From what I can tell, much of chemistry is highly dangerous. The only real question, afaict, is whether the person knows how to correctly handle the danger.
I absolutely am OK with students doing things on school grounds not sponsored by a teacher, not an actual experiment, and generally faffing about in the name of curiosity and learning. Schools shouldn't be running on a whitelist principle.
IMO, the only reason this student should be given a felony charge is if she was planning to perform a dangerous detonation with malicious intent to harm.
Even if she was being stupid and ignorant and planned to scare her friends, no harm was caused.
Harmless foolishness should not be a felony... harmless learning even less so!
I absolutely am OK with students doing things on school grounds not sponsored by a teacher, not an actual experiment, and generally faffing about in the name of curiosity and learning.
Really? I mean, it would've been OK if she did this in the middle of a cafeteria during lunch? And, yes, much of chemistry is highly dangerous and that's the reason it is done in a lab with fume hoods and safety equipment.
MO, the only reason this student should be given a felony charge is if she was planning to perform a dangerous detonation with malicious intent to harm.
The reason why I asked for more information is because we don't really know whether or not this wasn't her intent. Was she being bullied and was going to do this to someone else? I have a hard time associating this with 'science' because the narrative seems so one-sided.
> Really? I mean, it would've been OK if she did this in the middle of a cafeteria during lunch? And, yes, much of chemistry is highly dangerous and that's the reason it is done in a lab with fume hoods and safety equipment.
When I was in school stuff like this did happen in the cafeteria, though to my knowledge it only involved Mentos+Coke and no household chemicals. Kids would do it specifically to make a mess or prank other kids. But that's all it was, a prank, not a terrorist act.
Occasionally kids would mix household chemicals together outside to see what would happen. Families that hunted routinely had guns in their cars too. Nobody freaked out, nobody died, and the world kept spinning.
The narrative is indeed one-sided, and I look forward to hearing more from all sides of the story.
Again, barring malicious intent to cause significant harm, I don't think this is a felony.
The best punishment is, IMO, probably being stuffed in an AP chemistry class and taught how to do chemistry properly. If she likes it, good, if she doesn't like, well, she shouldn't have done dumb chemistry. :-)
I've seen one on Youtube and they are all fine and dandy when everyone is aware what is going to happen and moves away. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be anywhere next to one when they went off and possibly get Drano or toilet cleaner in my eyes.
I absolutely am OK with students doing things on school grounds not sponsored by a teacher, not an actual experiment, and generally faffing about in the name of curiosity and learning. Schools shouldn't be running on a whitelist principle.
IMO, the only reason this student should be given a felony charge is if she was planning to perform a dangerous detonation with malicious intent to harm.
Even if she was being stupid and ignorant and planned to scare her friends, no harm was caused.
Harmless foolishness should not be a felony... harmless learning even less so!