Student suspended for listing classmates that 'frustrate' her

By The Associated Press

03.28.01

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RENO, Nev. — The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has criticized a 10-day suspension handed down to a Gardnerville girl for compiling a list of classmates with whom she's "frustrated."

Richard Siegel, the ACLU's state president, on March 25 accused Douglas County school officials of overstepping their bounds and overreacting to the recent school shootings in San Diego County.

The Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School student was not taken into custody because a sheriff's investigation last week concluded there was no immediate threat, said school Principal Robbin Pedrett.

The girl did not have access to guns or ammunition, and it's unclear if she directly threatened anyone, Pedrett said. The girl regrets writing the list, she added.

"There's nothing wrong with [school officials] acting on obvious threats," Siegel said. "But this is absolutely absurd. To say someone is frustrated about teachers and students is not making a threat.

"This is a clear violation of her First Amendment rights. We're creating a situation where students can't express themselves in areas where it could very well be therapeutic."

Pedrett defended the suspension March 25, saying sheriff's deputies considered the girl's list of classmates' names enough of a threat to investigate.

The students named on the list are being interviewed and also could face discipline, depending on the outcome of a continuing investigation, she said.

Citing students' right to privacy, the principal declined to discuss specifics about the girl's frustrations.

"It's easy for the ACLU to say something when they don't have 800 students and 42 teachers," Pedrett said. "We don't want a school shooting in our county, and we would rather err on the side of student safety.

"We owe it to our student body to investigate and that's what we're doing. Our concern is to see if she (the suspended student) is safe and the others are safe. We're trying to see how real the threat is."

The suspended girl will be given a hearing after the investigation is completed.

The sheriff's department learned about her list last week after receiving an anonymous tip from a parent.

ACLU officials have long accused school officials of overreacting in such cases, saying a lack of uniform disciplinary guidelines is to blame.

"In the absence of clear guidelines there will be some absurd interpretations as to what constitutes a threat or danger to students," Siegel said.

"We're concerned about both a failure to communicate genuine threats and the enforcement without guidelines where free expression and First Amendment rights are at stake."

But Pedrett said the handling of the incident shows the school's system to prevent violence works.

"We want to make sure our school is absolutely, positively safe. That's the most important thing," she said.