Posted on 04/29/2013 6:19:09 AM PDT by marktwain
A fifth-grader in Cupertino, California was suspended and threatened with expulsion for bringing a small Swiss Army knife on a school-sponsored, science-oriented camping trip.
In early April, Braden Bandermann’s class set off on Garden Gate Elementary School’s annual, week-long pilgrimage for fifth-graders to Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco.
Before leaving, Braden did what any Silicon Valley 10-year-old faced with the perils of nature might do: He packed his trusty Swiss Army knife. As any camper knows, the multi-tool device is nothing if not versatile. Braden’s particular model contains a can opener, tweezers, a toothpick, a nail file, a tiny pair of scissors and a small blade.
The little blade landed the boy in big trouble.
“They called me,” explained Tony Bandermann, Braden’s father. “They said, ‘You have to come and get him. He has a weapon. He needs to be suspended or possibly expelled.’”
At the time, the elder Bandermann was on a business trip in Sacramento, roughly 100 miles away. His wife, Braden’s stepmother, was at the camp with Braden, but they had arrived by bus and had no private transportation. (Braden’s mother was also unable to go to the camp so that he could serve a suspension.)
The school principal, Brandi Hucko, allegedly wanted Bandermann to rush to the site of the science camp, pick Braden up for a one-day suspension and then deliver him back to camp.
Bandermann told The Daily Caller that he was frustrated over Hucko’s insistence “that I risk my job and go get him out of the program for a one-day suspension all over a Swiss Army knife.”
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Post one liberal icon against another.
IMO, female principals are a large percentage of the problem in public schools”
...I would tend to agree with one exception. My daughters HS principle is a female and very conservative. I ran into her at a tea party a few years ago and she supports Ken Cuccinelli for Va Gov! I feel very fortunate that we have her.
I wonder what they said up on the camping trip when they came across the old Nike Missile site up there? Probably something to the effect these were weapons of imperial war mongers. Frankly, I wish they would reactivate the site, tie the principal to one of the air defense missiles and launch her into the stratosphere.
You know why they have “zero tolerance” policies?
Because the person that makes a judgment call is responsible for that decision.
I’m not saying it’s because of lawyers... but... it’s because of lawyers.
On the more “cosmic battle” scale, Satan is continuing his unabated attack on the concept of “father”, which builds on the concept of “man”.
So, how was he supposed to dissect a frog?
Unfortunately these so called authority figures do not deserve any respect.
It should be clear to all. The only fix for this crap is to put an end to government schools. All education must be private.
Government run schools was just a bad idea from the outset but years of taxpayer funded, government serving government institutions have turned our schools into left wing cesspools.
It should be a school requirement to bring a utility knife when camping and to know how to use it.
In the ‘70’s, on a school field trip to Philadelphia, I bought a promotional 2” bowie knife with the 76ers logo on it. Probably couldn’t have stabbed butter with that Taiwanese blade, but neither did I get in trouble.
Now, my youngest son loves knives. But he knows better than to take one to his Christian school. Girl got in trouble there for bringing a butter knife in with her lunch.
Not sure how much trouble. Probably “don’t ever bring that here again” rather than national spotlight for being expelled, but she’s still used as an example for the rest.
Mumblety-peg anyone?
I think you’re right. It reminds me of Atlas Shrugged where everyone in society is afraid to take any responsibility or think because they know they will be punished for it.
When we go hiking my teenage son usually has a multi blade knife in his pocket, a good folding buck knife in the backpack and a ka-bar on his belt. If he could get away with it I’m sure he’d strap one of his machetes to his pack.
I don’t think he’d do well in California schools.
Perhaps, as a Christian school, they would be amenable to reason. Indoctrinating the young with the idea that the carry of knives is unacceptable is a bad idea.
They could promote responsibility by having a class similar to the Boy Scouts, and allowing those who took it to carry knives.
Just a thought.
Public schools aren’t needed today. They’re obsolete and should be phased out. Read the comments at the end of the article. They are scathing. There is virtually no support for this school’s actions.
Ten years ago or so, you would read articles such as this one and many people supported zero tolerance. Well, they don’t anymore. It won’t take much longer for them to decide not support public schools, either.
These parents should never permitted their son to go on this trip. Who wants the public schools to have authority over their child for five days and nights?
God only knows what else is going on there.
It's a good thing he didn't take a bigger knife
***I was so proud of that knife I carried it every day in my pocket to school****
In the late 1950s or early ‘60s if you wanted to be considered one of the boys you had to have a folding pocket knife (any brand) and a small whetstone.
At noon we would all get together and sharpen knives while talking about anything.
And if someone took a large hunting knife to school it caused no panic as everyone knew he was in leathercraft class. Same for kids with pistols.
Today’s massive culture of fear began after the murder of Bobby Kennedy.
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