Stupidity At School

A middle school student's science project merits evacuation, police intervention, a search of a child's house, and a recommendation that the child and parents get psychological counseling? Really?

Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said the student had been making the device in his home garage. A vice principal saw the student showing it to other students at school about 11:40 a.m. Friday and was concerned that it might be harmful, and San Diego police were notified...

Luque said the project was made of an empty half-liter Gatorade bottle with some wires and other electrical components attached. There was no substance inside.

When police and the Metro Arson Strike Team responded, they also found electrical components in the student's backpack, Luque said. After talking to the student, it was decided about 1 p.m. to evacuate the school as a precaution while the item was examined. Students were escorted to a nearby playing field, and parents were called and told they could come pick up their children.

A MAST robot took pictures of the device and X-rays were evaluated. About 3 p.m., the device was determined to be harmless, Luque said.

Luque said the project was intended to be a type of motion-detector device.

Both the student and his parents were "very cooperative" with authorities, Luque said. He said fire officials also went to the student's home and checked the garage to make sure items there were neither harmful nor explosive.

"There was nothing hazardous at the house," Luque said.

The student will not be prosecuted, but authorities were recommending that he and his parents get counseling, the spokesman said. The student violated school policies, but there was no criminal intent, Luque said.

"There will be no (criminal) charges whatsoever," Luque said.

How magnanimous of them.

I'm curious: if the student and his parents were "very cooperative", for what reason should they undergo counseling--except perhaps to get over the trauma of being treated like domestic terrorists by local officials.

Officials talked to the student--again, described as "very cooperative"--and didn't believe him when he told them he was building a motion detector? No one thought to ask him to explain his idea, or even get a science teacher to see if the kid's explanation made sense?

And what, exactly, is the name of this school again? Oh yes, it's Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School. Tech.

Unless there are some very important facts missing in the linked article, every public employee mentioned in the article is an idiot. GAWD I wish people wouldn't act so foolishly.

Hat tip to Instapundit.