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: BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog

Vice President removed from office

No, not the Vice President. A class vice president in New Haven, Conn. And you're not going to believe why. The story has all the makings of a real political scandal, that's for sure. BoardBuzz had to chuckle when we read the story on CNN.com. It seems one student's Skittles craving has landed him in hot water.

Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo said the New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a districtwide school wellness policy. Michael's suspension was reduced from three days to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president.

Ouch. And all for a sugar jones. To be sure, schools and states are targets of constant sniping from the other direction that they aren't waging zealous enough campaigns against junk food. And the media often sensationalize stories like this that turn out to be more complicated when you know more of the facts. In this case, our friends at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education note, the state has a strong wellness law that provides schools with an opportunity to get some additional funding if the school or district has a policy of only allowing sales of food items—by anyone—that are on a state-approved list for nutritional standards. But here's the problem: It's the degree of punishment that often makes for the embarrassing headlines. NSBA Council of School Attorneys board member Dean Pickett of Mangum, Wall, Stoops, and Warden in Flagstaff, Arizona said it best years ago: "Zero tolerance for the conduct doesn't mean zero thinking about the consequences." Perhaps the most interesting part of the article includes this tidbit, "Michael says he didn't realize his candy purchase was against the rules, but he did notice the student selling the Skittles February 26 was being secretive." Spoken like a true politician.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on March 13, 2008 (boomark / email).