Last week, when a student at Trinity Lutheran School in Monroe, Michigan found she was missing $42, the principal of the school assumed the money must have been stolen. Determined to find the thief, principal John Hilken ordered teachers to strip-search a group of 7th grade girls.

According to one mom, this treatment was uncalled for and she and others have filed police complaints. "Some were taken down to their bra and panties and some had to pull their tops out and shake them," said Martha Feller, whose daughter was among the stripped and searched suspects. "They treat criminals like that, not 12-year-old innocent children," she said.

In hindsight, principal Hilken realizes that perhaps this wasn't the best way to handle the situation. He has apologized, but some parents feel this isn't enough. Martha Feller's daughter is so upset about it that she hasn't returned to school since the incident. "I hope that they will take them out of that school and make them pay for what they did to the children," Feller says.

I remember an incident in third grade that made me not want to return to school. After complaining to my teacher about an itchy chest, she unbuttoned my top to have a look. Right there in front of the whole class, she opened my shirt wide and examined my body. The fact that all these years later I can still vividly recall that humiliation is a testament to just how mortifying it was. I agree with Feller and think the principal owes more than an apology to these girls. Maybe he should be strip-searched to see if his compassion and common sense can be located.

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When I married the first time, I was quite young and didn't think twice about taking my husband's last name as my own. That's what a woman does when she marries, right? But when I married again nearly 20 years later, I didn't even consider taking my new husband's name. Well, maybe I considered it. But after realizing that he didn't care what I called myself, I knew that I would always and forever be a Maple. What we didn't discuss during those pre-marital negotiations was him taking my last name.

I don't think he would have done it even if I had suggested it, but there are men who would - and do - happily change their last names to that of their wives. There are no real statistics on the subject, but anecdotal evidence suggests that this might even be a trend. And while this trend my seem terribly modern to some, it was actually not uncommon in 14th and 15th century England for men to take their wives' last names if hers was more prominent.

These days, I imagine a man would have a better reason than popularity to exchange the name he was born with for his wife's. Maybe hers is easier to pronounce. Maybe a hyphenated version of both their names would be long and awkward. Or maybe he just likes her name better. I understand why couples want to have the same last name - to show they are united as a family and for the sake of the children. But I see no reason why it must be his last name. Do you?

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Show and tell at school is great. Kids love it because it is a chance for them to bring something personal from home and show it off to all their classmates. Choosing just what to bring for show and tell can be difficult, but favorite toys and vacation souvenirs are always good ideas. But if you are looking for bad ideas of what to bring for show and tell, look no further than this mom in Stevensville, Montana. She brought a dead bat to her kid's elementary school. And if that wasn't bad enough, that bat was dead because it had rabies.

Now, I don't know if it was really show and tell day for her two kids at Stevensville Elementary, but she did more than show and tell about it anyway. She allowed the students in one kindergarten class and four fifth grade classes to actually handle the dead creature.



According to Superintendent Kent Kultgen, her bad idea was well thought out. She presented the bat along with "good information" and even brought hand sanitizer for the kids to use after touching it. Maybe she thought this would be a really cool Halloween-related presentation, but clearly it was not. Although the risk of contracting rabies from touching the bat is fairly small, the school is taking no chances. About 90 kids are now receiving rabies shots just in case they came in contact with the bat's saliva.

Those shots could end up costing over $70,000, which will be paid for by the school's liability insurance. As bad as that is, the worst pain will be felt by the students themselves. Over the next few weeks, they will undergo a series of six shots to ensure that they are not infected with a potentially fatal neurological virus. Way to go, mom.

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I've heard of towns where, for religious reasons, official Halloween activities are moved up a day if the big day happens to fall on a Sunday. But a town in Massachusetts is pushing trick-or-treating back a day because this year, it falls on a Friday. Now, to me, Halloween on a Friday is about as good as it gets. Because it is a school day, I won't have to listen to "is it time to go yet?" all day long and because the next day isn't a school day, I don't have to worry about bringing my kid down from her sugar high by her 8:30 bedtime.

So, just what do city officials in Oxford, Massachusetts have against Halloween on a Friday? According to Jennie Caissie, chairwoman of the town's Board of Selectmen, the move was prompted by safety concerns. She says that allowing trick-or-treating to occur on a Friday evening would put kids on the streets during "prime time traffic."

I suppose that is a valid concern, but some people think this rescheduling of Halloween is more trick than treat. "Halloween is for the kids and it should be celebrated on Oct. 31. Don't mess with our kids and their holiday," says resident Lorri Shadis.

Police Chief Michael Boss agrees with the decision to move Halloween. "It's safer for kids on Saturday than on Friday. It's only 24 hours. I think if parents address the situation correctly, the kids will be fine. They don't care, as long as they get their candy. Kids don't have to check their calendars to see which night they are free. Besides, their candy will last one day longer."

Disappointing children is one thing, but there is another obvious flaw in this plan. All the towns around Oxford will be celebrating Halloween of Friday as per usual. I suspect there will be lots of kids who talk their parents into driving over to Oxford on Saturday in order to replenish their candy stash. The streets may be safer on a Saturday night, but chances are they are going to be a lot more crowded.

