Allen Lee, an 18 year-old senior at Cary-Grove High school in Cary, Illinois has been discharged from his contract with the Marine Corps and is facing prosecution after an essay he wrote for his creative writing class alarmed school administrators. Lee’s paper was deemed “disturbing” by the school principal, who promptly contacted authorities. With memories of Virginia Tech still fresh in the minds of the educational community, it is no wonder that the administration acted sternly and without hesitation.

According to Lee’s attorney, the essay originally came out of an assignment in which the teacher told the kids, “do not make corrections as you write,” “write whatever comes into your mind,” “do not judge or censor what you are writing,” Lee’s response was a paper that was filled with expletives and violent references. In one section he wrote, “So I had a dream last night where I went into a building, pulled out two P90s and started shooting everyone.” To end the paper, he predicted that his English teacher would probably inspire the first shooting at his school.

After his subsequent arrest, the confiscation of his personal computer and his reassignment to an alternative education program in another district building, Lee has defended himself in a statement claiming the essay was a collection of song lyrics, movie quotes, and video game references.

This is not an excuse for his lack of common sense. Even though this composition should not ruin his life or career, he still needs to own up to his actions. A student that carries a 4.2 GPA and who, by all accounts, is a good kid that has never been in trouble should have known that because of what happened at VT, anything remotely close to violence is going to play into the fears many people harbor. School officials should not be afraid to act with a possible overabundance of caution when confronted with a possible threat to campus safety.

As for Lee, the maximum penalty for the charge is 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. While his ultimate punishment remains uncertain, what is certain is that his actions did call for a review by authorities.

Lee’s lack of common sense in this matter is the root of this unfortunate situation. His case should be handled by the legal system, not by frayed school administrators whose job should not be to divine a student’s thoughts.

Regardless of the freedoms that we enjoy, individuals are still ultimately responsible for what they say and do. Everyone should realize that despite having the freedom to write or say whatever is on his or her mind, at times this right is met with consequence, and we must face it as it comes.