Cheating Scandal
Have you heard about the Hanover, New Hampshire cheating scandal? Nine students broke into the school to steal some exams. The school called the police. The local authorities investigated and brought criminal charges against the students for the B&E and theft. If the students accept the felony charges, they’ll pay their fines and the issue will be resolved. If they force a trial, the prosecutor has promised to take the charges up a notch to a level that would require some serious jail time.
What I’m surprised about is all the news coverage describing how divided the town is over whether the school should have called the police, whether the students should have been charged with a felony. The parents are complaining right out loud in public about the “draconian” consequences their kids are facing:
If I were 17, I’d be kind of insulted by this controversy. If they don’t charge 17-year-olds for criminal activity -- or if they excuse it by talking about all the pressure -- what does that say about the rest of the 17- and 18-year-olds who are making good choices. If people won’t hold you responsible when you blow it, they can’t really give you credit when you do well, can they? Basically, they’re saying you’re still a child unable to handle real life.
Curious what you think. Should teens get a pass for criminal activity just because they're teens? Is this crime "not as bad" as breaking into a gas station to steal money? Does it matter if these kids are from wealthy or poor families? What does wisdom say about this?
What I’m surprised about is all the news coverage describing how divided the town is over whether the school should have called the police, whether the students should have been charged with a felony. The parents are complaining right out loud in public about the “draconian” consequences their kids are facing:
"What's frightening as a parent is that a 17-year-old makes one little mistake and he's going to have a potential prison sentence," said Jim Kenyon, a columnist for The Valley News, whose son is also accused of acting as a lookout and now attends private school.And reporters are worrying right out loud about whether the kids are under too much academic pressure. “Why else would they go to such extreme measures?” Check out the end of this hard-hitting ABC news video (in the upper right corner).
If I were 17, I’d be kind of insulted by this controversy. If they don’t charge 17-year-olds for criminal activity -- or if they excuse it by talking about all the pressure -- what does that say about the rest of the 17- and 18-year-olds who are making good choices. If people won’t hold you responsible when you blow it, they can’t really give you credit when you do well, can they? Basically, they’re saying you’re still a child unable to handle real life.
Curious what you think. Should teens get a pass for criminal activity just because they're teens? Is this crime "not as bad" as breaking into a gas station to steal money? Does it matter if these kids are from wealthy or poor families? What does wisdom say about this?
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