Great, another school administration makes self national joke with "Zero tolerance"

[Twenty five ought six]

Great, another school administration makes self national joke with "Zero tolerance"

This from the New York Times. Good grief folks, when the New York Times criticizes your "weapons" policy, you really have a problem.

The kid is all of six years old, folks.

NEWARK, Del. — Finding character witnesses when you are 6 years old is not easy. But there was Zachary Christie last week at a school disciplinary committee hearing with his karate instructor and his mother’s fiancé by his side to vouch for him.
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Zachary’s offense? Taking a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school. He was so excited about recently joining the Cub Scouts that he wanted to use it at lunch. School officials concluded that he had violated their zero-tolerance policy on weapons, and Zachary was suspended and now faces 45 days in the district’s reform school.
“It just seems unfair,” Zachary said, pausing as he practiced writing lower-case letters with his mother, who is home-schooling him while the family tries to overturn his punishment.
Spurred in part by the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, many school districts around the country adopted zero-tolerance policies on the possession of weapons on school grounds. More recently, there has been growing debate over whether the policies have gone too far.
But, based on the code of conduct for the Christina School District, where Zachary is a first grader, school officials had no choice. They had to suspend him because, “regardless of possessor’s intent,” knives are banned.
But the question on the minds of residents here is: Why do school officials not have more discretion in such cases?
“Zachary wears a suit and tie some days to school by his own choice because he takes school so seriously,” said Debbie Christie, Zachary’s mother, who started a Web site, helpzachary.com, in hopes of recruiting supporters to pressure the local school board at its next open meeting on Tuesday. “He is not some sort of threat to his classmates.”
Still, some school administrators argue that it is difficult to distinguish innocent pranks and mistakes from more serious threats, and that the policies must be strict to protect students.
“There is no parent who wants to get a phone call where they hear that their child no longer has two good seeing eyes because there was a scuffle and someone pulled out a knife,” said George Evans, the president of the Christina district’s school board. He defended the decision, but added that the board might adjust the rules when it comes to younger children like Zachary.
Critics contend that zero-tolerance policies like those in the Christina district have led to sharp increases in suspensions and expulsions, often putting children on the streets or in other places where their behavior only worsens, and that the policies undermine the ability of school officials to use common sense in handling minor infractions.
For Delaware, Zachary’s case is especially frustrating because last year state lawmakers tried to make disciplinary rules more flexible by giving local boards authority to, “on a case-by-case basis, modify the terms of the expulsion.”

 

[Patriot44]

I have one better than that, and it happened right here in paulding cty last june.

Our daughters school teacher sent out an email requesting items for the end of the school party. The party was "pirate" themed

My wife went online and ordered several items; an eye patch, 2 or 3 other items and plastic swords. They really looked fake too. Over the top fake looking. I would trust a 1 yo to play with one. Very blunt edges and flemsy to tell you the truth.

Anyways, my wife showed up the day of the party and dropped off the items. She had to return to the school and pick them up. "zero"tollerance rule.

She bought 30 of each item so needless to say every kid in the family and neighborhood got one.

 

[The AmBASSaDEER]

I have one better than that, and it happened right here in paulding cty last june.

Our daughters school teacher sent out an email requesting items for the end of the school party. The party was "pirate" themed

My wife went online and ordered several items; an eye patch, 2 or 3 other items and plastic swords. They really looked fake too. Over the top fake looking. I would trust a 1 yo to play with one. Very blunt edges and flemsy to tell you the truth.

Anyways, my wife showed up the day of the party and dropped off the items. She had to return to the school and pick them up. "zero"tollerance rule.

She bought 30 of each item so needless to say every kid in the family and neighborhood got one.

I can one up you...
I was expelled for having a pocket knife, in my tackel box, in the trunk of my car.

 

[NOYDB]

True anarchy is not the absence of Laws, it is so many Laws that no one can know if they are in violation. So many that no one can know what actions or inactions will put themselves in jeopardy of fines or incarceration. Enforcement becomes arbitrary and punishment no longer relates to the nature or severity of the "Crime".

It *will* get worse.

 

[NCHillbilly]

I can one up you...
I was expelled for having a pocket knife, in my tackel box, in the trunk of my car.

