High School Student Arrested over Creative Writing Assignmen

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18353425/&GT1=9246

Student charged for writing violent essay
High school senior says he was just following the assignment

Updated: 2 hours, 34 minutes ago

CARY, Ill. - Authorities have filed a second disorderly conduct charge against a high school senior arrested for writing an essay officials described as disturbing and inappropriate.

Allen Lee, 18, of Cary was arrested earlier this week after penning the essay at his northern Illinois high school. Lee contends he was just following the creative writing assignment he was given in class at Cary-Grove High School.

Lee initially faced just one charge, but an amended complaint filed Thursday cited a second passage.

According to the complaint, the essay reads, in part, "Blood, sex and booze. Drugs, drugs, drugs are fun. Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, s...t...a...b...puke. So I had this dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone, then had sex with the dead bodies. Well, not really, but it would be funny if I did."

Another passage said, "as a teacher, don't be surprised on inspiring the first CG shooting," the complaint said.

The creative writing assignment in Lee's English class on Monday instructed students to "write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing," according to a copy of the assignment.

"In creative writing, you're told to exaggerate," Lee said. "It was supposed to be just junk. ... There definitely is violent content, but they're taking it out of context and making it something it isn't."

Lee has been removed from school, and District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma said the district is evaluating Lee's punishment while he attends an offsite learning program in the school district.

"It wasn't just violent or foul language," Puma said. "It went beyond that."

Lee's attorney, Dane Loizzo, said his client was within the parameters of the assignment.

"A stream of consciousness seems to be the goal of the assignment," Loizzo said. He said Lee has never been disciplined in school and signed Marine enlistment papers last week.

His father, Albert Lee, has defended his son as a straight-A student who was just following instructions and contends the school overreacted. However, Albert Lee has said he understands the situation because of what happened last week at Virginia Tech when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members before committing suicide.

The charges against Lee could result in a possible $1,500 fine and up to 30 days in jail if he is convicted.

Cary is about 40 miles west of Chicago.

I think that is ridiculous - I f*cked around plenty like that in my creative writing class.

Maybe call him into a counsellors office and ask him why he feels like writing that - charging him with disorderly conduct is a bunch of bullsh*t.

Just one more victory in the fight for censorship.

This is troubling!! I mean, after the vt shooting I can understand investigating the guy and maybe getting him in trouble with the school like with detention or something (even that I would not agree with, I'm just saying I could understand someone doing that), but jail time and fines is ridiculous. The only thing you dont have the right to say is fire in a crowded theatre, slander, or threatening speech. This falls under none of these categories. This is unconstitutional at the most fundamental level.

Sounds like a pretty stupid joke.
Wonderful timing.

Not to say I told you so, BUT ! ! What if a creative writing teacher got a young Poe, or Lovecraft, or King in their class now ?? Eh?? Wot's this, people who are half alien, half human, going to have sex so the alien part dominates??? Howard, off to the school therapist for you ! ! Lovecraft was a mad genius ! ! Wot if some kid wrote that stuff?? Society is spiralling downward ....

Yes, Prof, you did tell us so... A week or two ago. And I told you then that you were right

OK, from the bit of the assignment the news article had, that is disturbing. It was not written with any art or skill, and really looks more like a red flag for counseling, but I don't think he should have been arrested.

Perhaps the teacher might have given more specific guidelines, telling what is acceptable and what is not, instead of inviting kids to open up and not hold back.

The kid was just writing something insane just for the hell of it. Damn FCC!

I'm curious to know what race this kid was.

To be honest, If I got that assignment, it probably would have been about suicide and I probably be put into the hospital or something and arrested.

Okay, I agree that being thrown in jail is taking it too far BUT he couldn've written something much more G-rated. I took Creative Writing last semester, and I wouldn't have dared to even venture into that type of writing! He should've done the same. What he wrote was pure trash.