It's stories like this that reinforce my own zero tolerance for zero tolerance policies ~ ~ Sooz

School Suspends High School Volleyball Captain Because She Offered A Ride To A Drunk Friend
By Ian Millhiser on October 16, 2013 at 11:29 am

Eleanor Cox is an honor student at North Andover High School outside Boston and was, until recently, captain of the school’s volleyball team. Thanks to her school’s “zero tolerance” policy, however, she’s now been suspended from the team and will no longer serve as captain — all because she offered a ride to a friend who was too drunk to drive herself home. Cox was not drinking.

Cox received a call from a friend at a party who was too drunk to drive and agreed to drive the friend home, but she was unfortunate enough to arrive to pick up the friend minutes before cops arrived and arrested several party-goers for underage possession of alcohol. Police cleared Cox of any charges against her, but the school still punished her pursuant to its zero tolerance policy, regardless.

As Cox’s attorney notes, the likely impact of this decision will be that students at North Andover will be too scared of similar consequences to come to the aid of a friend in need — “If a kid asks for help from a friend, you don’t want that kid to say ‘I’m sorry I can’t help you. I might end up in trouble at school.’” That’s not likely to deter any students from drinking, but it will encourage them to drive drunk afterwards because they cannot find a designated driver.

Cox’s mother, to her credit, stands by her daughter. “She didn’t do anything wrong. She did what she thought was right, and I’m very proud of her.”

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/16/2789511/school-removes-suspends-high-school-volleyball-captain-offered-ride-drunk-friend/

I hope so. I have Juvenile Conference Committee tonight. This story brings up a case from the past. A groups of teenaged kids were drinking heavily at a summer party. The kids were walking to the bus stop (none of them old enough to drive) and one girl who was very small was throwing up and having trouble standing. The cops approached the group and all of the kids ran but the sick girl, her best friend and a guy. They took the sick girl to the hospital.

In court we asked the guy who barely knew her why he stayed and didn't run away, too. He may have one beer. He wasn't drunk. He responded, "She was sick and I wanted to make sure she was alright."

We made him write 500 words on underage drinking and actually complemented him for helping her out.

that's rediculous. Even under zero tolerance, which is a retarded policy to begin with, they have no grounds to suspend her, because she didn't do anything wrong. I hope they get a lawyer.

And when they win the doofus who decided on the suspension has to write a 1,000 word essay on the abuse of power.

Maybe they got her on aiding and abetting the crime of not smashing up your car and not hurting some other poor driver.

Every parent should give the speech.

"We don't want you underage drinking, BUT we really don't want you drunk driving or getting into a car with a drunk driver.

Call us if you need us. We may not be thrilled but we love you and you can trust us."

Good advice, Kathy ~

Sooz

She has an attorney. It is a rule in the student athlete handbook that outlines the zero tolerance policy. Student athletes agree to abide by the rules in the handbook.That is where the school's authority to suspend her from volleyball comes from. she did not do anything illegal ( or wrong). Zero tolerance is a cop out so that people don't have to think too hard or make and defend tough decisions.