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| NUMBER 167 | THE NEWSPAPER OF EDUCATION RIGHTS | DECEMBER 1999 |
A 7th-grader at Ponder High School in Denton County, Texas was jailed for five
days for a "scary story" he wrote as an assignment. Christopher Beamons English
class was given a generic beginning and asked to finish a Halloween story about
"Things That Go Bump in the Night."
Despite grammar and spelling errors, Christopher received an "A," plus extra credit for reading the essay aloud in class. The story talked of shooting and killing the teacher and several classmates, and was later brought to the attention of the principal. School district officials notified the Denton County juvenile authorities, who charged Christopher with writing a threatening "terrorist" note. His mother is reportedly contemplating a lawsuit against the school district.  |
