Story Archive

Allegedly Educated

Christian Philon, 12, a student at Austin Road Middle School in Henry County, Ga., handed over a $20 bill his father gave him for lunch at the school cafeteria. The Lunch Lady marked the bill with a “counterfeit detector” pen, which indicated the bill was fake. It was a good enough fake that Christian’s father hadn’t realized it was counterfeit, let alone the boy. So naturally, the straight-A honor student triggered the school’s zero tolerance policy, and the assistant principal suspended him. When his parents appealed, the district’s “disciplinary panel” held a hearing, and ruled Christian should be suspended for 10 days because he “violated the code of conduct prohibiting possession of counterfeit currency,” even though a sheriff’s investigator concluded the boy didn’t know it was counterfeit. “The final remark was, ‘He possessed it’,” said his mother, Gwen. After the story hit the media, the district superintendent overruled the panel, and returned Christian to class. “Additionally,” a spokesman said, “she has directed the immediate examination of the entire Code of Conduct and the process for assigning consequences for student infractions.” (RC/WSB Atlanta, Atlanta Journal-Constitution) ...As well as a 10-day suspension of the assistant principal and the panel?