Student Arrested for Writing Essay

mcgrew writes "The Chicago Tribune reports that an eighteen year old straight-A High School student was arrested for writing an essay that 'disturbed' his teacher. Even though no threats were made to a specific person, 18 year-old Allen Lee's English teacher convened a panel to discuss the work. As a result of that discussion, the police were called in. 'The youth's father said his son was not suspended or expelled but was forced to attend classes elsewhere for now. Today, Cary-Grove students rallied behind the arrested teen by organizing a petition drive to let him back in their school. They posted on walls quotes from the English teacher in which she had encouraged students to express their emotions through writing.'"

Re:The arresting officers

[Anonymous Coward]

So you're advocating a zero-tolerance policy towards the enforcers of ridiculous zero-tolerance policies? That's pretty recursive, don't you think?

It was all a misunderstanding

[vivaoporto]

It was all a misunderstanding. The student was clearly using the new Speech to Text feature on Windows Vista. Below is the quote that disturbed the teacher:

Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all

Re:Nice reporting Chicago Tribune

[godscent]

Clearly, the essay was so disturbing, that if the Chicago Tribune posted it, the Chicago Tribune would be arrested, too.

Re:Why do their grades matter

[j00r0m4nc3r]

First they're against GTA and GHB, and then GMO, now GPA. What's next, GIF and GMT?

Re:Understandable?

[Deagol]

Just be glad they weren't the kind of ruffians who point chicken nuggets and people. Those things a dangerous, and your buddies would have, rightly so, spent a night in the county lock-up for such brazen disregard for people's well-being.

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[Chosen Reject]

From the article:

However, Virginia Tech's actions toward Cho came under heavy scrutiny after the killings because of the "disturbing" plays and essays teachers say he had written for classes.

Finally, games are out of the lime light just like rap, rock and roll, movies and comic books used to be. The new evil ill in our society will be plays and essays. I can't wait for them to go after Andrew Lloyd Weber. That guy is dangerous.

Re:The arresting officers

[EatHam]

ohferchrissake, don't mod me insightful, I didn't either. And if the essay were there, I wouldn't have read that either.

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[Rei]

Hey, have you ever gotten a paper cut? Know how much that hurts? Now, that just takes perhaps an inch of paper edge. An 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper has 39 times that much paper-cut potential. In a ten page essay, you're looking at almost 400 times the amount of pain that could be inflicted. Then, what if he figures out a way to make multiple cuts with the same section of paper edge? We're talking lethality potential.

I'm really scared for the future of our country when kids these days are walking around with essays. I hear that Mexicans go around with them all the time, too.

Don't even get me started on pens. We'd be safter if kids brought swords to class instead.

Re:The arresting officers

['nother poster]

They won't be since they will be in jail. I'm sure some reader/viewer found a piece of their work disturbing therefore "they gots some jail time a comin'" for disturbing their peace.

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[the_lesser_gatsby]

Status Quo never wore black leather.

Re:The arresting officers

[Red Flayer]

Yes... the point is to cause a stack-overflow and crash the governmental system.

Re:The arresting officers

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey we're not modding you 'Knowledgeable'

Re:The arresting officers

[Spokehedz]

Your comments disturb me.

SECURITY! Bring me the forms that I need to fill out to have her removed from the Central Bureaucracy!

Re:Well there you go...

[Hognoxious]

Believing that students will do everything they write about is as stupid as believing that playing Counter Strike will make you a murderer.

I'm Jack Thompson, you insensitve clod!!!!

Re:Freedom? What freedom?

[thomas.galvin]

Why can the government tell me how (or if) I should dress?

This is why [google.com]

Re:That could only happen if...

[trewornan]

If it was a Microsoft product the governmental system would have blue screened years ago.

Re:Freedom? What freedom?

[wurp]

Man, why you gotta dis my lifestyle?

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[jacksonj04]

In some parts of the US, it's also known as "Science Textbook".

Re:The arresting officers

[C0rinthian]

SILENCE! I concur!

Re:Racist Reaction?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was having a herpes flare-up you insensitive clod!

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[Zantetsuken]

Police! Police! This man is clinically insane! he thinks shit is sacred!

Re:The arresting officers

[Anonymous Coward]

I have never seen such a truckload of bullshit wasting a sheet of paper. Perhaps they shouldn't arrest him for conspiracy, but he sure deserves severe punishment for maiming the harmless English language and spitting out such crazy rantings. When someone said the new enemy would be essays I was afraid literature would suffer, but this text is to literature what you singing in the bathroom is to opera. ;-)

Now seriously: How come this guy is a Straight-A student???? I am afraid the average level of intelligence has dropped dramatically there in the US....

Re:Knee-jerk reaction to Virginia Tech

[psykocrime]

At least the Bible tries to teach you the virtues you should follow.

Sure it does, if you consider rape, murder, incest, slavery, ethnic killings, torture, etc. to be "virtues."

Re:The arresting officers

[jZnat]

Maybe the Grammar Police arrested him. :D

Re:The arresting officers

[Jon Luckey]

Ok, this is the essay in question.

Could have been worse.... It might have mentioned ZOMBIES [theregister.co.uk]!