6-Year-Old Scout Suspended for Bringing Knife-Fork-Spoon Utensil to School

[Revmitchell]

Six-year-old Zachary Christie was so excited to become a Cub Scout that he brought his camping utensil to school. The tool serves as a spoon, a fork and a knife, and Zachary wanted to use it at lunch.

What Zachary didn't know was that the gizmo violated his school's zero-tolerance policy on weapons. And now the Christina School District in Newark, Del., has suspended the first grader and ordered him to attend the district's reform school for 45 days.

Zachary's parents insist their son did not intend to hurt anyone, and they are fighting to overturn the ruling.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,564605,00.html

 

[Johnv]

This demonstrates a problem with "zero tolerance" policies. They are usually "zero thought" policies. This is a simple case unawaredness. He should have had the knife confiscated, and the parents called to let them know. Suspension is not warranted in this situation, imo.

 

[donnA]

the world is run by idoits

 

[Johnv]

zero tolerance=zero thought=idiocy

 

[Revmitchell]

the world is run by idoits

:thumbs::thumbs:

 

[sag38]

Thank you trial lawyers for all your law suits challenging every decision that school boards have made over the years thus causing them to have to enact zero tolerance laws to protect themselves against you.

 

[OldRegular]

the world is run by idoits

Thanks for correcting me donnA. I thought it was run by democrats!:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[padredurand]

How things change. When I was in the 8th grade I took a rifle to shop class. My Dad gave me an old .22 bolt rifle that he had for years. The metal was rusty and the stock in dire need of refinishing. Took the whole thing through the school and down into the shop. A week later I carried it out the same way but in much better condition. Nobody thought a thing of it. Most of the time there would be at least 30 rifles or shotguns in plain sight right out in the parking lot.

Now this little boy gets in trouble for carrying a scouting utensil set. :BangHead:

 

[abcgrad94]

When my kids went to Christian school, I packed a little plastic knife in my daughter's lunch and the teacher tossed it in the trash and told my daughter she couldn't bring ANY kind of knife to school. I thought this was pretty silly, considering those disposable knives can't even cut butter!

 

[Revmitchell]

When my kids went to Christian school, I packed a little plastic knife in my daughter's lunch and the teacher tossed it in the trash and told my daughter she couldn't bring ANY kind of knife to school. I thought this was pretty silly, considering those disposable knives can't even cut butter!

Teachers do not want to be placed in the position of having to make judgment calls. So our children suffer for their laziness.

 

[Salty]

Teachers do not want to be placed in the position of having to make judgment calls. So our children suffer for their laziness.

It could also be the school admin that wants to appease some parents.

It also could be the insurance company that requires certian standars in order to avoid potential problems.

ABC, did you ask the teacher/school admin as to why that was the policy?

Salty

 

[Revmitchell]

It could also be the school admin that wants to appease some parents.

It also could be the insurance company that requires certian standars in order to avoid potential problems.

ABC, did you ask the teacher/school admin as to why that was the policy?

Salty

What you can be sure of is this is pushed by the communist NEA.

 

[abcgrad94]

ABC, did you ask the teacher/school admin as to why that was the policy?

Salty

Nope, but the student handbook said "no knives or weapons." I complied with their rule and just cut up her food in small chunks when I packed her lunch after that.

 

[Revmitchell]

Zero tolerance, a term taken from the war on
drugs (where law enforcement agencies swiftly
and harshly responded to drug offenders), was
initiated in school districts during a juvenile
crime wave in the late 1980s.18 Congress acted,
passing the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, which
required states to enact laws mandating the
expulsion of students found on school property
with firearms. Most states and school districts
reacted by going above and beyond the federal
mandate, passing laws and policies that required
expulsion or suspension for the possession of
all weapons, drugs and other serious violations
committed on or off school grounds.
While zero tolerance once required suspension
or expulsion for a specified list of serious
offenses, it is now an overarching approach
toward discipline for potential weapons,
imaginary weapons, perceived weapons, a
smart mouth, headache medicine, tardiness, and
spitballs. Punishment through exclusion from
the classroom has become the rapid-response
t o e ve r y a c t o f mi s c o n d u c t o r p e rc e ive d
misconduct. From 1974 to 2000, the number of
students suspended out-of-school increased from
1.7 million to 3.1 million.19 Research conducted
over the past fi ve years has detailed the growing
use of suspensions for trivial conduct, much
of which is subjectively labeled “disrespect,”
“disobedience,” and “disruption.”20

More Here

 

[donnA]

Thanks for correcting me donnA. I thought it was run by democrats!

I thought it was synonymous:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

I should add, because some refuse to understand, thats it was a joke.

 

[saturneptune]

Zero tolerance is the same as zero common sense.

 

[rbell]

High School...mid '80's: Our school was surrounded on 3 sides by pecan orchards. The owner of the land encouraged us to squirrel hunt...we were shooting (and eating) the competition!

My buddy and I were walking across school one day, less than 5 minutes after the closing bell. We've got our shotguns on our shoulders (a single and a double barrel). The principle asks, "What are ya'll doing?" We tell her. She says, "Well, break your guns down (for the uninitiated, that means "open them up") so no one will say anything." Then she let us go, thinking nothing of it.

I tell kids that story today, and their mouths drop open. It's sad what world we live in...one, that the stupidity in the OP exists; two, that you seriously would start a panic if the above scenario in my post was re-created.

(yes, I realize you simply can't do it anymore. times have changed)

 

[BigBossman]

I remember how people made such a big deal over pocket knives being brought to school when I was going. When I was in 11th grade, I started taking my knives (yes, I said knives as in plural) to school with me every day. They were identical army pocket knives. I kept one in each pocket. As long as you don't take them out & show them off to everyone, your chances of getting caught are slim. There was one time when I reached into my pocket to pull something out & my knife got caught on what I was pulling out & fell to the floor, but I got it before anyone could see it.

 

[Salty]

Nope, but the student handbook said "no knives or weapons." I complied with their rule and just cut up her food in small chunks when I packed her lunch after that.

Would you consider asking the school - esp since it is a Christian School. & then let us know.

Anybody else interested in knowing the answer.

I have no kids in school, (thus I doubt I would get an answer) and I live in the city school district. Recently the cops had to taser 2 students. So I suppose I can undersand why they have wepaons inspection at the start of the day.

 

[Nonsequitur]

How things change. When I was in the 8th grade I took a rifle to shop class. My Dad gave me an old .22 bolt rifle that he had for years. The metal was rusty and the stock in dire need of refinishing. Took the whole thing through the school and down into the shop. A week later I carried it out the same way but in much better condition. Nobody thought a thing of it. Most of the time there would be at least 30 rifles or shotguns in plain sight right out in the parking lot.

Now this little boy gets in trouble for carrying a scouting utensil set. :BangHead:

How things change.
When I was young the cops stopped my friends and me after he saw us come through the bob-wire near a road. All he wanted to know was to make sure we were not shooting the cows in the butt and not shooting the windmill vanes. Then we had a 30 minute discussion about .22's, and how one of us had the same gun that he had when he was a kid. Then, after shooting a few targets with our guns, he gave us a dollar, (which was enough at that time to buy a box of .22's, plus some candy.)
Yeah. We were real criminals.
On the same note as guns in schools such as guns in parking lots, no one cared. It was almost the same as now. But, back then, we didn't let fruit-cakes and nut cases out of jail after their fifth offense and allow them to come to school and shoot people.