Ohio Students' Hotel Room Doors Duct-Taped Shut

[DeSwiss]

Ohio students' hotel room doors duct-taped shut

Associated Press
Tue May 20, 7:37 AM ET



MILLBURY, Ohio - Parents have complained to a northwest Ohio school board that a chaperone sealed students in their hotel rooms with duct tape during a high school choir field trip.

At a heated meeting Monday, Michelle Mata told the Lake Local school board in Millbury that the tactic panicked her son during a recent weekend trip to Chicago.

Sylvia Keeler said she may file charges. Her son, Mark Hummel, said he worried he could be trapped during a fire.

School board president Timothy Krugh (kroo) told parents the tape was meant to keep students safe.

Schools Superintendent Jim Witt said the tape would show if students violated curfew but wouldn't have kept them from escaping in an emergency.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_re_us/duct_taped_doors

- Well, now the duct tape people can add one more item to the long list of things that duct tape is good for: lawsuits....
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DeSwiss


http://atheisttoolbox.com/">The Atheist Toolbox

[Hobarticus]

1. What exactly does "sealed" mean, here?

If enough tape was used to actually prevent the door from opening.....yeah, that was dumb.

[DeSwiss]

12. The article wasn't clear on that....

...but this is what passes for the press these days.

- {sigh}

[Hobarticus]

18. You'd think that they'd...oh, I dunno...want to look into that?

:rofl:

[NightWatcher]

2. were they "sealed" or were they used to see if the door was opened?

I have been on several school trips back in the day where they were used to see if the door was opened. It was not a safety issue

[Indenturedebtor]

4. It would take about 5 rolls of tape to seal a door shut

Seriously there is no way the teacher was out there for an hour per door taping doors shut.

[Blue Diadem]

3. See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3313302

It was a small strip of tape that was in NO WAY a safety issue.

[DeSwiss]

11. Oh, heck!

I wouldn't have posted this If I'd known you already had. The next time when an article involves public officials, I'll have to remember to Google "nutfuckery."

[Blue Diadem]

14. Ohh..it wasn't my op. I did like their headline though..

nutfuckery and Ohio do tend to go together.

I like your little blue laughing guy too.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. I'm glad my handlers never thought of that

I can't ever remember going on a school trip where I wasn't out and up to no good. Ah misspent youth.

[Kali]

7. I know!

Wasn't that like at least 50% of the point of going on field trips?

[deadmessengers]

6. Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Let's see - we have parents raising hell about a simple, non-obtrusive method of detecting curfew-breakers. But what would have happened if they DIDN'T have that tape on the door? Kids would have gotten out, probably done something stupid, and then the same parents that are pissing and moaning about the tape would be pissing and moaning about how the school didn't keep their kids safe.

The obvious solution here is to not have a weekend field trip at all. Of course, there would be parents that would complain about that, too.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[SoCalDem]

8. No one had a pocket knife? MY friends would have figured a way out

back when I was in college:)

and the hinges are on the INSIDE of the room:evilgrin:

[BigDaddy44]

9. How about pushing the door open

Its DUCT TAPE. Its not nailed shut. Unless they're using a brand of tape i'm not familiar with, any kid over 50 lbs leaning on the door could have opened it awful fast.

[Goblinmonger]

21. The point is

that you can't seal it back up when you go back in so they know you were out. And if you get your friend to seal it, there has to be one left unsealed.

De-hinging is another deal.

[Wiley50]

10. We used to do this ourselves from the inside to keep Pot Smoke from Wafting into the halls n/t

[uncle ray]

13. ...and the chaperones were the ones who brought the pot.

sorry parents.

[davsand]

15. A towel at the bottom of the door does the same thing.

Smoking in the john with the fart fan on is not a bad option either if you absolutely MUST toke up.


YMMV.


Laura

[DefenseLawyer]

24. I recall once in high school

we took a bus trip of about 70 miles to an art museum. We were allowed to bring "refreshments" on the bus, so we took two liter bottles and replaced part of the contents with the adult beverage of our choice, and passed the bottles around the back of the bus. Art is much more enjoyable for delinquents when they are all liquored up, believe me. Of course that was 25 years ago, they would probably require a portable breath test and a urine sample from everyone exiting the bus these days.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

16. LOL....more of the "My little darlings" society we live in

Kids were pissed their teachers came up with a way to know if they had snuck out, and they blew it up for mommy and daddy. The parents in this country are just getting dumber by the day.

[ladjf]

17. The students were in no danger. But, the tactic was stupid and

demeaning.

[Goblinmonger]

23. Why?

The chaperones are responsible for whatever jackassery the little angels get into. What should they do, sleep in front of the door?

[ladjf]

26. They should hire a director that has some control over the

behavior of his charges.

(former band director of three high schools, and two University Bands, 350 students in the University Bands, 35 years of traveling all over the Country, dozens of bowl games. Never had so much as a lamp broken, anything stolen or complaints from Hotel managers. The worst case, a few drank too much, no chaperons ever, just two directors and 350 college students, no big deal. We treated them as though they had some sense and they did. They would have been very insulted had we brought chaperone's or did some childish stunt like taping the door. I've never ever heard of a sillier attempt at discipline.)

[lame54]

19. Tom Ridge would be proud

[Hekate]

20. I once spent the night in a hotel where there was some kind of high school field trip going on...

Overactive adolescents bounding through the halls, laughing, generally happy and excited.

Then bedtime. Shhhh.

When I came back to my room there were adults sitting in chairs, posted at regular intervals. The chaperones.

No duct tape.

Hekate

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Lemme count the stoopid involved here...

1. the kid ......
Her son, Mark Hummel, high school kid, said he worried he could be trapped during a fire.
He's in High School and having high anxiety over "a piece" of duct tape?
( if common opinion is true that it was a piece)

2. the tape was meant to keep students safe.
Safe from what?
radiation?
under the carpet hallway monsters?
mosquitoes?

Good to know...instead of dead bolt, I can put duct tape on my door at night.

3. Are these "special needs" students?

4. Is Mom a "special needs" Mom?

and lastly,
I really really wanna know what floor they were on.

[treestar]

25. I went on a trip in 8th grade and they didn't have to do stuff like this

If they aren't mature enough to stay in the room, then don't take them on the trip!

[Blue Diadem]

27. A photo at this link of the strip of tape on the door

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/NEWS04/805210397/-1/NEWS

and one of the kids who claimed he couldn't get out, has been suspended from school. He was apparently smoking in the hotel room and the school district received a $250 bill from the hotel for it.