School officials have suspended a 10-year-old girl in New York for bringing peppermint oil to the John Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School and giving drops to her fifth grade friends to flavor their water. The Commack School District insists that the oil “is an unregulated over-the-counter drug.”
The peppermint-laden drug dealer is Sara Morton-Greiner. She was suspended for one day.
Now many would argue that this could have been handled as an innocent mistake and the girl given a reprimand and letter for her parents. But peppermint oil has long been recognized as a gateway flavor to Spearmint for “Mento-heads.” Their sweet smelling breath is an well-known indicator of an underground mint-based drug economy at schools. When Sara is clean and her breath is stale, she can resume her education.
For the full story, click here.
What’s that old saying??? Spear the mint–spoil the child?
The Commack School District insists that the oil “is an unregulated over-the-counter drug.”
Common sense insists that the Commack School District “is unregulated over-the-counter stupid.”
(Elaine, it’s hard to write scathing criticism when you keep making me spit-take coffee. I’m not complaining, mind you. Just an observation.)
Elaine M.,
That was good. Now, I guess the reason that they have such a problem with it is, that its one of those Homeopathic Remedies. Can’t have no queers and steers in Up State New Yerk.
The Commack School District administration is full of empty brain cavities on legs. The poorest excuses for humanity should never be associated with anything considered remotely educational.
AC,
They are educational. Sew how your education has worked for ewe?
“I are qualified 2B a teechur ore principle. XXOOXXOO”
After reading this spectacular cover letter, the applicant was hired as head of the Commack School District School Board.
What’s that old saying??? Spear the mint–spoil the child?
________
Now that is funny.
Oh, when will this “zero tolerance” stupidity end?
When I attended Warren G. Harding Junior High School, lo these many years ago, the “hip” treat was toothpicks soaked in cinnamon oil.
Now for whatever reason the school authorities looked askance on our “cinnamon toothpicks” and confiscated toothpicks and oil whenever discovered. But no one was ever expelled.
Well, I guess that little Ms. Sara won’t be a’knockin’ on the school house door a’ peddlin’ that dangerous drug *Cinnamon* using language that even them Commack schoolmarms can understand.
“One potato, two potato, three potato, four
Open up, Cinnamon, I want more
Five potato, six potato, seven potato, eight
Give it to me, Cinnamon, I can’t wait”
Written and sung by the late, great 50s/60s singer/songwriter Johnny Cymbal (Mr. Bass Man)
My first time commenting, but as winter break draws to a close and I am in the process of flipping the switch on my law school brain back into the “on” position, I feel compelled to chime in.
Specifically, the school district’s contention that peppermint oil is an “unregulated over-the-counter drug” is kinda nonsensical. If a drug is available “over-the-counter,” then it very much is regulated. For a drug to be OTC, the FDA must first determine that it is safe to use without physician supervision. That’s what OTC means.
I’ve read that mice don’t like the smell of peppermint and that many people soak balls of cotton with the oil and place them in corners of their abodes in order to keep the little critters out.
Take your kids out of public schools, if possible… unless you want them to grow up as the modern “typical paranoid American”
I have lived outside the states since 1990 and every time I go back to visit the people are more and more paranoid, and very misinformed… misinformed by the MSM… I guess since what, 40% of Americans are illiterate, they can’t read the REAL news on the internet?
40% of kids don’t graduate in the US? And terrorism is the Govt/Mafia’s main concern?
You are aware that 54% of the taxes you pay goes to the military?
HEY, FELLOW AMERICANS! Listen Up! You already live in a socialist country! Military, schools, fire, police, soc security, medicare, now health care… all socialism.
And you already live in a FASCIST STATE as well… the definition of fascism is the government joining with corporations, when the corporations profit, they keep the money, when the corporations fail, the citizens bail them out!
We’re being forced to buy health insurance… what’s next, are they gonna force us to buy GM cars?
Move out of the states for a while, when you return, you will notice a big difference, and you probably won’t want to return to live there.
I have lived in 3 former soviet controlled countries, and there is more freedom in these countries than there currently is in the states!
Our leniency and tolerance for abberant behavior has gone on for too long! I say suspend the girl – and instill checkpoints at school for other dealers. There’s nothing innocent about a Junior Mint
Nothing is more helpless and irresponsible than a kid in the depths of a Junior Mint binge.
Sure . . . it starts with the Junior Mints.
Before long?
York Peppermint Patties.
When that’s not enough?
Speedballs made with York’s and Girl Scour Thin Mint Cookies. With a milk chaser.
When will the madness end!
Yep – let the kid bring peppermint oil to school now and she’ll move on to the hard stuff later: cinnamon! The kids are out of control! Sigh.
Well you could always buy an anarchistic cookbook and see how to make things for a warm evening around the fire. Like peanut shells etc.
Yes they can lead to harder substances.
LOL.
From the original article:
“The label says ’Caution, keep out of the reach of children,’”
Yes, this qualifies as something she shouldn’t have brought to school, drug or no.
Because the label said so? So much for independent thought and free will.
When I was a kid, a popular self-made treat among my classmates was toothpicks soaked in cinnamon oil. No one got hurt. No one died. They did enjoy some flavor while in classes though. And we were using pointy sticks – inherently dangerous.
It is possible to protect children too much. Sheltering children too much is almost as bad as abandoning them: both have negative consequences.
This is one of those cases.
It’s not a drug. It’s not toxic. I suspect the only way to hurt someone with peppermint oil is to put in their eyes (which would sting, but you could flush the eyes) or to drown them in it. So unless this little girl was holding down classmates and giving them the “Peppermint Torture”? It’s still a gross overreaction by school officials based on ignorance and fear.
Thom, I shouldn’t have brought my puppy to school once in the first grade, but does that mean I needed to be suspended or just educated to the reasons why puppies and school don’t mix?
Children shouldn’t do a lot of the things they do. Should they be treated as criminals for innocent mistakes that hurt no one, though?
@Revolution News:
Keep in mind, this is Commack, Long Island. Long Island school districts are among the best in the country- I know, I grew up a few miles from Commack. The public schools are almost universally better than the private ones.
They’ve just gone overboard with the zero tolerance thing. It’s politics, a way to make sure no one at the school has any liability whatsoever should someone do something stupid. Because on LI there would isntantly be parents suing the school- lots of them.
I AM EMBARRASED TO SAY I WORK FOR THE COMMACK SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHEN YOU READ ABOUT SOMETHING AS IDIOTIC AS THIS. IF THE OFFENCE SARAH COMMITTED WAS SO SERIOUS, HOW COME SHE ONLY GOT ONE DAY SUSPENSION??
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