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Students suspended for anti-drunk-driving shirts
Filed under: Teens, Alcohol & Drugs, Day Care & Education, Decor
I guess it's something about the back-to-school season. Maybe students are testing the system for the new year to see what's okay and what isn't. Testing boundaries is, of course, part of growing up and figuring out what's socially acceptable and what isn't. Often, the tests come in the form of images or slogans on t-shirts, such as the one promoting tolerance of homosexuality.Sometimes, it's clear -- to us adults -- that the shirt is inappropriate and sometimes it's hard to tell. Sometimes, though, you just have to wonder what's going through the minds of the adults charged with maintaining those boundaries. Such is the case of some high school seniors in Illinois who were suspended for wearing shirts that they made in response to an accident last February that claimed the lives of four students from the school. The driver of the vehicle was allegedly drunk at the time of the accident. The shirts say "Seniors .08" on the front -- a reference to the legal limit of blood alcohol content for drivers -- and "Don't Blow It" on the back.
Two students were suspended when they refused change their shirts or turn them inside out. "Those were my really good friends [who died in the crash]," said seventeen-year-old Katie Kusnierz, one of the two students who were suspended. "I decided I wanted to get this shirt to say drinking and driving is bad. Don't do it."
Officials didn't see it that way, however. "That certainly was not the message that the vast majority of students [wearing the shirts] had indicated," said Principal Mike Wayne. "They seemed to know they were pushing the envelope with that shirt. I think it could be interpreted as promoting drinking." Sure, it could be interpreted that way, if you start assuming all your students are troublemakers just looking to get wasted as soon as they can.
On the other hand, you could look at what happened to their schoolmates and give them the benefit of the doubt. You know, maybe, take them at their word? I'm just sayin'.











ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-06-2007 @ 3:31PM
SKL said...I agree it was inappropriate because, unless the drinking age there is unusually low, it's illegal for high school seniors to have .08 or .0anything (unless they are with their parents). By saying this logo is a positive message to teens, you are saying teen drinking is OK, which is contradictory to the law. If that is OK, why not also allow shirts that say "drink Miller beer"? Just adding "oh, but not to many cans" doesn't negate the message.
I'm sure there are other messages that the teens could have chosen that don't indicate that illegal drinking in moderation is OK.
If teens continue to raise a big stink over every banned t-shirt, the schools will simply ban all t-shirts and all logos. Some restraint would be advisable on the students' part, in my opinion.
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10-06-2007 @ 9:02PM
Michele W said...the drinking age varys from state to state and some of them it is as low as 16 years of age. So I dont see anything wrong with the shirt if that is one of the places where the legal age is young. Any shirt that says drinking and driving is bad should be praised. I believe there should be no bars alloud to be open because you obviously drink and drive everytime you step out of the bar. Yea the shirt can be read as differnt things but what it means to you might not be what it really means. This is something that they should be encouraging their students to participate in stuff like this at a young age to get the message acrossed. If you find the shirt offensive then you must not of lost a loved one to a drunk driver. It is ignorant to say they did something wrong when they were doing something for the good of their friends dieing. maybe more people do need to see it. My cousin who was only 28 was killed almost 2 years ago by a drunk driver at 5:45 in the morning. She was on her way to the hospital she worked at to get a pregnancy test done to confirm what she already knew that she was pregnant. This was no ordinary pregnacy either. She had suffered from endomitriosis her whole life and was told she would never be able to get pregnant. She had to get a life saving operation when a large tumor ruptured in her overie and the specialist did such a great job she was given the go ahead that she possibly could get pregnant now. A child is all she ever wanted. Since we were little she knew she wanted kids. We were only 8 months apart and pretty much lived beside each other and were like sisters our whole life. You couldnt get any closer than we were. Any ways the point is on her way to the hospital 5:45 AM she was hit and forced into oncoming traffic lane by this woman and an innocent lady on her way to work hit and killed my cousin. The lady was 3X over the limit! My cousin was dead, her baby was dead and an innocent woman has to now live with this for the rest of her life. all because this woman was drinking and driving. Going to the cemetary at 5:45 in the morn and drunk off her ass. I lost someone and so did those kids and if that is how they want to show respect and try to keep it from happening again then good for them. That school should be ashamed of themselves. I have a shirt that has my cousins picture on it and under it it says Killed by a drunk driver. That is why they make billboards with the same thing on it so people can see it. everybody reads shirts. I just hope these kids dont give up and continue the fight against drinking and driving. They are worried about saving lives when the school is worried about fashion.
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10-06-2007 @ 11:58PM
Roger Sinasohn said...The driver in the accident (to which the shirt was a response) was 23 -- legal just about every where, far as I know. So on the one hand, they're saying make sure no one drinks and drives.
On the other hand, you have a good point -- high school kids are too young to have any BAC other than 0.00. Realistically, however, that's not the case for a noticeable percentage of the student body, in which case, perhaps "if you're going to drink, at least do it responsibly" is better than saying "don't drink!" and pretending they won't.
As for banning T-shirts, I can tell you that when I was in high school I would have been totally in favor of banning shirts, especially for a certain portion of the student, ahem, body. (In fact, I can think of a few student bodies in particular... 8^)
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10-07-2007 @ 12:58AM
SKL said...Roger, the decision whether to allow a shirt promoting illegal activity should not turn on whether or not some percentage of the kids are going to break the law anyway.
I like the idea of the T-shirt mentioned by Michele W - e.g., Killed by Drunk Driving. This in no way implies that it's OK for high school seniors to drink any amount; yet it gets the point across about the consequences of irresponsible drinking and driving. I am sure kids could come up with hundreds of equally acceptable logos.
Furthermore, I'm sure that if the school endorsed the shirts, there would be a lot of parents up in arms about their kids getting the message at school that underage drinking is fine as long as they limit the number of drinks.
Finally, how many high school kids are both (a) irresponsible enough to illegally drink and (b) responsibile enough to know which drink will put them over .08? Is this message really likely to save any lives? I think not.
I am inclined to believe that the kids involved had good intentions. However, once it was brought to their attention that their shirt was not acceptable to the school administration, they should have complied with the rules. I have no sympathy regarding their punishment, and I am rather tired of hearing about these constant fights between unruly children and their frustrated educators.
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