25 Dumb Reasons School Children Suspended and Arrested

Posted by , Updated on April 21, 2024

Discipline is an essential component of a child’s development, both domestically and academically, instilling a sense of obligation and respect early on. It cultivates desirable behaviors contributing to a better society and a more positive world for everyone. Considerable research suggests that a lack of discipline can lead to problematic behavior, possibly resulting in a harmful upbringing. Therefore, the importance of discipline and order in a school environment cannot be understated. The responsibility to enforce discipline usually falls on the teacher, even with the existence of official disciplinary policies within schools that staff members are required to follow. For this reason, understanding the challenges school administrators face in devising fair disciplinary methods is of paramount importance. That said, some schools have occasionally taken disciplinary action to an extreme, thus failing to generate the desired outcome and sometimes even resulting in the opposite effect. There have been cases where students faced arrest for minor infractions like talking on the phone, belching, or drawing on desks. While these behaviors shouldn’t necessarily be celebrated, arresting a student might be seen as an overly severe disciplinary response. We invite you to share your thoughts. Take a look at these 25 absurd justifications for why students have been suspended or arrested, and leave your comments on our Facebook page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLvO9naRK8k

25

For texting in class

Source: bubblews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by JhaymesisviphotographySource: bubblews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Jhaymesisviphotography

School can be boring sometimes, and that was the case for a fourteen-year-old Wisconsin girl who decided to pass some time by texting. However, when asked to stop, the fourteen-year-old ignored the request until security officers came and arrested her under the charge of disorderly conduct. To be fair, you shouldn’t text in class, but to be arrested for texting is a bit much don’t you think?

24

For having a “food fight”

Source: usatoday.com, Image: Wikipedia Source: usatoday.com, Image: Wikipedia

A group of kids between eleven and fifteen years old were reportedly arrested in Chicago because of a cafeteria food fight. Reports say that one student tossed a piece of food, someone else threw an orange, another yelled “Food fight,” and that was apparently enough for the kids to be arrested.

23

For hacking a computer in order to change their grades

QWERTY_keyboardSource: huffingtonpost.com, Image:Wikipedia

In 2013, three Prescott High School students who were on the verge of flunking their classes were arrested after officials found out that they hacked into their teachers’ computers and improved their grades. The three students were booked at the juvenile detention center on felony charges of tampering with public records and computer tampering.

22

For missing too many classes

Recreation_of_Martin_Luther_King's_Cell_in_Birmingham_Jail_-_National_Civil_Rights_Museum_-_Downtown_Memphis_-_Tennessee_-_USASource: huffingtonpost.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org

Diane Tran, a honor student at Texas High School back in 2012, was jailed for missing school. Believe it or not the seventeen years old girl was forced to spend a night in jail just because she was working two jobs to support her two younger siblings.

21

For “passing gas” 

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A student at a Florida school was arrested after authorities said he was “passing gas” and turning off his classmates’ computers. According to a report by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the thirteen-year-old boy “continually disrupted his classroom environment” by intentionally breaking wind.

20

For “sexual harassment”

Source: theguardian.com, Image: Wikipedia Source: theguardian.com, Image: Wikipedia

A six-year-old girl was arrested and charged with sexual battery for some “inappropriate touching” during a game of tag at an elementary school in San Francisco. Apparently her “crime” was that she grabbed one of her schoolmates’ thighs.

19

For kissing a schoolmate

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Believe it or not police were called to a Florida elementary school to investigate allegations of two 7-year-olds who “kissed on the lips”. The incident report lists the description as ‘lewd and lascivious’. However after speaking with a teacher who witnessed the incident, the deputy concluded there was no indication that there was anything sexual about the alleged kiss. The glaring eye goes towards teachers on this one.

18

For changing her friend's name in the yearbook

Source: nydailynews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by 2il orgSource: nydailynews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by 2il org

In 2013 a Missouri student who changed her friend’s name in their yearbook to a sexually suggestive word saw her practical joke backfire at her, as she later had to face criminal charges. Kaitlyn Booth, 17, was arrested after teachers at Hickman High School in Columbia spotted how she’d altered Raigan Mastain’s last name to read “masturbate.” Not that tasteful, indeed but is that enough reason to arrest a seventeen years old teenager?

17

For yelling

Source: foxnews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Arjen ToetSource: foxnews.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Arjen Toet

At some high school in Connecticut, a seventeen-year-old boy was brutalized for arguing and yelling. To be more specific, the unlucky teen was thrown to the floor and tasered five times because he was yelling at a cafeteria worker.

16

For being too lively

Source: theguardian.com, Image: pixabay.comSource: theguardian.com, Image: pixabay.com

In 2015 a Stockton, California, student had his hands and feet zip tied, was forced to go to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and was charged with battery of a police officer. The student was only five years old and his “crime” was that he was too excited!

15

For climbing on furniture

Source: cnn.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.orgSource: cnn.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org

In what might be one of the most obscene cases we’ve ever heard, a police officer in San Mateo, California, blasted a seven-year-old special education student in the face with pepper spray because he would not stop climbing on furniture.

