For a change, a school system is not at fault in a case of bureaucratic overkill. We might have added a chewing-out for the kids, if such a thing is still allowed, plus a quiet word to the teacher that leaving a class alone with one's coffee cup or water bottle is asking for it. The teacher, Michael Searles, however, insisted on pursuing the case and asked the local police to press charges. Searles has declined to talk to the press, but the local teachers' union defends his actions.
Revenge is more like it.
These cases of overkill have a way of escalating, and this one has. In addition to the local juvenile justice system, the Rutherford Institute, the same legal foundation that championed Paula Jones' cause, has weighed into the case on the side of the students. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement . We also have a Privacy Policy .