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October 27, 2003
Atlanta Schools Ban Student Dreams, Fantasies List of 100 Forbidden Items Part of "Zero Tolerance" Program The Fulton County School District in Atlanta is expected to issue today a list of 100 forbidden dreams and fantasies that students will not be permitted to have whether or not they are in school. The items on the list apply to all students from the seventh grade and up. Although school district officials say the forbidden dream-fantasy list has no connection to the Rachel Boim case, apparently it was hastily drawn up after Boim, a 14-year-old freshman at the district's Roswell High School, was expelled for writing a fantasy story in her personal journal. Boim's story is about a character who falls asleep and dreams about killing the math teacher, but takes no action after awakening. She showed the story to a classmate during art class and the teacher confiscated the journal. Ultimately, Boim was expelled for "inappropriate writings that describe the threat of bodily harm toward a school employee." The action was part of the school's "zero tolerance" program. An advance copy of the dream-fantasy list forbids fantasizing or dreaming about, among other things: Chugging a six-pack of beer and throwing up all over the couch Any physical contact between members of the opposite sex beyond shaking hands, brief hugging and kissing on the cheek Smoking controlled substances in school bathrooms (tobacco OK) Screaming the "f-word" at teachers, cafeteria workers or a school bus driver more than five times daily Consuming a soft drink not manufactured by Coca-Cola What someone would look like without any clothes Eating eight servings of fruit and/or vegetables each day Being a bad-ass NASCAR driver who causes a 10-car pileup and walks away without a scratch Sleeping with any teacher under age 35 Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute Wishing your parents would get more involved in your life The list is part of a memorandum to be sent to all students, parents, faculty and administrators in the school district. It acknowledges that "sometimes we cannot at first completely control what we dream about" but urges students to "work diligently to cleanse your mind of inappropriate fantasies while you are awake and your dreams will follow suit." Asked how school staff would enforce the dream-fantasy list, a school district spokesman said student writings and what students say in public will be monitored and reviewed by a faculty-staff Fantasy Committee. Students will be required to keep a detailed log of their dreams and turn it in monthly. Parents will be asked to regularly read any journals or other writings their children do outside of school. "Within a few weeks, we will begin a series of workshops for teachers to help them spot students who are fantasizing or daydreaming during class," the spokesman said. "The teachers will learn how to immediately intervene to stop the fantasy and determine it's subject." He said the teacher will then send any student with a forbidden fantasy to the assistant principal in charge of the school's Fantasy Office. Separately, the Fulton County School District's web site posted a notice that the Roswell High School Thespians will present three public performances of the hilarious Broadway hit musical "I Dream of Jeanie." The posting said the production is a side-splitting series of skits based on the 1960s television sitcom of the same name. Ten "I Dream of Jeanie" bobblehead dolls will be given away to audience members during the intermission of each performance. Copyright William Stockton & Smithtown Creek Productions |
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