Alexa Gonzalez, a 12-year-old student at Junior High School in Forest Hills, New York was arrested for doodling on her desk. Gonzalez wrote "I love my friendsAbby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" on her desk and was then cuffed in front of her peers later that day. The no tolerance policy was the charge against the young girl. She was later released. However, Alexa's nonviolent crime was not the first. Alexa's case isn't the first in the New York area. One of the first cases to gain national notoriety was that of Chelsea Fraser. In 2007, the 13-year-old wrote "Okay" on her desk, and police handcuffed and arrested her. She was one of several students arrested in the class that day; the others were accused of plastering the walls with stickers.
Clearly, the initial feelings after reading this story was confusion and anger. This "no tolerance" policy was clearly taken too far. To handcuff a 12-year-old girl is ridiculous and abusive. What makes this story newsworthy is the emotions it provokes and the impact it has on the local community. It directly effects the students who have committed such "crimes" and the parents who send their children to these schools.
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To the news values of emotions/human interest and impact (on parents and students), I'd add novelty (this certainly is an unusual story) and maybe even conflict (between the "no tolerance" crowd and the rest of the world).
ReplyDeleteShorter paragraphs, please. Otherwise, this is good.
8.5/10