by Ashley Singh

Created on: November 03, 2010   Last Updated: November 06, 2010

Students should not be reprimanded through detention for a natural bodily function. Plain and simple. It is absolutely ludicrous for a student to be deterred from after school programs such as practice, meetings, or even family time, and to sit in detention because they passed gas on a bus.

Some may argue that there may be particular cases where a child may be doing this with purpose of distracting the driver and it becoming dangerous. If that be the case, then should kids that don't shower receive detention as well? Are they not emitting a foul odor as well? Should they be told to whisper to each other on the school bus, as a loud shriek or obnoxious giggle may distract the driver? Granted the safety of the driver is always important, especially so when children are involved, however if you are going to nitpick down to flatulence's, then you need to encompass all other silly nuances. 

Kids have a special sense of humor. The idea of passing gas can be hilarious to the majority - at the expense of the one who dealt it. Often times it is not on purpose and they are embarrassed of doing so. There are always the special few who don't possess a certain tact or censor and will release gas to cause a riot and be quite proud. Now, if we were to make such a rule based on those few gassy cases, we would be adding yet another embarrassment on top of those kids that aren't among those few. Not only will they be reddened by the children on the bus, but they will now be punished for something that was accidental and will harbor unnecessary resentments and anxieties. 

By having this in effect, children will not "fear" detention nearly as much. The same child that was caught ditching a class to hang out with the wrong crowd, will be sitting next to the kid that farted on the bus? Where do you draw the line as to what deserves detention? If my child blew her nose in the back of the room and it created a funny sound, should she be kicked out of class for distractions because the majority of the kids giggled at her?

For the sake of children, sanity, and plain sensibility, don't ever let this rule pass.

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