14

For Kissing Classmate

brothers-1022994_960_720Source: copblock.org, Image: pixabay.com

In 2015, a young student faced an assault charge after he attempted to kiss one of his fellow classmates on a dare. Baltimore County police were called to the scene after they were contacted by officials at Pikesville Middle School and arrested the 13-year-old boy.

13

For carrying a plastic butter knife

Source: sptimes.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.orgSource: sptimes.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org

At a school in Florida an eleven-year-old student was arrested, thrown in jail, and charged with a third-degree felony for bringing a plastic butter knife to school. Not quite sure how a plastic butter knife could harm anyone but the guys in charge went out of their way in this case.

12

For talking on the phone

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In Allentown, Pennsylvania, a fourteen-year-old girl was Tasered in the groin by a school security officer even though she had her hands up in surrender. She was walking along Washington Street after school with two female companions. Police tried to get students to move along with verbal commands. Most listened, but some remained in the middle of the street, talking on phones, texting, or just not moving. You can figure out the rest . . .

11

For bringing the “wrong” meal to school

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A seventeen-year-old honors student in North Carolina named Ashley Smithwick accidentally took her father’s lunch to school. It contained a small paring knife that he normally used to cut up apples. When the school staff discovered the knife, they suspended the honors student for the rest of the year and the police charged her with a misdemeanor.

10

For loving paper airplanes a little too much

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A student in some junior high school in Texas was reportedly arrested in 2009 for throwing paper airplanes in class.

9

For being angry

Source: cnn.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Mindaugas DanysSource: cnn.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Mindaugas Danys

We all remember Haley, the six-year-old girl with temper issues who would often be disruptive at school, throwing objects, hitting administrative personnel, and screaming uncontrollably. On one occasion in 2010 after Haley wouldn’t calm down, a deputy decided to handcuff the forty-pound girl to get her under control.

8

For doodling on a desk

Source: cnn.com, Image: pixabay.com Source: cnn.com, Image: pixabay.com

In 2010, a twelve-year-old girl at a school in Forest Hills, New York, was arrested and marched out of her school in handcuffs because she doodled on her desk. Her “crime” was that she scribbled, “I love my friends Abby and Faith.”

7

For breaking up

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A teenage couple at a high school in Houston poured milk on each other during a fight while they were breaking up. Instead of being sent to the principal, they were arrested and sent to court. Apparently, breaking up in some Houston schools is illegal.

6

For dropping a cake on the floor

Source: gamespot.com, Image: Wikipedia Source: gamespot.com, Image: Wikipedia

A security guard at a school in California broke the arm of a sixteen-year-old girl while arresting her because she left crumbs on the floor after cleaning up some cake that she had dropped.

5

For carrying a lot of money

Source: yahoo.com, Image: pixabay.com Source: yahoo.com, Image: pixabay.com

In Albuquerque a student didn’t get arrested exactly but was forced by the officers to strip down to his underwear while five adults (including the cops) watched. The reason for all this? Well, the unlucky boy had $200 in his pocket.

4

For burping

Source: dailymail.co.uk, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Snake3yesSource: dailymail.co.uk, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Snake3yes

A thirteen-year-old boy got handcuffed and hauled off to a juvenile detention center for burping in class, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed against an Albuquerque (again) public school principal, a teacher, and a city police officer. At the same time the district was also sued by the family of a seven-year-old autistic boy who was handcuffed to a chair.

3

For being inventive

Digital-clock-alarmSource: cnn.com, Image: Wikipedia

A few months ago Ahmed Mohamed (who dreamed of becoming an engineer) went to his high school in Irving, Texas wanting to impress his teacher with the digital clock he’d made from a pencil case. However, the 14-year-old’s day ended not with praise, but punishment, after the school called the police who arrested the boy for allegedly bringing a hoax bomb to school. Following the incident, the police determined Mohamed had no malicious intent and was not charged with any crime.

2

For opening a Christmas gift “early”

Source: ap.org, Image: pixabay.com Source: ap.org, Image: pixabay.com

Even though this twelve-year-old South Carolina boy wasn’t technically arrested in school, we couldn’t leave his case off the list because of how insane it is. This boy was arrested after his mother phoned police to say he had opened one of his Christmas presents early. Police arrived and actually charged the boy with petty larceny for opening an $85 Game Boy against his family’s wishes. Did he at least get to keep the Game Boy?

1

For spraying perfume

Source: theguardian.com, Image: Wikipedia Source: theguardian.com, Image: Wikipedia

Like many young female students, Sarah Bustamantes wanted to look and smell good. Her classmates often told her she smelled bad and made fun of her for being “weird.” So on one of these occasions, twelve-year-old Bustamantes pulled out a bottle of perfume and sprayed herself twice. Unfortunately, an officer who routinely patrols the halls was called in, and Sarah was charged with a criminal misdemeanor and ordered to appear in court.