Man, when I was in high school I usually had a .30/30 in the gunrack of my truck in the parking lot and a folding hunter in a sheath on my belt. So did pretty much everybody else. And we could smoke. And that wasn't all that long ago (mid-'80's.)

 

[germag]

True anarchy is not the absence of Laws, it is so many Laws that no one can know if they are in violation. So many that no one can know what actions or inactions will put themselves in jeopardy of fines or incarceration. Enforcement becomes arbitrary and punishment no longer relates to the nature or severity of the "Crime".

It *will* get worse.

Yes, it will. We ain't seen nothin' yet....

 

[Patriot44]

I shot skeet from our practice football field....and that was in the 90's

Ofcourse, this was after a week long gun and hunter safety class administered by DNR

Sad day and time we live in when outdoorsmen and women and boyscouts are so problematic

 

[Backcountry]

why do people have to be so stupid?

 

[CountryCowboy]

I can one up you...
I was expelled for having a pocket knife, in my tackel box, in the trunk of my car.

Insane! What year did you graduate high school? Were you able to fight it? Also, what right did anyone have to go into the trunk of your car? I'd like to know more about what happened...

 

[aaronward9]

when I was in 6th grade in West Virginia (where I got my Hunters Safety Card), we had local hunters bring their own guns to school and show us proper gun safety..

most schools would never even come close to allowing a hunters safety course at the school, much less let them bring guns to show gun safety..

i feel sorry for the kid, but I understand both sides. My dad is a principle and had to suspend a good friend of mine because he went hunting on a Sat. and accidentally left 2 rifle shells (no gun present) in his cup holder and someone saw it and turned the vehicle in..

 

[aaronward9]

Insane! What year did you graduate high school? Were you able to fight it? Also, what right did anyone have to go into the trunk of your car? I'd like to know more about what happened...

in most places, a student gives up all privacy when entering school grounds. if a student's car is suspected of anything illegal on school grounds, it can be searched. Same thing goes for lockers inside the school.

 

[Gentleman4561]

I remember hearing a story similar to this. A guy left a swiss army knife in his car from a camping trip. He lef tcmapus for lunch so his car was searched when he returned. I think he faced felony charges but they were taken away.

 

[RUTTNBUCK]

While plowing our garden when my son was in elementery school we dug up an old shotgun reciever....................Like an old Stevens single shot.....................Very rusted , and non functional. There were no moving parts, the hammer couldn't even be moved...........................No barrel, no stock, and the action wouldn't even open. Basically a hunk of rusted metal..............................Well he thought this would be a neat item to take for show and tell.....................Without telling us he took it to school...............We were called in for a talk in the principles office...................They were not happy

 

[LLove]

the family in the first post should probably should keep on with the home-schooling and tell the principal where to shove it.

 

[Jeffriesw]

It will continue until we as citizens and parents decide to take a stand and reclaim our schools and elect decent school board members.
Either that or just take your kids out of goverment schools.

 

[Skipper]

I'm glad I went through school at a time when the teacher needed to cut something and ask the boys in the class to borrow a pocket knife and she had her choice of a dozen knives.

Did anyone ever take their tackle box to school? I've known of many who dropped off a long gun at the principal's office to be picked up after school to go hunting.

I never knew of anyone wearing a bike helment, rode in the back window of an Oldsmobile 98, got shot with a bb gun. Played tackle football without pads, dipped snuff at recess.

Oh lordy how'd I ever make it?

Skipper

 

[The AmBASSaDEER]

Insane! What year did you graduate high school? Were you able to fight it? Also, what right did anyone have to go into the trunk of your car? I'd like to know more about what happened...

'99

skipping class, car was in student parking lot.

Went to alternative school, had the best teacher ever. Wouldnt be where I am today without her...

 

[willec]

A 6 year old with a camping knife, "BOY" that sound like a harden criminal.

When are we going to have "zero tolerance laws" For our elected officials!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats right they make the laws

 

[Skipper]

When are we going to have "zero tolerance laws" For our elected officials!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats right they make the laws

When we catch one lying can they go directly to the gallows?

Skipper

 

[leroy]

As silly as this is and I think that it is along with all zero tolerance rules the parents should have had better sense than to let him take it to school its a knife dont care if it is a cub scout knife