A student at a Florida school was arrested after authorities said he was "passing gas" and turning off his classmates' computers.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office report stated that the 13-year-old boy "continually disrupted his classroom environment" by intentionally breaking wind. He then shut off some computers other students were using.

The student was arrested November 4 after he confessed what he had done. The charge was disruption of school function. the teenager was released to his mother.

Okay, do you see anything wrong with this? Yes, the boy did something objectionable. No one likes to be subjected to that, but was it correct to arrest him for that?

As for turning off computers, I never realized that was a criminal offense.

In this day and time, I know of students who are roaming the streets and still attending classes who have done much worse, such as stealing property from their schools, destroying public property, attacking students just off school property, etc. Going a step further, these students--repeat offenders--are still allowed to compete athletically at their schools, representing their communities.

Discipline is important in the classroom. Too many students show rampant disrespect for school administrators, teachers and their own peers. They abuse the right to be there and disrupt the educational process for others. Measures do need to be taken to put a stop to the direction these students are taking, but the decision needs to be made as to the harshness of the discipline measures to be given.

An arrest for “passing gas” and turning off computers is totally out of proportion to the “crime.”