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Principal’s outrage over wrecked tampon dispenser in boy’s bathroom shows Left’s priorities

The issue isn’t that vandalism shouldn’t be addressed, or perpetrators shouldn’t be disciplined. The issue is how big a deal the principal made of the matter.

The scuttlebutt on social media these days is that more and more, the United States has two standards of justice — one for traditional, conservative folks, and another for woke progressives and their allies.

I try not to give too much credence to this (social media being what it is), but then I read stories like the following and have to wonder.

On Jan. 24, Connecticut’s Brookfield High School installed a menstrual product dispenser in a boys bathroom. This was to comply with a state law mandating all grade 3-12 public schools provide menstrual products in “women’s” and “all-gender” bathrooms, and at least one “men’s” bathroom.

According to the state health department, the law’s purpose “is to address period poverty, meaning the struggle to purchase period products due to lack of income.”

Brookfield actually had until Sept. 1 to make the installations; as it is, the one in the boys room didn’t last but 20 minutes before it was trashed.

In an I’ll Show YOU! response, Principal Marc Balanda (pictured) sent an email to staff and students proclaiming he was “feeling ‘dis-‘  right now” — as in “disgusted,” “disheartened,” and “dismayed.”

Balanda noted that while the law specially states “men’s” restrooms, the “vandalism and destruction” of the dispenser “were the work of immature boys.”

He added the school had several suspects, and there would “be consequences” for what he dubbed “the most egregious of vandalism and destruction of property in recent weeks.”

Balanda apologized to those affected by the “lack of availability of menstrual products,” and implored those who may not “understand something” to “ask for more information” instead of resorting to vandalism: “Use your words to start a dialogue.”

MORE: Students trash South Carolina high school; administrators decline to press charges

But as parental rights advocate Nicole Solas notes, it’s a pretty good bet if a student did object to the dispenser “with words” (such as “Hey Mr. Balanda, boys don’t get periods!”) he’d still get in hot water.

Don’t think so? Consider the middle schooler who was ridiculously suspended for “blackface” at a high school football game. Or the high school student suspended for privately discussing that homosexuality is a sin. Or the high school football players suspended for carrying flags honoring first responders onto the field before a game.

And it’s not just the kids. A superintendent in Kentucky was suspended for a month and a half — without pay — for an 18-year-old photo of him in “blackface.” A Virginia phys ed teacher was put “on leave” after stating a boy can’t be a girl. And a teacher in Texas was suspended, and ultimately fired, for posting tweets against illegal immigration.

The issue isn’t that vandalism like Brookfield’s shouldn’t be addressed, or that the perpetrators shouldn’t be disciplined. The issue is how big a deal Principal Balanda made of the matter. Petty vandalism in school restrooms, locker rooms, and hallways isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence, especially in schools with a sizable percentage of low-income students (Brookfield has about 20 percent).

But how often does a principal send an email worded like Balanda’s when such happens? In my experience as a former teacher, almost never.

Always remember: If you’re the “wrong” hue or hold the “wrong” views, non-punitive progressive measures such as “restorative justice” don’t apply to you.

MORE: High school student sues school over suspension for believing in gender binary

IMAGE: Libs of TikTok/X

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.