Jan 10, 2008
Suburban students offered reward to “snitch” on food fight
To snitch, or not to snitch: that’s the $30 question, if you’re a student at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia.
The principal offered a $30 reward for the names of the students who started a food fight in December, creating a mess of complaints.
The AP reports, “While the controversy lacks the grit surrounding the “Stop Snitching” street video produced in nearby Baltimore, which warned against cooperating with police in drug investigations, the principal’s offer prompted a discussion over the propriety of such offers.”
Howard County does not have a policy on the issue, but cash rewards have been offered in the past for information on vandals, graffiti incidents and theft.
Baltimore County schools allow cash rewards, if the school superintendent and county police agree. Baltimore city, Anne Arundel and Carroll counties don’t offer them.
JACKIE SAUTER, Multimedia Editor
High schoolers are just that: high schoolers. You can’t expect 100% maturity from them all the time. If no one got hurt then punish every one in that lunch period with a mass detention and move on. Unless the cleanup required thousands of dollars in tax money, why is this an issue for Howard County residents?
I, as an anonymous student attending Wilde Lake High School and who was in the lunch shift of the food fight, would also like to point out the fact that no administration was in the cafeteria at the time when the food fight broke out. What would one expect when 300+ high school students are left alone in a cafeteria?
Wilde Lake goes hardd!
I think it’s funny how this food fight ended up on the front page of the newspaper. I think there are much more serious matters going on around the world then a dumb food fight. Also i would like to say something to D.Awes, I think it is entierly unfair to punish the whole the lunch room, again there were no teachers in the lunch room and not everyone took part in the fight. It’s just not just. Chyeaaaa boyyy, ya hurd?!
I agree. It is entirely unfair to punish all students in the lunch room when only certain students took part in the food fight. It’s even more unfair when there are no teachers or staff around to monitor lunch. But if no one comes forward to confess starting the incident (as is the case) there has to be some sort of repercussion. If your friend started the fight and you were not involved, wouldn’t he/she be less inclined to start another fight after seeing that you and other friends were unfairly punished?
Aside from putting more monitors in the cafeteria, how else could the administration prevent future food fights?
Word.