# Zero-Candy Policies **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210 "2008-03-13T02:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/1 "2008-03-13T02:56:51Z")
Just picked this up from CNN: [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/12/skittles.suspension.ap/index.html](http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/12/skittles.suspension.ap/index.html) " **Story Highlights** # 8th grader Michael Sheridan bought bag of skittles from a classmate last month # That violates school wellness policy, which bans candy sales, spokeswoman says # Sheridan suspended, stripped of his title as class VP, barred from honors dinner # Honors student says he didn’t know about school’s zero-candy policy" Wtf? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/2 "2008-03-13T03:05:03Z")
[QUOTE=Crocodiles And Boulevards] \ # Honors student says he didn’t know about school’s zero-candy policy" Wtf? [/QUOTE] Was the rule listed in the student handbook? If it was, he should be punished. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/3 "2008-03-13T03:15:08Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Was the rule listed in the student handbook? If it was, he should be punished. [/QUOTE] Yes, rules are rules and must be obeyed, regardless of the sense behind them. :rolleyes: Bullshit. Even if it’s in the rulebook, some rules are fucking moronic, and this sounds like one of them. They’re doing something that could damage the guy’s college chances because he bought a bag of candy. The school is dumb enough for instituting a candy ban, and tenfold stupid for suspending a kid for having a bag of Skittles. What crock of shit. That’s not a wellness policy, it’s just an empty exercise in controlling kids’ lives. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/4 "2008-03-13T03:18:20Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Was the rule listed in the student handbook? If it was, he should be punished. [/QUOTE] No, the school should be, for being run by idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/5 "2008-03-13T03:19:08Z")
The article says he was suspended for _buying_ a bag of candy, not _having_ a bag of candy. There is a difference – based on the information in the article, it’s not a “zero-candy policy”, it’s a “no selling your candy” policy. I could see the school wanting to ban students from setting up shop and doing business in the lunchroom. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/6 "2008-03-13T03:29:48Z")
Even if there is a policy against it, suspension is a moronic, out-of-proportion response to an illicit candy purchase. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/7 "2008-03-13T03:36:34Z")
…only outlaws will have candy? ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/8 "2008-03-13T03:50:12Z")
Back in the good old days, before Jr. High was changed to Middle School, There were candy and soda machines in the hallways. Of corse back then we got suspended for wearing Hot Pants with our Platform shoes. And we liked it. Now get off my lawn, it’s my baseball now. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/9 "2008-03-13T03:50:28Z")
Candy doesn’t kill people; school administrators do. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/10 "2008-03-13T04:00:56Z")
**Garfield226** raises an extremely salient point. The school’s [del]“wellness policy”[/del] (oops, sorry **Cosmic Relief** ) **wellness policy** forbids selling candy. It doesn’t forbid buying candy. Young Master Sheridan, ISTM, is in the clear. Whom did he buy the candy from? _That’s_ the culprit who should be barred from the rubber chicken dinner. And should be stripped of his class vice presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/11 "2008-03-13T04:04:02Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] They’re doing something that could damage the guy’s college chances because he bought a bag of candy. [/QUOTE] While the rule is moronic, and the punishment ridiculously overblown, I think it’s highly unlikely that any college is going to give a shit about middle school extracurriculars. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/12 "2008-03-13T04:14:27Z")
Wellness policy? Down here we’d get busted for “selling goods without a business liscence or prior board fund-raiser approval” (it’s happened before, numerous times). Seriously… a WELLNESS POLICY? I thought those were only supposed to be used for “turning off vending machines at lunch time, to [del]force you to buy school lunches and give us money instead of the vending companies[/del] protect your health.” [QUOTE=Q.E.D.] No, the school should be, for being run by idiots. [/QUOTE] Too bad the official legal philosophy regarding this boils down to “If it’s constitutional we’re not touching it. It really is stupid though. Vote better next time kthxbai.” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/13 "2008-03-13T05:07:41Z")
