Grade School Principal Makes Kids Walk For Hours In Baking Heat WITHOUT WATER

a reply to: Teacher4Life

Well, as you have reasonably pointed out, i was not there and do not know all the facts.

I can tell you for certain one thing: were I there, the kids would have been guided off the track. What would Tammy Holland do, call the cops? Try to physically stop me? I am a "break one off in 'em" kind of guy. Perhaps my size has given me a bravado that others do not have.

ETA: i should add, this isn't judgement. LIke i said, i don't know anyone there, and cannot speak for them and their own risks that they have to manage.

Oh my god, kids had to walk outside in the sun, not run, not play sports, but walk in the hot sun for 2 hours.

Whats wrong with the world, bunch of cry babies.

Oh the humanity lol

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan

Having a teacher in the family, the fact that a principal can ruin a teachers career or at least make work miserable is true.

My wifes principal forced her into retirement then disability. $3200 with insurance a month is tough but were trying. I might even have to quit working because I'm out of vacation already

a reply to: HomerinNC

I am actually stunned the story doesn't go on to say the principal was beaten half to death by enraged parents, and in the hospital, waiting to recover enough to be charged. That woman better be glad none of mine was at her school, and treated in such a fashion! The cops should be forced to arrest her for her own protection, puling crap like that.

What's really sick is how many abusive (in various ways) people manage to get into positions in schools. The numbers are high enough, you have to start suspecting that it's deliberate.

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
an obvious fact that people seem to have missed :

all regulations apply every day - unless a specific waiver to a specific regulation is granted

That includes the regulation that such punishments aren't allowed, right? This principal broke the rules. What she did would be called child abuse if ANY parent did it. Why does she get a free pass, just because shes in the "education" system?

a reply to: Teacher4Life

Ever consider physically stopping the PE teacher from taking the bottles? One against several; should be easy. Utterly messed up situation, and it's not right that she's moved all over, and allowed to terrorize students and faculty as she's doing. I'd recommend that all the teachers that ever worked with her get together, and get a very public meeting set up, all parents invited as well, demanding she's fired, and charged with abuse. Sounds like she's completely out of control. As a parent, had one of my kids been involved in something like that, she would not have been happy with the result. Assuming I didn't drag her out there bodily, I'd have video of what was happening, and testimonies, and be demanding the cops arrest her and the stupid PE teacher that aided her. As I stated already, what she did would be called abuse if a parent did it. No uniform, on the last day of school? SO WHAT???

To all defending this action, get a clue. You don't march grade school kids around in the heat with no water for two HOURS because of what they wore to school. Note, too, that breakfast was denied them (abuse), and they were told they could miss lunch as well. This isn't about how "tough" the kids are or aren't; this is about a power mad (bleep) that has no business doing ANYTHING around children. This tyrant needs to be not only fired, but criminally charged, and I hope all the parents file lawsuits against her, the school, and the district, to force this to happen.

a reply to: Teacher4Life

Thank you for coming forward with this.
Now, please tell the morons out here that say it wasnt hot outside what the heat and humidity was that day

a reply to: HomerinNC

oh i can vouch it was very humid and hot that day. I live in that area.

a reply to: Cohort

I know I live near Charlotte

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
an obvious fact that people seem to have missed :

all regulations apply every day - unless a specific waiver to a specific regulation is granted

That includes the regulation that such punishments aren't allowed, right? This principal broke the rules. What she did would be called child abuse if ANY parent did it. Why does she get a free pass, just because shes in the "education" system?

So lemme get this right....what you're saying is, if I made my son run laps for a couple hours because he did something wrong, that's child abuse? No, it's not. It's called being a PARENT.

I don't doubt that this pricipal is a terror, and the punishment doesn't fit the crime, however....everyone is acting like it killed them. It most surely didn't. So what it was hot, and humid. A couple hours in the heat, and humidity is most certainly NOT going to hurt them. Infact, it will make them stronger.

If you wanna gripe about something, gripe about the fact that they were denied breakfast. THAT most certainly IS to much. No child should be denied nourishment. THAT, if anything, is the crime in this story.

