High School: The Sacred and the Profane

 

Ah, the curse of swearing. In one Connecticut school district it’ll get you a bona fide appearance ticket and a $103 fine.

The Hartford Courant reports that at Windsor High School a foul mouth runs afoul of the law, and will result in a very real legal infraction for creating a public disturbance. If a student is caught swearing at a teacher or a classmate, the local police will be called and the offender will be issued a ticket. Windsor Police Chief Kevin Searles told the newspaper the infraction and the fine “alerts the youngster that, ‘Hey. This is a serious thing you’re doing and you have to be held accountable.’”

When he announced the rule, the principal told students profanity just doesn’t have a place in school. “We all know these words,” he advised. “The reality is, you make a conscious choice not to use those words here.”

As might be expected, some students swear by the positive effects of the new policy, while others just swear at it. “I don’t have $103,” proclaimed one high school junior. “We’ve got enough problems already. I can’t even afford lunch.”

Heck of a thing.

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