Ohio High Schoolers Get Pepper Sprayed For Class

BARBERTON, OH — When parents sign permission slips, it's usually for a trip to the aquarium. Students in the Criminal Science Technology class at Barberton High School brought home some very different permission slips. They wanted their parents to sign off on their children being pepper sprayed.

Surprisingly, about 15 students got the permission they were looking for. In a video that has garnered nearly 70,000 views and been featured on television, the students are lined up against a brick wall. A police officer holding a bottle of pepper spray moves down the line, spraying each student in the face while saying, "Stop resisting, please comply."

At first, the students take the pepper spray stoically. Hardly a peep as the red goo covers their faces.

Then the pain starts. The students begin to howl in pain, writhing around and waving their arms. Someone off camera yells, "Don't open your mouth!" but most of the students are already screaming.

As former police chief and Barberton criminal justice teacher Jeremy Milford explained in the permission letter home to parents, "It will cause irritation and a burning sensation to the eyes and nasal area for approximately 30 minutes to one hour."

Blue Lives Matter, where the video was originally posted, goes further and calls taking a direct blast of pepper spray "torturous." The website notes that irritation and a burning sensation are the relatively minor effects, and the far worse impact is the inability to open your mouth or control your breathing.

When the students begin reacting painfully to the spray, a uniformed officer moves down the line with a bottle of water, trying to comfort the students. Milk and water can't stop the pain of pepper spray but can reduce how long it stays in someone's system, the Daily Mail reports.

Representatives from the Barberton City Schools declined an interview with Patch but sent a statement via email from Superintendent Patti Cleary.

"Students were required to have parental permission and consent in order to participate in the voluntary exercise," Cleary said in the statement. "The intent of the training is to help the students gain an industry recognized credential in the law and public safety course curriculum that is offered by the Ohio Department of Education."

Photo from YouTube Screen Capture