- Sep 6, 2000
- 25,383
- 1,013
- 126
Story link
EUCLID, Ohio -- A seventh-grade Euclid boy was given detentions and suspended from recess for inhaling helium from a balloon while in school. The principal said that the act set a bad example for other students and violated school policy.
Horkan (pictured, below) can't believe the penalty that was handed down at St. Robert Catholic School in Euclid after he grabbed a party balloon in class and inhaled the helium to alter his voice.
The school principal, Mary Pittinger, gave Horkan detentions and suspended him from recess for the three remaining days of the school year. "I asked the principal, 'Didn't you ever do this when you were a kid?'" said Kevin Horkan, Ben's father.
Ben's father said that he was stunned by the punishment leveled against his son and the report suggesting his son abused a foreign substance. "What is his intent? Is it his intent to abuse drugs? Absolutely not. He was just changing his voice. Heck, I've done that in the last two years," Kevin Horkan said.
But Pittinger stands by her punishment, pointing to the warning label on every helium tank that the gas can cause suffocation.
She said that inhaling helium from a party balloon sets a bad example to others students. "There have been instances where children have fainted," she said. "I can't let them see this is an OK thing to do. It's not." Apparently, a child in Washington recently died after inhaling large quantities of helium from a tank.
In protest, Kevin Horkan has pulled his son out of St. Robert for the remainder of the school year. Ben said that he's learned his lesson and is not likely to ever inhale helium again. "Just watch what you're doing," he said. "There (are) some crazy rules out there."
Pittinger doesn't think it's a "crazy rule." She said that students aren't even allowed to bring cough drops into class without permission and that she'll stick to that policy.
EUCLID, Ohio -- A seventh-grade Euclid boy was given detentions and suspended from recess for inhaling helium from a balloon while in school. The principal said that the act set a bad example for other students and violated school policy.
Horkan (pictured, below) can't believe the penalty that was handed down at St. Robert Catholic School in Euclid after he grabbed a party balloon in class and inhaled the helium to alter his voice.
The school principal, Mary Pittinger, gave Horkan detentions and suspended him from recess for the three remaining days of the school year. "I asked the principal, 'Didn't you ever do this when you were a kid?'" said Kevin Horkan, Ben's father.
Ben's father said that he was stunned by the punishment leveled against his son and the report suggesting his son abused a foreign substance. "What is his intent? Is it his intent to abuse drugs? Absolutely not. He was just changing his voice. Heck, I've done that in the last two years," Kevin Horkan said.
But Pittinger stands by her punishment, pointing to the warning label on every helium tank that the gas can cause suffocation.
She said that inhaling helium from a party balloon sets a bad example to others students. "There have been instances where children have fainted," she said. "I can't let them see this is an OK thing to do. It's not." Apparently, a child in Washington recently died after inhaling large quantities of helium from a tank.
In protest, Kevin Horkan has pulled his son out of St. Robert for the remainder of the school year. Ben said that he's learned his lesson and is not likely to ever inhale helium again. "Just watch what you're doing," he said. "There (are) some crazy rules out there."
Pittinger doesn't think it's a "crazy rule." She said that students aren't even allowed to bring cough drops into class without permission and that she'll stick to that policy.
I did it several times as a kid, all my friends have done it, fvcking everyone I know has done it. It's innocent fun. And I have never ever heard anyone getting harmed by it.
Facebook
Twitter