Story Archive

The Root of the Problem

Aliya May, 14, says when she saw her former teacher in the hallway at Moody Middle School in Henrico County, Va., she “as a joke” tossed a baby carrot from her lunch at the teacher. The miniature vegetable bounced off the teacher’s forehead, and school officials called the police. May was suspended indefinitely, and she is being criminally charged — for assault and battery with a weapon. “If it’s a soft carrot, it may not be as offensive,” offered the local TV station’s “legal expert,” Todd Stone. “I don’t even know how to combat the stupidity,” says the girl’s mother, Karrie May. “I can see a couple of days in school detention or even a couple days out-of-school suspension. But this goes way beyond that.” The girl has been out of school for over a month. “I don’t think it’s something a judge would want to find her guilty of,” Stone suggests. “They may offer her counseling, sort of a carrot at the end of a stick.” (RC/WTVR Richmond) ...If a baby carrot is a “weapon,” how would school officials classify a stick?