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After a brief hiatus, ParentPicks is back! This is where we take full advantage of your wisdom and experience and ask you to share it with other parents. Whether you have one child or six, chances are you have come across a product, an idea, or a solution to a problem that is just what another parent is looking for. This month, let's see if we can dig out some great storage solutions for kids of all ages.

From birth to college, it seems that kid's lives are all about the stuff. And unless you live in a mansion with a children's wing, you know how all that stuff tends to take over the entire house. How do you keep it under control? Have you discovered the world's best toy box? A simple and stylish way to keep art supplies organized? What about all those stuffed animals that seem to multiply like rabbits?

Having just moved into a much smaller home, I am personally on the edge of my seat awaiting your great ideas for conquering the clutter and taming the toys. Send me your solutions and in two weeks, I will be back to share your picks with our readers.

Get your kids interested in cooking by ditching the rules and the recipes.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 1,200 2008-2009 Can-Am® Youth ATVs. In the case of rider ejection when the cord strap is pulled, the shutoff switch can fail to disable the engine. The ATV can then operate uncontrolled until the engine returns to idle. This can cause all kinds of problems, including collisions with bystanders, vehicles or other objects.

The ATV's were made in Vietnam by Vietnam Precision Industrial for BRP U.S. Inc., of Sturtevant, Wisconsin. They were sold at authorized Can-Am® dealers nationwide from August 2007 through September 2008 for about $3,400 each.

The recall involves model year 2008-2009 Can-Am® DS 90 X ATVs that are black with yellow and orange trim. You can find the model name located on the side panels.

If you have one of the recalled ATV's, you should immediately stop your children from using it and contact any Can-Am® dealer to schedule a free repair. Consumers are also being sent a direct notice from BRP.

For more information, contact BRP by calling (888) 638-5397 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.

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I've written before about Katy Perry's song I Kissed A Girl and the general consensus seems to be that it is no big deal. The song is basically about a girl having a few drinks and losing her inhibitions. She kisses another girl at a party and likes it. That's pretty much it. But the song has lots of detractors, including officials at Van High School in North Texas.

Three girls at that school were temporarily relieved of their twirling duties as a consequence for playing that song at a pep rally. School administrators say the girls broke the student code of conduct and will have to sit out two football games and one pep rally as punishment.

One of the girls, Jordan Downey, thinks the school is overreacting. "It's a song," she said. "It's just like any other song." However, Downey admits that prior to the pep rally, school officials suggested that perhaps that song was not the best choice. "They told us that it probably won't be a very good a idea, and then we decided, like, it's not a big deal, we'll just run for it, no one's going to care," she said.

While some parents agree with the school's decision, the twirlers have found allies in the band members. They are wearing stickers that read "no twirlers, no band" and the entire drum line is threatening to boycott the games if the girls aren't allowed to perform.

This story reminds me of my own days as a twirler in school. I once performed a solo at a pep rally to Rick James' Super Freak. That song is way dirtier than I Kissed a Girl and nobody said a word about it. Maybe if James had been singing about a kinky boy instead of a girl, things might not have gone so well.

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Today is the official beginning of candy season. In my house, candy season lasts approximately 5 months - beginning with the bite-sized treats of Halloween and continuing to the heart-shaped deliciousness of Valentine's Day. In between, you have all manner of sugared goodness just waiting to wreck your diet.

While today may be only the first day of October, the Halloween candy has been filling the store aisles for weeks now. I've given those temptations a once-over, but will wait until the big day is a little closer before actually purchasing any treats to hand out. I have a low threshold for temptation and if I bring all that candy into the house now, there might not be any left by the 31st.

When I finally do fill my cart with candy, I'll try to minimize the temptation by buying treats that I don't particularly like. At the risk of being known as 'the house with yucky candy', I am going to stock up on bags of Bit-O-Honey, Dots and Licorice. Sorry kids, but I have to. Otherwise I will be buying bigger pants by Thanksgiving and at my age, it's just too hard to get the weight off again.

What about you? Does your own sweet tooth dictate what kind of candy you buy for Halloween? Have you already purchased your candy? Are you eating Milky Ways for lunch yet?

When it comes to online schooling, Florida is leading the way. The state already funds two online kindergarten through eighth grade schools as well as one that offers middle and high school courses. Last year, more than 57,000 students took advantage of the opportunity to take some of their classes through the Florida Virtual School, but very few opted to take all of their courses online. But with a new state law going into effect next year, more students will have the option to do just that - beginning in kindergarten.

The new law not only allows Florida school districts to create their own full-time online schools, it requires that they do so by the 2008-2009 school year. "The rest of the country will be watching to see how it goes," said Julie Young, president and chief executive officer of Florida Virtual School and a board member of the North American Council for Online Learning.

Some are concerned about private companies who sell online curriculum profiting from public education dollars and others worry about the financial implications of the law's reference to providing computers and Internet access to students 'when appropriate'. But what would concern me the most is the social impact on a child who never actually spends time in a classroom with other children.

While I do think online classes (as well as home-schooling) can be appropriate for some students some of the time, I have a hard time imagining an entire generation of children who never attend school. A brick-and-mortar school not only provides book-learning, but social learning as well. For many children, the classroom is where they practice and perfect their budding social skills - cooperation with others, listening quietly, following rules, sitting still. What becomes of all of that when the classroom is at home? Would you let your child be an exclusive online learner?

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