Normally, we let schools, including the board and administration, do their jobs. We recognize that it is a hard job and that they can’t please everyone. We believe in law and order and in discipline in schools. But every once in a while, a situation comes along in which the punishment is excessive and does not fit the act in question.
Last spring, NEN student Hadley DeFreece was suspended out of school for two days for being in possession of a vaping device. If the school had left it at that, we wouldn’t be writing this editorial. But then, the school proceeded to kick DeFreece off the Missouri A+ Program. Then, in fall of this year, the school proceeded to suspend her from the softball team for three games.
The parents appealed Hadley’s removal, and the school sent a denial email, which they never got. So they didn’t find out until this month. They appealed to the school board, which upheld the dismissal at their board meeting December 17th.
The Missouri A+ Program allows students at A+ Schools, of which Northeast Nodaway is a participant, to get substantial financial aid to high school graduates who attend participating public community colleges, vo-tech schools, or certain private two year vo-tech schools in Missouri in return for fulfilling certain requirements. We get that the program has (and should have) a Good Citizenship clause. But the school has discretion in how it can enforce it, given that there are two layers of appeal involved.
The act in question did not warrant a three game suspension from playing softball. The act not only served to punish Hadley, but the rest of the team as well. The softball team was clearly in shock at the act, starting off at 1-2 and barely won the third game. They were not themselves. After Hadley came back, the team went on to have a successful regular season, but got an early exit from the districts. The district the Bluejays played in was loaded, and any one of four other teams could have won that district. Stanberry, which won that district, finished third at state. But it didn’t help.
Like the A+ program, the MSHSAA Official Handbook has a Citizenship Clause. But it only covers acts which are charged or may be charged by law enforcement. The act in question is an infraction under Missouri Law, and authorities never saw fit to charge it. If charges are not filed, eligibility is contingent on school policies. The school had discretion in enforcing the citizenship policy. The punishments are excessive considering that the act in question is an infraction under Missouri law and only served to punish the rest of the team given that Hadley has always been in good standing with her teammates and coaches throughout her junior high and high school career.
But we are just talking sports. Far more important is the effect the school’s decision will have on Hadley DeFreece’s career. It will be a lot harder for her to pay for her college, graduate from school with manageable or no debt, and find a job which will allow her to live a higher standard of living that her parents.
If it had been a matter of using hard drugs such as methamphetamine or fentanyl, that would be different. Most Possession of Controlled Substance offenses are felonies, require monetary and/or surety bonds in the thousands, can result in imprisonment, and constitutes an automatic firing offense for most employers. But most employers don’t screen employees or prospective employees for smoking or vaping, both of which are legal for adults in Missouri. Why kick a student out of a program for something which most employers don’t care about when screening potential applicants?
If it had been a matter of repeated violations of school policy, that would be different. Like we said at the top of this piece, we are not against school discipline; we are against excessive discipline. Hadley DeFreece had never been in trouble at school for anything.
We are not encouraging anyone to start vaping. It is just as harmful as tobacco, with addiction, reduced lung function, decreased exercise capacity, and heart and respiratory issues. But our society does not view vaping or tobacco use in the same way as, say, hard drugs. School discipline policies should reflect that.
Many of the schools we cover are having trouble getting people to participate in sports this year. In basketball alone, Worth County is down to seven players on the girls side, tying a record low. Northeast Nodaway only has nine boys out for basketball. North Nodaway only has eight girls out for basketball. North Harrison only has six girls out for basketball. Two years ago, Northeast Nodaway would not have had a baseball team if Worth County had not joined it to form a baseball cooperative. It is hard enough for schools to get players to come out for sports and other school activities without excessively punishing those who do come out and who are willing to put in the time and effort to be the best they can possibly be.
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