Weapons at School

 

Several months ago Ila found some pepper spray in the lost and found at the school.  I often tell her to check the lost and found after school on the day they are taking things to the DI.  Uniforms can be expensive so I want her to double check for her stuff and if there is anything else that will fit her, grab it.  I figure if they are taking it to the DI that day after school, she can check it just before they leave.  Well she found some pepper spray. By the time Adam and I realized she had it, it had been several months and we thought, actually it is probably good that she carries something like that with her.  Her school is down town and there is a halfway house/apartment complex less than a block away.  There are often homeless people sleeping on the lawn near her school.  

She had been responsible up to that point so why not let her keep it?  Both Adam and I had told her not to mess around with it and she brushed us off and told us she would never do anything like that.  

Last Thursday I received a call from the school.  The Vice Principal asked me to come in and meet with her.  Ila had sprayed her pepper spray at school and it got in someone's eyes.  UGH! 

So I headed to the school.  I was able to talk to Ila before the Vice Principal arrived and Ila told me the story.  She was outside with her friends and she got bored so she sprayed the Pepper spray away from everyone but the wind caught a little bit and a little bit got in her best friends eye and her eyes.  Neither was hurt but her friend over reacted.  A teacher saw that something was happening and came to see what the problem was.  

As we sat with the Vice principal the more I heard the more I felt like this was just a dumb decision and nothing serious, just a learning moment.  The principal agreed but because this is a "weapon" Ila had to be suspended from school for a day.  

ILA SUSPENDED, WHAT?

Adam and I are not happy that she had disobeyed but it was hard to discipline her too much because the trauma and crying she went through in school was more than enough of a consequence.  I ended up having Ila help me clean out the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen on Friday and she couldn't be on the phone with her friends for the weekend.  

She had to check in with the Vice Principal when she returned to school and she reported that she had lost her phone and had to clean the kitchen while she was home.  The vice principal said, "Good, so your parents are taking this seriously."  

Is it bad that I think this was completely blown out of proportion?  Is it bad that I felt like a bad parent if I disciplined her, but I did it anyway because I knew the school would check up on it?  

Well, I think lesson learned on this one.  😐