High School No-Nos

All the talk around my neighborhood of late has been the fracas that took place at Perry Hall High School last week. Of course, there is video of the roiling crowd, showing some kids slugging other kids around, and a bunch of others pushing and shoving and one kid walking on the perimeter toting what appears to be an assault rifle of some sort.

Someone who was on the parking lot while all this took place pulled out their phone and video'ed it, and it was on the local news within a minute or two.  And soon, everyone in town was weighing in.

You can see the story here as Channel 2 covered it. The student who had the rifle, which turned out to be a air gun that shoots only pellets, was identified as Darren Bennett, Jr. He spent a weekend as a guest of the Baltimore County Detention Center, having recently had the misfortune of turning 18 befall him. 

And when he was released on no bail (but given a 10 PM curfew!) it was because he showed up in court accompanied by his attorney, Landon White, who told the court that young Bennett is a leader on the campus, captain of the football team, and an AP student who has been accepted by many colleges.

White also said that, "Bringing an air pistol to school is a no-no."

Really! He said that, in court, before a judge.  This is the same school of practicing law that says to dress up your clients in pullover sweaters and eyeglasses, to make them seem less threatening, or more childlike.


"It's a no-no."

Once the judge was finished chortling at that, he released the defendant Bennett pending trial on three charges: possession of a dangerous weapon on school property, disturbing school operation, and disturbing the peace.

We see the dichotomy that prevails when we deal with today's troubled adolescents. On one hand, we count the ways in which they are adults - over 18, a fine student, football hero, accepted by colleges, no record.

On the other hand, anyone who defines "leader" knows that a true campus leader is not one who takes part in a schoolyard melee, but, rather, would be taking part in breaking it up and restoring order.

It says here that a person who a) had a facsimile of a deadly weapon in his vehicle at school and b) brandished that weapon during an altercation is a person who demonstrated poor judgement that afternoon, and should finish the rest of his senior year elsewhere.

If he is seen parading around the halls of his erstwhile school after this, all the other students in Perry Hall and other schools around the county will see that as tacit approval of bringing out a fake gun to stir up even more trouble at a school where the administration seems not to have found a way to keep things orderly.