What the hell? The zero-tolerance nutjobs are cracking down on _Skittles_ sales now? What the hell kind of sick draconian fucks are responsible for this mentality? Is every elementary and middle school run by fascists now, who get off on making children feel bad for having an aspirin or a bag of candy? What the hell is wrong with our culture that this isn’t even surprising? [QUOTE=Jragon] Seriously… a WELLNESS POLICY? I thought those were only supposed to be used for “turning off vending machines at lunch time, to [del]force you to buy school lunches and give us money instead of the vending companies[/del] protect your health.” [/QUOTE] I don’t mean to poison the well here, but are you seriously proposing that Lay’s and Coca-Cola is a better lunch for a nation of obese children than what’s being cooked up in the cafeteria? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/14 "2008-03-13T05:15:04Z")
Of course, we all know that selling candy is just a gateway activity. By high school, he’ll be selling black-tar heroin, in college, he will put his kid sister’s virginity on eBay, and after that, he will reach a final low of lows and pitch Amway. The humanity! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/15 "2008-03-13T05:27:16Z")
Could be worse. Could be Shaklee. That’s a joke. In truth, I’m not really sure what Shaklee is… ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/16 "2008-03-13T05:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Could be worse. Could be Shaklee. That’s a joke. In truth, I’m not really sure what Shaklee is… [/QUOTE] Another line of soap and household crap that people peddle to their families and neighbors while building a pyramid of sales folks to lather, rinse, and repeat. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/17 "2008-03-13T05:46:50Z")
Ok, I don’t know the details at that specific school, but there are very, very specific rules and standards for schools that are getting government assistance if a certain percentage of students are on the free and reduced lunch program. Among other things, students cannot have access to soda (water, tea, gatorade-type stuff only at lunch and in the machines), and schools are banned from selling certain types of candy and foods. Yes, it is a wellness policy that the government puts in place for schools. It’s a pain in the ass, because my club’s biggest fund-raiser was gourmet lollipops, but it’s the trade-off - if the government is going to pay for the kids’ food, it has the right to tell the kids what they’re allowed to eat. Or something. Anyway, the law is definitely there, and we get hammered on it every year during orientation because the punishments are severe. It’s different state by state, it seems, but, for example, New York’s is: “From the beginning of the school day until the end of the last scheduled meal period, no sweetened soda water, no chewing gum, no candy including hard candy, jellies, gums, marshmallow candies, fondant, licorice, spun candy and candy coated popcorn, and no water ices except those which contain fruit or fruit juices, shall be sold in any public school within the State.” This kid (and the kid who sold the candy) could possibly - like I said, I don’t know what the situation is in that school - cost the school a huge amount of money in fines and withdrawn monies (the government really doesn’t take excuses into account). Yes, suspension seems extreme, and it wouldn’t be the direction that I would go, but **if** this particular rule is in the student handbook, and **if** that was the stated punishment in the student handbook, then I have no problem with the suspension. > [@Hostile Dialect](#): > > Is every elementary and middle school run by fascists now, who get off on making children feel bad for having an aspirin or a bag of candy? Sorry, but you’re way off on the aspirin. All it takes is one ignorant kid (and you know what, there are apparently a lot of ignorant kids who don’t know the rules, based on the amount of RO threads when yet another kid breaks a rule and actually gets punished for it) to give a friend an aspirin, not knowing that the other kid is allergic to it. Or taking the wrong dosage at the wrong time under the wrong circumstances. Any medication on campus should be administered by the nurse, so there is no reason for a kid to be carrying it around. Especially at young ages. Telling kids not to bring aspirin to class is a safety and liability issue, not a fascist one. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/18 "2008-03-13T05:51:04Z")
[QUOTE=athelas] …only outlaws will have candy? [/QUOTE] Betty Sue, fetch me my gun and that bag of Almond Roca! :spits tobacco: ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/19 "2008-03-13T06:43:01Z")
Tasting the rainbow is just one step away from chasing the dragon. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210/20 "2008-03-13T13:39:53Z")
School officials have changed their minds: [QUOTE=New Haven Register] On Wednesday, public school officials agreed to expunge a one-day suspension for Michael Sheridan, an eighth-grader who was punished for buying a $1 bag of candy, against district policy, in Sheridan Communications and Technology Magnet School. The Skittles seller also had his record cleared. After meeting with Michael’s parents, Sheridan Principal Eleanor Turner agreed to erase suspension records and allow Michael to resume his post as Student Council vice president. [/QUOTE] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zero-candy-policies/441210.md?page=2)