Back to all of you saying she should be arrested, and put in jail, or beaten...grow up; please. If you think that a couple hours of walking (not running, not playing spots; as another member pointed out) is gonna hurt, or kill them, then in my opinion you're weak people, and if you have kids, and treat them thus, they'll be -just- as weak as you. The future holds dark times ahead for the young people of our world. WE must prepare them for this. Will we do this by coddling, and babying them? No. Will we do this by crying over them being made to walk around a track for a couple hours? No. We will do this by making them tough, and not giving into their every desire. You don't always get what you want in life. Sometimes bad stuff happens; such is life. You're NOT their -friends-, you're their -parents-. Do you job.

originally posted by: jjsr420

originally posted by: LadyGreenEyes

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
an obvious fact that people seem to have missed :

all regulations apply every day - unless a specific waiver to a specific regulation is granted

That includes the regulation that such punishments aren't allowed, right? This principal broke the rules. What she did would be called child abuse if ANY parent did it. Why does she get a free pass, just because shes in the "education" system?

So lemme get this right....what you're saying is, if I made my son run laps for a couple hours because he did something wrong, that's child abuse? No, it's not. It's called being a PARENT.

What I am saying is that if your child went to school, and reported that you made them walk outside for two hours int he heat, with no water, the police would be investigating you for abuse. What I am saying is that this sort of physical punishment is against the rules, so the principal broke the rules, yet some people seem to think her doing so is acceptable, and that it's alright for her to break the rules because the kids wore the wrong clothing to school. Do you not see the hypocrisy there? Really???? I think you do.

originally posted by: jjsr420
I don't doubt that this pricipal is a terror, and the punishment doesn't fit the crime, however....everyone is acting like it killed them. It most surely didn't. So what it was hot, and humid. A couple hours in the heat, and humidity is most certainly NOT going to hurt them. Infact, it will make them stronger.

No one said "it killed them"; people said it was out of line, harsh, and dangerous. Heat exhaustion is a real problem, and young kids are susceptible. What she did was not only against the rules, which the hypocritical, ahem, woman apparently thinks are beneath her; it was also a real threat to the health of the students. You don't force kids into physical workouts because they wore something other than a uniform on the last day of school. Bones that break grow stronger, too; would that make it right if one of the parents had broken some of hers because of what she did, and how she broke the rules? That's ridiculous. The last day of school, all she had to do was send home a note that the policy had changed, and remind them to follow it the next school year. Even calling in the parents was too far for this.

originally posted by: jjsr420
If you wanna gripe about something, gripe about the fact that they were denied breakfast. THAT most certainly IS to much. No child should be denied nourishment. THAT, if anything, is the crime in this story.

I did gripe about that, and how the news report didn't even mention it. Check my posts. That's another part of the crime here. Denying them WATER is as wrong as denying them food. You can live a lot longer without food than you can water.

originally posted by: jjsr420
Back to all of you saying she should be arrested, and put in jail, or beaten...grow up; please. If you think that a couple hours of walking (not running, not playing spots; as another member pointed out) is gonna hurt, or kill them, then in my opinion you're weak people, and if you have kids, and treat them thus, they'll be -just- as weak as you. The future holds dark times ahead for the young people of our world. WE must prepare them for this. Will we do this by coddling, and babying them? No. Will we do this by crying over them being made to walk around a track for a couple hours? No. We will do this by making them tough, and not giving into their every desire. You don't always get what you want in life. Sometimes bad stuff happens; such is life. You're NOT their -friends-, you're their -parents-. Do you job.

She'd best be glad none of mine were involved. She'd want to be in jail if they had been. "Grow up"? Really? How about this power mad insecure tyrant that preys on children and subordinates grows up? Where is her physical punishment for her actions? Long overdue, in my opinion! Jail would be the mildest thing that would serve as justice in her case.

Assuming people have "weak" children because they say this is wrong is a straw man argument, and invalid. My kids are far from weak, and they don't put up with tyrants, either. Claiming this was "good for them" in some way is making excuses for her behavior, and supporting what she did. Good parents can train their kids to be tough and capable while still not allowing overgrown bullies to prey on them. Leave the parenting to the parents, and address the bully-as-principal problem instead.

a reply to: jjsr420

So lemme get this right....what you're saying is, if I made my son run laps for a couple hours because he did something wrong, that's child abuse? No, it's not. It's called being a PARENT.

So lets see, you'd DENY them water if they asked for it too, like this sorry assed principal did?
Youre pretty pathetic

Perhaps it was a re-enactment of the trail of tears or the Bataam Death March?

Did they have a supervisor nearby to put down the ones that fall to the way side?

