Zero Tolerance Insanity #4

Ninth-grader Mariya Fatima suffered a stroke while attending school at Jamaica High School in New York City in April. School employees waited more than an hour before calling 911 to request medical attention. Mariya lost the use of her right hand and leg, and has had to relearn how to speak and walk since the stroke. Her paralysis might have been lessened, or prevented entirely, had she received immediate medical help.

Why did the school wait more than an hour to call for an ambulance? An assistant principal at the school issued a memo weeks before prohibiting school officials from calling 911 "for any reason". The edict was later revoked. Duh!

Apparently the NYC schools are trying to drive down crime stats, and too many calls to 911 can give a school the appearance of being unsafe. School officials were later advised, when calling 911, to "not use the word assault to describe a physical altercation."