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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > February > 19
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
What are the kids doing when you’re not home?
Cheryl Smith
I feel sort of bad for former Centerville school board member Cheryl Smith.
Last week, on Valentine’s Day night, her teen-aged children apparently threw a party at her house when she was not home that brought the police to her door. The kids refused to let them in, forcing officers to wake up a judge for a search warrant. Smith arrived home at about 3 a.m. to discover the unpleasant scene. And this all ended up on the front page — with her photo — of Saturday’s DDN.
An embarassed Smith resigned from the school board the day after the party. We have a new story on our Web site today in which she says she resigned because she didn’t want to be a distraction for Centerville schools.
There is a lot we don’t know about the incident and a police investigation is still underway. Did Smith know there was going to be a party? I’m going to assume for now she did not. I don’t know any of the people involved personally and I don’t know enough to know how much responsiblity Smith might bear for what happened.
But at least for the moment, I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt.
If you assume this party took place without her knowledge, then I have to tell you something like this could happen to almost any parent. Teen-agers are tough to handle. It can difficult to know where to draw the lines when it comes to trust and responsibility. Sometimes, you’ll make mistakes or they’ll let you down.
The difference is, you probably won’t end up on the front page if it happens to you.
In this case, Smith was a public figure, even if she was a minor one in the grand scope of things. She was the immediate past president of the Centerville school board, and this incident seems likely to get some Centerville students some serious discipline for what they did at Smith’s house. It’s a news story for sure.
Even so, I feel bad for her.
What do you think about this incident? Should Smith have resigned? Should she be getting the benefit of the doubt? Am I off the mark when I say this could happen to almost any parent?
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