Girl, 10, suspended over peppermint oil

[The Straight Story]

Girl, 10, suspended over peppermint oil


COMMACK, N.Y., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A New York state woman said she wants her 10-year-old daughter's school to apologize for suspending the girl for bringing peppermint oil to class.

Corrine Morton-Greiner said her daughter, fifth-grader Sara, was suspended from John Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School in Commack, N.Y., after bringing peppermint oil to class and sharing a few drops with two friends, WABC-TV, New York, reported Thursday.

"I told them it was just peppermint. You could put it in your water. They asked me for some, and I gave it to them," Sara Greiner said.

However, Morton-Greiner said school officials told her the oil is banned from school and sent a letter home saying Sara would be suspended for one day. She said officials told her they were concerned about other students being allergic to the oil.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/12/24/Girl-10-suspended-over-peppermint-oil/UPI-54391261690896/

[Maat]

1. Ah, it's so nice to homeschool (actually, homestudy) ...

through a school-district-chartered school. I don't have to deal with any of this stupid crap.:)

[theoldman]

2. Here is the problem.

Not enough parents are standing up to these ridiculous rules in school. Just how many people even would know that another person may be allergic to peppermint oil.

[Indenturedebtor]

3. Well if anyone is allergic it could actually kill them

It wouldn't be ok to bring highly concentrated poison to school would it?

[The Straight Story]

4. So what else does it apply to? I think there is something called 'overkill'

Hell, one kid may have swine flu and not know it, maybe they should all just stay home for safety's sake.

There is a reason my daughter is home schooled, well several reasons, but this zero tolerance bs is one of them.

[Indenturedebtor]

7. I don't think she should have been punished. They should have just taken it away

and sent it home with her at the end of the day.

[Maat]

14. Ditto.

It is SO nice to not to have to deal with this type of thing.:)

[Regret My New Name]

5. You can apply that to anything..

Should kids not be allowed to bring peanut butter sandwiches or peanuts to school?

[Indenturedebtor]

9. True. Do you think that it matters that food is neccessary for survival whereas

peppermint oil is not? Again I don't think she should have been punished.

[Regret My New Name]

10. Well I view it similar to if a kid brought some candy...

I think we're probably in a agreement. My main issue is with her being suspended over it.

[Speck Tater]

13. In other words, peanut butter sandwiches must also be forbidden? Give me a break! nt

[Drifter]

24. I would think that at 10 years old ...

they would know they are allergic (especially severe) and know to ask.
Where does it end ?

Cheers
Drifter

[Blue_In_AK]

6. When I was young a long time ago,

we used to get in trouble for bringing cinnamon oil to school. We soaked toothpicks in it and then chewed on them in class. They didn't suspend us, though, just confiscated the oil.

[Regret My New Name]

8. Which is how it should be handled...

Gotta wonder why these school administrators need to be such asses at times.

[earthboundmisfit]

11. Mmmm - I remember that too, in my junior high school days

An old WPA-built school, marvelous old buildings with windows that opened and no screens.
Ah, Spring was the smell of cinnamon oil and stinkbombs...

Burned the heck out of my mouth with those damn toothpicks, but I loved 'em.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. My seventh-grade school was like that,

almost Gothic, but I went to a brand-new ranch-style one for eighth & ninth grades. A side benefit of being a first-wave babyboomer is you got a lot of new schools built for you. :)

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. Yeah I remember that stuff

But if I remember correctly, the paranoia about that stuff was that somebody was afraid the cinnamon oil was spiked with LSD or something, and everybody would be trippin on toothpicks in class.

Never heard any instances of this actually being the case, of course.

[havocmom]

15. grew up in southern Calif in 60s, lots of fear about dangerous drugs

but 'twas the smog that made most of us sick

[Blue_In_AK]

18. I was doing cinnamon earlier than that,

like around 1957 or so, but I'm glad that the tradition lived on. Obviously it was a gateway drug. :hippie:

[rucky]

30. That was my first business venture

a nickel a toothpick. sweet!

[ZombieHorde]

16. Schools are supposed to smart. Recommended.

[KittyWampus]

17. Peppermint oil leads to heroin

[Blue_In_AK]

20. That must be true

since sucking cinnamon oil led to dropping acid. :evilgrin:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7318113&mesg_id=7318336

[hayu_lol]

22. It was kind of a fad back in 51 or so...

pretty expensive, but we did toothpick thing for a while.

True story:

High school graduation, '51. I was a lowly sophomore then, playing trumpet in the school symphony orchestra. We had a ne'r do well 2nd trumpet player who could be counted upon to show up only at the very last minute. Decided to fix his wagon because of all his nonsense. Entry music for the seniors was the Triumphal March from Aida. Starts with a very high trumpet fanfare.

Just before we were ready to start, I coated the 2nds mouthpiece rim with pure cinnamon oil. Sure enough, with the conductor on the podium, here came our little lost sheep...in a hurry, and he grabbed his trumpet and we were on. He managed to get through it, but both the principal and I swore later that we could see smoke coming out of his ears.

The following year, he got to his seat earlier and always checked his instrument over.

School didn't care about stuff like that in those halcyon days of yore.

[KittyWampus]

25. great story.

[Blue_In_AK]

26. As a band geek myself

(flute) that story cracks me up.

[Frosty1]

21. Merry Christmas Straight Story

I enjoy your posts year round.
Thank you

[Lionel Mandrake]

23. Since when is it a punishment to avoid a day of school?

When I was ten, I would have considered it a reward.

[jmm]

27. Every school I went to had rules that needed to be signed so we acknowledged they were read.

If this school did something similar then the time for these parents to complain was before their daughter was suspended. If not then how was she to know bringing it in was wrong? This is hardly up there with the kid that was suspended for bringing a pink water gun to school. Sharing stuff like this could cause serious problems. The school has a duty to make rules clear and parents need to speak up if they disagree with them instead of complaining after their child gets in trouble.

[Trillo]

28. At least her mom is backing her up, letting her know she has at least one friend.

They'll likely both be waiting for that apology until their last days.

[omega minimo]

29. Who the FUCK is allergic to peppermint?

:evilfrown:

[McCamy Taylor]

31. So, do they ban people for bringing peanut butter? More kids are allergic to that.