http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/zerotolerance/ en-us Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:59:50 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408228/posts An 8-year-old special-needs child was suspended from school and forced to undergo psychiatric counseling over a picture he drew of Jesus Christ dead on the cross for a Christmas assignment. School officials in Taunton, Mass., said the picture "violated the code of violence in the school handbook," said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant on special-needs children with the Associated Advocacy Center who is working with the boy's family. "I couldn't believe what they were telling me," the boy's father, Chester Johnson, who also works for the school system as a substitute custodian, told The Washington Times on Tuesday. "I asked... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408228/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:59:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374593/posts DES MOINES, Iowa -- A Des Moines girl was suspended after school officials said she violated their weapons policy. Jazmine Martin, 12, brought an empty shotgun shell to school on Monday, a souvenir from a summer vacation to South Dakota. The shell was empty and had the word "blank" written on the front. "We went to South Dakota and went to the Circle B Ranch," said Chenoa Martin, Jazmine's mother. "There's a show of the old West -- a stampede. Had a gun shoot-out and stuff like that. When they fire their rifles, they do it into the crowd. It... kcci.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374593/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:39:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372756/posts A Des Moines girl was suspended after school officials said she violated their weapons policy. Jazmine Martin, 12, brought an empty shotgun shell to school on Monday, a souvenir from a summer vacation to South Dakota. The shell was empty and had the word "blank" written on the front. KCCI TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372756/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:29:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372382/posts A Des Moines girl was suspended after school officials said she violated their weapons policy. Jazmine Martin, 12, brought an empty shotgun shell to school on Monday, a souvenir from a summer vacation to South Dakota. The shell was empty and had the word "blank" written on the front. KCCI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372382/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:35:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365658/posts Tolerance is the mother who softens the harshness of father’s strict adherence to the rules. Since nobody’s perfect, lawmakers and judges should guard against legal surprises never anticipated by lawmakers. This isn’t rewriting the decrees but interpretation in the highest sense of the word so the law can accomplish its original intent. As Scripture says, “Who can say, ‘I have purified my heart, I am free of sin?’ There is no man on earth so righteous that he never sins!” (Proverbs 20:9) So in this article, here are 13 suggestions for lawmakers and judges to bring about a more just... Pulaski County Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365658/posts#comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:17:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365279/posts Three stories in the news this week pointed out the lunacy of what has become known as "zero tolerance". In the first case, a 6-year-old boy was suspended and threatened with reform school because he brought a camping utensil to school. Zachary Christie, a first-grader at Downes Elementary School in Newark, Del., was so proud of the spoon-fork-knife combination gift that he wanted to show it off and use it to eat his lunch. He was by all accounts a good student, who sometimes wore suits to school because he took his education seriously. He was also a Cub Scout.... America Talks http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365279/posts#comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:16:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364034/posts Call him Mr. Zero Tolerance. The upstate New York school superintendent who suspended an Eagle Scout for 20 days for keeping a 2-inch utility knife locked in his car is unwilling to speak to the teen's family or bend in his ruling. Lansingburgh Central School District Superintendent George J. Goodwin, 55, said in a written statement that his district "has an established policy of zero tolerance with respect to the possession of weapons of any kind on school property or in school buildings." But nowhere in the school district's rule book, which is published online, is there any mention of... FOXNEWS.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2364034/posts#comment Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:56:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362781/posts Matthew Whalen, the Egle Scout in upstate New York who was suspended for having a pocket knife in his car received reassuring news from West Point today. Attending the prestigious New York military academy was always a dream for Matthew since the first grade. News 10 Albany reports: The military academy he's wanted to attend since first grade has told Matthew not to worry. Washington Times-Water Cooler http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362781/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:51:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362122/posts The news came out this morning that Zachary Christie, a 6-year-old Delaware first-grader, is back to school. He made news by bringing a small pocketknife with a fork and a spoon to his school. His mother didn’t know he did it. He didn’t know he shouldn’t have done it. He just wanted to bring his cool new camping tool to school to eat his lunch. He had faced 45 days of suspension from his school, and enrollment in an alternative school for troublemakers, after violating the school district’s “zero tolerance” policy on bringing weapons to school. According to today’s story... St. Louis Post-Dispatch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362122/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:16:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361665/posts video at link: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5380529n CBS) A 6-year-old Cub Scout recently suspended from school after bringing a camping utensil to the lunchroom made it clear he was not happy with the Delaware school district's decision. "I think it's very wrong. It's not fair at all," Zachary Christie of Newark, Del. told CBS' "The Early Show." "It's not fair for anybody," he said. Zachary's excitement over joining the Cub Scouts may just land him in reform school for 45 days. Zachary was suspended from his 1st grade class in Delaware's Christina School District after bringing a camping utensil - a combination knife/fork/spoon... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361665/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:04:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2361468/posts First grader Zachary Christie was recently suspended for bringing a Cub Scout camping utensil with him to school. The utensil combines a fork, spoon and a knife into one tool and Christie wanted to use it at lunchtime. His school has a "zero-tolerance" policy on weapons and the camping tool violates the district's rule. He is facing 45 days in the district's reform school. Did school officials go too far? http://www.foxnews.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2361468/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:15:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361074/posts Boy Scouts are supposed to "Be Prepared." But how could a New York Eagle Scout prepare himself to have his dreams derailed by a school's imbalanced "zero tolerance" policy? Matthew Whalen's plan to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point may be in jeopardy because the high school senior had a 2-inch pocketknife locked in his car. The Lansingburgh Central School District initially suspended him for five days and later added another 15 days to his sentence. ww.washingtontimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361074/posts#comment Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:54:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360901/posts 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. "Zachary wears... Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360901/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:26:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360766/posts 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... news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2360766/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:17:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360618/posts Zachary Christie with his mother, Debbie, his father, Curtis, and the Cub Scout utensil that got him suspended from school. 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. 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... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360618/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:10:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360497/posts 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. 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 now faces 45 days in the district’s reform... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360497/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:54:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2358367/posts Soldier suspended from school Posted: Oct 8, 2009 05:26 PM A NEWS10 EXCLUSIVE By MARK O'BRIEN LANSINGBURGH -- High school senior Matthew Whalen is the kind of student any parent would want. He's an Eagle Scout, on the honor roll, taking Advanced Placement classes, and never been in trouble with the law. He's received commendations from the City of Troy and the Boy Scouts of America for saving a woman's life, and this past summer, he completed Army basic training. All of it was accomplished before the age of 17. "I'm just trying to do what I can while I... WTEN - Albany, NY http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2358367/posts#comment Fri, 9 Oct 2009 14:48:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357659/posts San Antonio police are looking for a man who walked into a downtown building housing several Bexar County offices, lit two smoke flares and threw them at a receptionist Thursday morning. Employees inside the three-story Heritage Plaza building in the 400 block of South Main Street were evacuated for about an hour at 9:30 a.m., said Arson Detective Jose Salame of the San Antonio Fire Department. A receptionist for Elite Consulting, a service provider for Bexar County's adult probation department on the building's second floor, told authorities she heard the man pull the ignition strings on the smoke flares, but... San Antonio Express-News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2357659/posts#comment Thu, 8 Oct 2009 17:06:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327094/posts Dougherty County School Police are investigating a complaint of excessive force against a sixth grade girl arrested for protesting having her picture taken. Her father shows scratches on 11-year-old Treneashe Graddy's neck and back. She says she was thrown to the ground and arrested at Southside Middle School yesterday. When school officials tried to take her picture for school identification, she refused because her hair was not fixed. The girl was charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of an officer, and disrupting school. walb http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327094/posts#comment Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:05:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287367/posts EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- An actress who starred on the hit television series "Three's Company" has been arrested in Southern California and cited for drunken driving. Police said Joyce DeWitt, who played the character Janet Wood on the popular show, was pulled over Saturday afternoon after she drove past a barricade near a park in El Segundo. Sgt. Danny Kim says an officer arrested the 60-year-old DeWitt after he observed signs she had been drinking and gave her field sobriety tests. Kim says DeWitt was booked at the Police Department, cited and released on her own recognizance. AP via theindychannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287367/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 16:46:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274029/posts STANDISH, Maine -- Justin Denney's family watched as he ascended the Cumberland County Civic Center stage during graduation Friday night to accept his diploma, but the superintendent told him to return to his seat. The Bonny Eagle High School senior's mother said she can't believe her son's taking a bow and blowing a kiss on stage led was grounds for the superintendent to withhold his diploma. Mary Denney wants an apology, and her son wants his diploma, reported WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine. "I'm like, 'Did she not hand him his diploma?' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Mary Denney said. Fox 5 News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274029/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:27:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273255/posts For teens, there is no greater joy than graduating high school. Shaking off the shackles of education and claiming that hard-fought diploma is truly an epic day. Unfortunately, for several students at Bonny Eagle High School in Maine, their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems. On Friday night, when the senior class was waiting to graduate, excitement began to grow. Students bounced a large inflatable rubber duck. The noise level rose. And then came "the kiss." When called, one student walked on stage to receive his diploma and blew a kiss to his family. The school administrator,... Yahoo! Buzz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2273255/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:26:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2272981/posts Justin Denney's family watched on as he ascended the Cumberland County Civic Center stage during graduation Friday night to accept his diploma, but the superintendent told him to return to his seat Mary Denney said she can't believe how her son's taking a bow and blowing a kiss on stage was grounds for the superintendent to withhold his diploma. "I'm like, 'Did she not hand him his diploma?' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Mary Denney said. She said she and Justin both signed a code of conduct regarding the graduation when she picked up graduation tickets on Friday, she doesn't... ABC 8 WMTW http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2272981/posts#comment Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:36:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255463/posts PELHAM, N.H. -- Two Pelham High School students were arrested Wednesday and charged with false public alarm after police found a plastic cap gun in a locker, officials said. Pelham High School was put on lockdown and Pelham police were called after school officials received a report of a handgun in the building before noon. Some parents went to the school after getting text messages from their children. "I didn't think anything. I just flew down here because I heard the SWAT team was down here," said parent Lisa Tracy. News 9's Kria Sakakeeny said a 15-year-old and 16-year-old were... WMUR News 9 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2255463/posts#comment Thu, 21 May 2009 14:22:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246399/posts Muslims in Britain have zero tolerance towards homosexuality compared to their counterparts in France and Germany, according to a survey published today . The Gallup poll features the results of telephone and face-to-face interviews with Muslims and non-Muslims in the UK, France and Germany and is designed to measure global attitudes towards people from different faith traditions. It shows that British Muslims hold more conservative opinions towards homosexual acts, abortion, viewing pornography, suicide and sex outside marriage than European Muslims, polling markedly lower when asked if they believed these things were morally acceptable. The most dramatic contrast was found in... u.tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2246399/posts#comment Thu, 7 May 2009 21:09:53 GMT