Teacher throws away prep football player's Powerade? Do I have a story?

Let me preface this, by saying here in the south, its been about 28 or 29 days here since the recorded high has been below 90 degrees, including 5-6 days over 100 degrees. The humidity makes the heat index over 100 everyday and its just been plain brutal to stand outside in a pair of basketball shorts and a light colored T-shirt.

The head ball coach and athletic trainer have constantly instructed the players to load up on the gatorade and water, as the team practices from 3:30-6:15 everyday.

That said, a player was in class recently and a discussion was going on about the price of products in stores. Player says that he could go to the convenience store just down the road from the HS and buy two powerades for a certain amount.
The teacher quips back, asking the kid if he had the Powerades with him. The player said they were in his backpack.
The teacher then gets the Powerades from the student's possession in the bookbag, throws them away and makes the student write a penalty.

This also happened to another player, recently. I was told another footballer was assigned a penalty for being 5 feet from his seat when the bell rang to begin class.

This teacher also makes students write penalties for such things as having to sharpen a pencil during class or a student having to use the restroom during class.

Do I have a story here, given the heat related circumstances and this teacher baiting kids, or should I leave well enough alone?

 

Can you get this on the record? I'd say it's a story, only because of the heat. The pencil sharpening and restroom things shouldn't be the focus; maybe use them as background. Of course, others may disagree and say it's not a story at all.

 

I can get it on the record, I'd believe. Probably through school administration.
The restroom and stuff wasn't the crux of the idea, mainly background to share what a dick this person is.

 

I wouldn't even think about doing this story.

What the fuck's the point? The teacher's a dick? And your source, presumably, is students?

No way.

 

Most schools have rules about not having food or drink in class, so I don't see where there's a story here. Sure the teacher sounds like a jerk, but there's simply no story here.

 

Normally I'd agree, Zeke. I think the heat may change things. The teacher allegedly is denying students a chance to hydrate.

 

And they can drink from the water fountain in between classes. The kids are inside. It's not like they're outside in the sun sweating. Schools generally don't allow food or drink in classrooms, period, regardless of whether or not it's hot outside.

 

So if I have a bottle of water in my backpack, even though I haven't opened it or taken a drink, a teacher can go in my backpack and throw it away?

 

Thanks for the input Zeke.

Just looking for that input. I know if the kid went to practice and had a heat stroke, became dehydrated or God forbid, passed away, this would become a big story.

 

Eh, not much of a story to me.

Sounds like a teacher taking control of the classroom with very specific rules. They may be silly rules but them's the rules. And the consequences. Teacher is the boss in class. Teacher may be a dick, but that's his perogative.

If students know the teacher doesn't allow outside drinks in class -- and I never had a high school teacher who did (this ain't college) -- then they should leave the powerade in their locker for that class, and it won't get confiscated. Hydrate in the hall.

 

It may not be a story, but why is the teacher in the kid's backpack? If he were to pull out the powerade and drink it, then the teacher has a beef. But if it's out of sight and the kid isn't flaunting it about I don't see the harm.

 

The teacher has no right to ask the kid to remove something from his backpack and then throw it away. I'm not sure this is a story for the paper but assuming it is indeed true, it might be fun to do a little digging just to make the teacher sweat a bit. My question is: Why didn't the kid tell his parents and have them get in the teacher's shit about such nonsense?