Sarcasm Off now.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

What I am saying is that if your child went to school, and reported that you made them walk outside for two hours int he heat, with no water, the police would be investigating you for abuse. What I am saying is that this sort of physical punishment is against the rules, so the principal broke the rules, yet some people seem to think her doing so is acceptable, and that it's alright for her to break the rules because the kids wore the wrong clothing to school. Do you not see the hypocrisy there? Really???? I think you do.

I would be investigated for telling my kids to go outside and play for a few hours? Is that what our society has become. It sure has and it is very, very sad.

First, the children did not comply with a rule. A rule. Rules, whether you agree or not, are there for a reason and should be enforced. Adults today are NOT holding kids or themselves responsible for anything. Just whining...and crying...and suing.

Second, the parents should have made sure the kids were dressed correctly. The kids should not have willingly worn what they should not have. Sneaky behavior and teaching your kids not to obey simple authority. ( these some parents will wonder why their kids are getting high in middle school and pregnant I am sure)

Third, this quote sums it up....

They said several dozen children wore regular clothes to school that day instead of required uniforms under the belief that it was allowed.

Belief. This means they knew and sent them anyways. or this gem from a parent...

Lockhart said her daughter wore blue jeans, a pink T-shirt and a vest to school Tuesday because "the teachers said it was OK."

Teachers said it was ok. So, it is also the TEACHERS fault for telling the kids they could do it so why are they not held responsible?

Schools used to be run with rules...now they are run by whiny parents who do not want their precious snowflake to come home crying.

Fact is, my child would have been in uniform, as he was supposed to, so there would have been no issue.

Follow the rules folks...follow the rules.....

Yes, the principal is an ass and a control freak. And yes, schools in the U.S. are broken but, let's face it, they only mirror the country at large which is drama filled, dysfunctional, politically correct, medicated, media obsessed, dystopian nightmare.

But - come on - those kids were not in danger.

What the hell happened to us!? We used to be a country of people who had to walk five miles in the snow, uphill, both ways, to get to school.

originally posted by: Kangaruex4Ewe
a reply to: Dicko
I am also not real sure everyone has a problem with the punishment itself, it's the fact that they weren't allowed to have water in high temperatures that seems to be the straw that broke the camel's back. That is going above and beyond punishment and crosses over into abuse. Especially since CPS would have been raising holy hell had any one of those parents saw fit to punish their own child the same way this school did.

Excellent points.

And to be clear, I do have a little bit of a problem with the punishment itself, and I'm sure some others do as well. But I have a MAJOR problem with the enforced restriction on water, which, even if the walking alone did not, surely crossed the line of cruel and dangerous punishment bordering on torture.

I suspect some of the people making comments about how it's okay because "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger," are ignorant of the potential extreme effects that heat and dehydration can have on a body. In short, it could KILL you.

Further, you don't know if any of these kids might have had medical conditions which might have made this more dangerous. Something like that could have potentially messed with a kid who had asthma. (Leading to potentially fatal complications.) Lots of kids these days, even little ones, are on ADD / ADHD meds. Which are usually strong stimulants. Which can make you sweat more readily, dehydrate far more easily, and make you more susceptible to heat. Stimulant medications for ADD are far from the only medications which can have this type of effect.


Any of a number of things could have gone wrong. Thank god they didn't.


And yes-- if a parent tried such a punishment on their own kids, I can just about guarantee CPS intervention.


So this so-called "professional" had better not get away with it!

originally posted by: jtrenthacker
a reply to: jjsr420
I was going to post the exact same thing. I don't agree with the principal, but people are acting like they were left in a desert to die. It's 2 hours in upper 70's to upper 80's. Was it hot? Yes. Was it uncomfortable? Probably. I doubt the kids were about to suffer a heat stroke or needed medical attention. Jeesh. I remember playing outside as a kid for hours in 90+ heat before I would stop for a water break.

1- You have no clue what physical / medical condition these kids were in. See my last post.

2- Is this a contest? Because I've done some crazy stuff in my life. Oh boy, the stories I could tell you (many of which would violate ATS terms. lol) And yet I'm still here. Does that mean that the things I did were perfectly safe and anyone should do them?

No-- it means I "got away with it." Circumstance made me lucky, and here I am.


You were a healthy kid. You survived the kind of behavior described above. That's great. Not all kids are you.


Nevermind that this is a forced physical punishment which should not be allowed in schools. If this were one of my kids, I'd have somebody's head. Perhaps literally.

a reply to: HomerinNC

There is something seriously wrong with people, many seem to be losing it.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes


I am always shocked by the people watching something they disagree with, something that could have been dangerous and do nothing.