Zachary Christie with his mother, Debbie, his father, Curtis, and the Cub Scout utensil that got him suspended from school.
Posted on 10/12/2009 12:17:31 PM PDT by JoeProBono
1st Grader Brings Camping Utensil to School for Lunch, But Zero Tolerance Weapons Policy Leads to 45-Day Suspension -
A 6-year-old boy's excitement over joining the Cub Scouts may just land him in reform school for 45 days.
Zachary Christie was suspended from his 1st grade class in Delaware's Christina School District after bringing a camping utensil - a combination knife/fork/spoon - to use at lunch, prompting calls to reexamine schools' zero-tolerance policy for bringing weapons to school, according to a New York Times report Monday.
Zero tolerance policies were instituted in many school districts across the country, at least in part due to violence at Columbine and Virginia Tech, the report notes. Their rigid enforcement is designed to eliminate the appearance of bias or discrimination on the part of school officials.
But residents, and some lawmakers, are now wondering why schools can't apply a more common-sense discretion to such instances.
"It just seems unfair," said Zachary, who is being home-schooled while his mother, Debbie Christie, tries to fight the suspension. That involved Zachary appearing before a district disciplinary committee with his karate instructor and mother's fiancé vouching for him as character witnesses.
Zachary Christie with his mother, Debbie, his father, Curtis, and the Cub Scout utensil that got him suspended from school.
Its sad when school officials have less common sense than a 6 year old.
Simply home school and don’t worry about it. We did for 20 years and have a family of well adjusted, normal children. Married, college degrees and doing fine. All are conservative, but are so of their own free will.
This nation is going freakin nuts! The inmates are running the asylum. When will WE the PEOPLE say ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!”? (Rhetorical, and end of my rant....but Holy Christ, this is unbelievable!)
But the good news is that he earned his “Suspended From School” Belt Loop.
lol
This is a joke, right?
The “knife” in those kits have a round end!
Certainly looks menancing. Maybe more midnight basketball will straighten this one out. I sure hope so, the idea of meeting and armed Cub Scout down some dark lonely alley really frightens me.
There is common sense in some places. I used to be a cop at a South Central L.A. school. A recent immigrant from Central America came to school with a 10-inch serrated knife and a bag of fruit.
Teacher sent her to the assistant principal who called me. She (student) told me they do that at her old school. I talked to the Juvenile detectives at LAPD and told them the scenario. No harm, no foul. She didn’t even get detention.
Too many districts go by the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law. Looks like the tide may be changing.
Some of these have real knives. Still seems a bit extreme.
Ummm...whats wrong with the idea that ITS NOT A WEAPON!
Hmmmm! I'm thinking "Too many A-holes go by the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law.
From your post, I would have thought someone had just posted a Helen Thomas picture.
"Zero-tolerance" policies are a code phrase that means "school administrators are excluded from having to think"!! Some of the dumbest things currently being perpetrated by the schools on our kids are done under the umbrella of "zero-tolerance"!!
Kid could do more damage by taking off a sock dropping a rock down into the end it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.