trespassing on school property?

I have to go to court today.  Not because myself or my son committed some horrendous crime, but because back in September my son went with two other students at Liberty High School (one is the senior class president) to take a flag down.  They walked into the school through an unlocked door, traveled to a music room where one of these students has an "office", then out to the ball field.  They were playing football when the BASD security showed up because they had set off quite a few alarms.  The assistant principal was called because one of the students if a family friend of hers.  Apparently trying to keep these three from getting arrested for criminal trespass (I'll tell you about that later), a meeting was scheduled for Monday morning (unbeknownst to me).  The principal thinks my son is in the band with the other two students so they are told to be at school at 6 am.  Not really understanding this, I tell my son he is not going to any meeting until I find out what all this is about.  I tell him to go to vo-tech.  Well, they pull him out of vo-tech to which I have to then call the school and scream at a few people (probably not my best move). 

So now it's noon and I am sitting in the principals office with my son.  Now, it makes no sense to me what the great big deal is.  They weren't stealing things, they were playing football and taking a flag down for September 11th.  They walked in through open doors.  When I went to school, school was a place where people wanted you to be.(Maybe not on a Saturday at 8:00 pm.  I'll give them that.)  Has it really come to that that being on school property gets you arrested?  It does, really.  I can prove it.  I have the ticket.  The ticket for $433.50 for criminal trespass.  So, I talk to the principal.  I tell my son he needs to pay attention to where people are taking him.  If it doesn't sound like a good idea, he probably should think twice about going.  So the school officer sends us the aforementioned ticket.  A a court date is set.  Which is cancelled.  So today is the day.  I get to go to the Magistrate and sit with my son while he pleads "not guilty" to these charges.  And maybe he'll get community service.  He gets to clean up the school grounds I suppose.  All because he walked into an open door, took down a flag and played football at HIS SCHOOL's ball field. 

Am I missing something here?  I understand they shouldn't have been there.  But really a ticket for $433.50 for being on school property?  Talk about wasting people's time and money.  My husband lost a half day of work today so I could take my son.  My son has a job (yes this criminal has a job!!) so he paid the money to hold him over for court.  We are wasting the Magistrates time hearing this ridiculous case.  Isn't there someone committing armed robbery somewhere that could be better served here?  Sorry for the rant.  I am not dismissing my son's wrongdoing in this.  He shouldn't have been there and he knows it now.  He thought it was ok.  He was with the senior class president taking a flag down for September 11th.  He might be gullible, but he's not a criminal. 

And let me just add.  My son heard through the grapevine that at the other boys hearing, he got tagged by the school officer as a "kid with problems".  Yes, my son has a medical condition.  Last time I checked that didn't make him a juvenile delinquent.  Or a criminal. 

So there ya go.  Warn your kids...stay off school property after hours.  It comes with a hefty pricetag and a whole lot of frustration. 

blessings,

sue