January 10, 2000
Leon, Kansas

Sarah Boman, a 17-year-old honor roll student at Bluestem High School, was expelled for writing a poem from the point of view of a madman, angry over the death of his dog. In the poem, Boman wrote: "You know who killed my dog. I'll kill you if you don't tell me who killed my dog. Tell me who did it. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me." The school felt the work was "threatening" and gave her the boot. The ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri vowed to bring a court challenge if the punishment wasn't rescinded.

December 6, 1999
Scottsburg, Indiana

The Scottsburg School Board, in a effort to instill moral values in children, has proposed a plan to post a paraphrased version of the 10 Commandments, entitled the "11 Precepts," in public schools throughout the area. These precepts urge children to "Trust in God," "Respect authority," and "Honor your parents and family members." The Indiana Civil Liberties Union has asked the Board to back down from it's plan, saying the 11 Precepts promote religion, which is unconstitutional in a public school building.

November 2, 1999
Dallas, TX

Christopher Beamon, a 7th-grader at Ponder High School, was freed from jail after serving ten days for writing a Halloween story in which he killed several classmates and a teacher. Jan Beamon, Christopher's mother, hired an attorney and her son was released early. Christopher received an A+ on his essay, despite the concern it caused.

October 22, 1999
Redmond, Washington

Seventeen year old Mike Lavers, CTO of Matrixcubed Internet Services, was allowed admission to Comdex, the huge computer convention in Las Vegas. Originally, the young entrepreneur was denied admission because of his age -- under-18s aren't allowed into this high-tech mecca. Although Comdex made an exception for Lavers, their "no minors" policy is still in effect, shining as a symbol of their ageist ideals.