Teen punished for helping drunk friend

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Before I can really have an opinion I need to know more than what is written in that article, such as:

How many minutes with regard to "Minutes after Cox showed up at the party to give her friend a lift home, police showed up, according to the Cox family's attorney, Wendy Murphy."  5?  10?  30?  45?

If she was there for any longer than just to "pick up a drunk friend", she was attending the party.  If one's purpose is to be a taxi-cab, there would have been no need to go inside, at all.

Also, the misleading vividness fallacy evident in statements such as: "By punishing Erin Cox, the North Andover School District sends a contrary and very dangerous message -- that young people are better off letting their friends drive drunk," Murphy said in a statement to ABC News." are completely ridiculous.  

Some could also say that picking her friend up to give her a ride, when intoxicated, sends a message that it is OK to drink when underage, as long as you have a sober friend to call, which is a misleading vividness fallacy of equally ridiculous proportions

Perhaps the zero-tolerance rule is ridiculous.  Apparently, the school does not want their athletes drinking underage or being near a situation where alcohol is being consumed by underage persons.  Fair enough, it is their school, they can make the rules.  The problem is that this young volleyball player agreed to the terms when deciding to play volleyball at this school.

Her friend had other options such as:  don't drink, call a parent, call a cab , possible spend the night, call a different friend, etc.  This young lady could have called someone else, that didn't play volleyball, to pick her friend up.  There were other options available, I refuse to believe that there weren't.
We are also assuming that her friend actually drove to that party...

As others have said, there is more to the story than is told in that article.

Since when is attending a party illegal? If you need to drive a long distance to the party and back it's often most convenient to attend the party instead of driving back home. And who said you can't party sober anyway?

[JOACH1M]

wow...i cant count on my hands how many times i took a drunk or friends home from a party... let alone 2 of those being pulled over and the officer not heckling me one bit over it...

[BreakingBad]

Helping someone in the commission of a crime?

Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Remember this next time an under age drunk asks you for a ride home.

Wrong.  Giving an underage person who's drunk a ride is not a crime.  Buying them alcohol is another story, or providing a place for them to drink on your property as well.  Common sense here please.

[Bodhi]

Wow, that story is so typical of today's (sic) "journalism".

It presents the teen's side of the story, not anything else other than the "zero" tolerance policy the school has for alcohol.  Too many questions to answer before any judgement is passed.

[BreakingBad]

Wow, that story is so typical of today's (sic) "journalism".

It presents the teen's side of the story, not anything else other than the "zero" tolerance policy the school has for alcohol.  Too many questions to answer before any judgement is passed.

No, not really.  Although in today's world there is an endless amount of handwringing to call it like you see it.  Here the statement from the superintendent Kevin Hutchinson:

"While some may decry the Administration’s actions as unfair or inconsistent with the principles of due process, our Administration wholeheartedly disagrees. To be clear, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that participation in interscholastic athletics is a privilege. Rather than simply revoking the privilege, our Administration has consistently afforded its student-athletes a reasonable opportunity to be heard before a disciplinary decision is made"

All he has to say is 'gee, it's legal for us to suspend her so that is just what we did'....

This is where common sense needs to be applied.  If the girl goes to a restaurant where beer is served, is that also a zero tolerance issue? 

[Tank-Ace]

Not a crime.

Neither is being drunk.  Possessing alcohol or buying or selling alcohol to a minor is.  I don't know what Gestapo state you may live in but come on what's wrong with helping out a friend?

Apparently being drunk under age is a crime in Arizona.

Now I know I didn't make great decisions here, but.... I was issued an MIC at the hospital. I had smacked my after falling from my long board, my friends dragged me in to get my head looked at, and the cop slaps me with a court date.

[homersipes]

I dont agree with underage drinking at all, but when I was in high school I attended several parties where underage kids were drinking, I dont drink, never have so I was one of the few sobers there, but none the less there and having a good time.  We had the cops show up at one and arrested quite a few kids, except for the few sobers   we were just told to go home.  As far as the school, I feel they have WAY too much power these days.  I dont feel like its ANY of their business what any student does on their own time, should be between parents and kids.  This story for example
http://www.webpronews.com/high-school-senior-expelled-for-twitter-f-bomb-2012-03
this sort of thing takes someone to be watching what kids do and not just the parents watching  

[VonMessa]

Since when is attending a party illegal? If you need to drive a long distance to the party and back it's often most convenient to attend the party instead of driving back home. And who said you can't party sober anyway?

Good thing she wasn't charged with a crime, just repercussions from her school.

[Hajo]

Group of us older gents were discussing current topics including this one.  We all decided we are glad to be "on the back nine"

of our lives.  Common sense has been lost.  It ain't gonna get better.

[AAJagerX]

Good thing she wasn't charged with a crime, just repercussions from her school.

She was issued a summons for minor in possession.

"Erin Cox, was suspended for five games and stripped of her captaincy of the volleyball team at North Andover High School for the incident two weeks ago. She received a call from a drunk friend at a party. When she arrived police were already there making arrests and handing out summonses to everyone at the party for underage drinking.  Cox was given a summons even though she hadn’t been drinking and at least one officer had vouched for her sobriety. The school acted because it has a zero tolerance policy for drinking."

The charge probably won't stick, but she DID get charged for MIP.

[Dichotomy]

*shakes head and walks slowly away*

[JOACH1M]

It's called looking out for your friends. You don't leave your friends out, you help them when they are in need. Hell if she's didn't take her home should could have fell face first a died in a ditch or from puke... Only to be punished for potentially saving a friends life.

[Bodhi]

No, not really.  Although in today's world there is an endless amount of handwringing to call it like you see it.  Here the statement from the superintendent Kevin Hutchinson:

"While some may decry the Administration’s actions as unfair or inconsistent with the principles of due process, our Administration wholeheartedly disagrees. To be clear, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that participation in interscholastic athletics is a privilege. Rather than simply revoking the privilege, our Administration has consistently afforded its student-athletes a reasonable opportunity to be heard before a disciplinary decision is made"

All he has to say is 'gee, it's legal for us to suspend her so that is just what we did'....

This is where common sense needs to be applied.  If the girl goes to a restaurant where beer is served, is that also a zero tolerance issue? 

I am not going to play a game with you.  If you can not see the multitude of unanswered questions in the article (such as whether she left immediately from the party) and a host of other questions, than no amount of discussion with you is going to make you see things reasonably.

[mechanic]

The title of this thread most likely affords many NSFW google video results

[sunfan1121]

The title of this thread most likely affords many NSFW google video results