A young woman conducted an unauthorized science experiment with an unfortunate result. At school early, before morning bell, she was in the lab and mixed some common household chemicals in a bottle. There was a small explosion that injured no one.
She has been expelled and is being charged with a felony.
I am Kiera Wilmot. I was enthusiastic and bored in high school. I did unauthorized experiments, some of them very very stupid. I was well known as a smart person who did very very stupid things in high school.
I was not expelled or arrested, I was given guidance and understanding and was often yelled at for doing stupid dangerous things. The authorities at my school did not screw up my life by putting a felony on my record or kicking me out of school. I stand with Kiera and other troublemakers.
As a former troublemaker and soon to be parent of a future troublemaker I am very worried about the zero tolerance policies at our schools. They are crazy and would leave me a drain on society instead of a productive taxpayer.
But wait, there's more
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1) She was not in a lab, she was on school grounds before classes started.
2) It was not a “Science Experiment”. She made a BOMB out of a plastic water bottle, tin foil, and “The Works” toilet bowl cleaner. She saw it on the internet. Stupid girl even though she is a good student. Search Youtube for The Works Bomb or Drano Bottle Bomb.
3) Combining tin foil and The Works toilet bowl cleaner produces hydrogen gas in an exothermic reaction The lye boils. When sealed in a plastic bottle the gasses explode violently depending on the size and strength of the container and if the top was sealed tightly. In her case she likely did not seal the bottle tightly, as it did not explode and blow her hands off, or blind others with boiling caustic lye. Yes, those things could have happened.
4) Good kids do stupid things. But they should not be let off because they are good kids. There are consequences in life. (In this case I do think that there was an overreaction. This was a good opportunity to educate the yahoos in the school -i.e. every teenage – that this is a stupid and dangerous thing to do. That lesson is lost in the ‘outrage’ about her arrest)
But don’t go on and on how this was a “Science Experiment”. It was not. It was a kid being STUPID and Dangerous.
Also see http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp
I did far far worse things, some of them on school grounds. I got away with some of them and was caught for some of them. I wasn’t arrested, and I think my life and the lives of others is far better for it.
When I got caught I was treated like a troubled kid, not a dangerous criminal.
Kids are foolish and immature, they should be treated that way and educated. They grow up and get better – I did, so did the hooligans I grew up with.
Still, there isn’t a need to charge her with a felony, and functionally ruin her life. She’s only 17. I did a LOT of stupid shit between 16 and 20. Expel her if you must, at least she can go to school somewhere else.