Punishment Given to Student is Too Harsh

[Christina Ribeiro]

Our school is a private vocational/fast track school in Virginia. I am attending to receive my LPN degree. The school administrators have been known for lying, changing details and covering them up, and making up rules and stipulations last minute. We are in a building that is shared with a few other businesses on separate floors. The parking lot is private property. A gentleman from one of the businesses within our building had an issue with my friends poor parking skills and made an example of her by parking so close to her door she could only get in by crawling across her passenger seat. She called the cops, they said there was nothing they could do because it was private property, and we could do whatever as long as no damages or injuries occurred. The guy also left a nasty note the following day calling us "Pompous arrogant assholes" among a few other things. So to make a joke of it, I parked my car long ways (2 parking spots) and placed a poster board on my windshield that read verbatim, "POMPOUS A-HOLE PARKING" a teacher took it off of my car, and then called me in on my week break and suspended me for 4 months, which will push my graduation date from March 2013 to July 2013, as well as add another semester to my tuition. Their reasoning is that this is no behavior for a future nurse and that it gives the school a bad name. I placed the sign when no one else was outside and they lied saying they received a letter from the lower floor stating: a girl in "BLUE SCRUBS" was seen putting the sign up. That however was a lie because it was on a Friday, which we wear street clothes. She also said the sign had been blown off of my car and they retrieved it from the parking lot, but it was actually seen being taken off of my car by a faculty member. I feel as if my punishment doesn’t fit my crime and they are infringing on my freedom of speech. 4 months!!! That’s a tad bit overkill. What do I do? Am I in the wrong?

[PandorasBox]

What you did was very childish.

If you are not happy with their rules, you are free to change schools.

Your friend also can learn to park properly so her poor parking skills won't be an issue.

[Dogmatique]

And seriously - I don't want you anywhere near a patient until you grow up. For real. What are you going to do if you have an uncooperative patient? Withhold their meds? Squeeze their IV line?

You may also want to read what "freedom of speech" actually means. It has nothing to do with the situation you describe.