Zero Tolerance for Science (or Common Sense)
Do an experiment, get arrested. This is what happened to 16-year old Kiera Wilmot, an African American high school student in Florida. Wilmot was arrested on federal charges for possessing a “weapon on school property and discharging a destructive device,” after mixing household chemicals in a water bottle, which ejected the lid and a small amount of smoke. Nobody was hurt and no property (other than her bottle) was damaged. Her former principal, Ron Prichard, said she had “never been in trouble before,” and called her a “good kid,” according to Alternet.
It does not appear that her experiment had been assigned or that her teacher was even aware that she was conducting such an experiment, which does draw into question whether or not it was a safe or “appropriate” school activity. However, she insists it was just an experiment and a mistake and her principal agreed. Call it a harmless lapse of judgment and naiveté by a