the individual.

When I was in high school this would never have been tolerated by the parents or the students. Shows you how much progress they've made in just one generation, all in the name of "public safety".

Every student at this school should show up with a pocketknife on Monday. But they won't, because they've been so well-trained already.

Getting expelled is probably the best thing for them at this point.

a reply to: NthOther

You're right about the conditioning of the kids. You're stuck going there and they teach you crap, public school anyway. There should be some tradeoff, like not have your property being tossed anytime they want. Especially if you're not causing any problems.

The next logical escalation is cops showing up at your house, and in the name of ''public safety'', rummaging through all your belongings looking for anything that could pose a threat to the cops, because it's really their safety that they worry the most about. Rightfully so, when they pull stunts like this on the regular and with the blessings of all involved, except for the victims of their anal probing.

It may be said that kids have no rights. The parents can be held accountable, though, for their children's actions. Therefore, parents need to put these gestapo tactics in check, which is well within their rights. Anyone who pays property tax for that matter, because they fund these psychos.

Wells, Minn. -
A junior at United South Central is expelled for the rest of the school year.

School officials found a pocketknife in the purse of Alyssa Drescher during a locker search last week, and voted unanimously last night to kick her out of school.

Last night's expulsion hearing was unique in that Alyssa's father, Rick, asked for it to be open to the public, allowing her supporters and the media to view the proceedings.

What followed would be a rough approximation of a court case, with a lawyer for the school district administration laying out his case in calling for Alyssa's expulsion from USC.

The USC attorney, Trevor Helmers says, "People frequently ask of us what are schools doing to make sure our children are safe to go there. Adopting and strictly enforcing policies prohibiting weapons and punishing students from bringing weapons onto school property is what we're doing to make it safe."

Helmers would call on the school liaison officer and principal Kelly Schlaak to detail how the pocketknife was found in Alyssa's purse after the school brought in a drug-sniffing dog to search the student's lockers while they put the school on lockdowlock down
strict has an amnesty policy of sorts, allowing students to alert officials to a weapon they have in their possession to avoid punishment, and Helmers said that because Alyssa had the chance to tell her teacher about the knife while the lockdown lock downlace, her actions warranted an expulsion.

Alyssa had a lawyer at the proceeding as well, and had a teacher, the school athletic director and her employer testify on her behalf.

When it was her turn to speak, she acknowledged the error she had made, and said she would accept punishment... but was deeply frightened at what the black mark of expulsion could do to her dream of attending college.

Alyssa Drescher says, "Everyone says that your senior year is the best and not I'm terrified I'm going to miss out on mine. And especially being able to get into a good college and have a bright future ahead of me."

The biggest point of contention in the hearing revolved around the district's stance that it was just following its zero-tolerance weapons policy, but Alyssa's attorney, Chris Johnson, pointed out that other students that were found with lighters, also a considered a weapon under the school's zero-tolerance policy, and were not subject to expulsion.

A point he hammered home in his cross-examination of school superintendent Jerry Jensen.

Jensen replied, "We do have a zero-tolerance policy. But with that policy we do have flexibility to make judgments on how much danger people are in."

But in the end, after two hours of testimony and an hour of deliberation, the USC school board voted unanimously to against Alyssa.

Her attorney says it isn't over yet.

Chris Johnson says, "Clearly in this case the punishment doesn't meet the crime. We believe this punishment is unjustly harsh and unfair and we will fight."

Just a new update. I post because it makes me mad, this entire situation. Key thing, is the lighter. That is considered a weapon, but not included as year long expulsionable. A pocket knife is, though.

a reply to: dfens

File for an immediate injunction.