This theme is recurring so often I think I’m going to have to create a new category link for it. Once again a bunch of school administrators are showing they don’t have alot of common sense going for them. This time it happened in South Carolina (story from WIStv.com):
(Rock Hill-AP) May 7, 2005 – An
11-year-old boy was arrested this week for carrying ten nails in his
pocket at a Rock Hill middle school and charged with carrying an
unlawful weapon.Dianne McCray, assistant principal at Rawlinson
Road Middle School, asked the child Wednesday what was jingling in his
pocket and the student gave her the 3.5" long nails.A school resource officer arrested him. His father picked him up and he was not taken to the police station.
The
father said the nails were left in his pocket after a Boy Scout outing.
He says it is ridiculous that his son faces an unlawful weapon charge.
He says the boy threatened no one.
This zero-tolerance crap has to stop.
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Befuddled 
No doubt — something similar occured in my home town. This was a little more ridiculous (on the kid’s part) in which a kid brought a knife used for cleaning fish (we live in OK) into a school building but was showing it off. Although it wasn’t in a threatening manner, police charges came about, and he has been expelled from every school in the state that holds the same views as this school. Since they feel that this was unlawful, they make contact with every school that wants him to attend there and ask why it is that the new school won’t uphold the original school’s position that carrying a knife is unlawful. That’s when I think it gets out of hand.
Hi Chrystal,
Thanks for the comment and I agree with you. The fundamental problem is that we no longer give kids the chance to mess up even once. What happened to at least trying to bring the kid’s parents in, having a stern lecture with the appropriate warnings, and then going from there.
It’s as if they assume that all parents have lost control of their kids and so they can’t rely on the parents’ influence any more. Sure there are lots of bad parents out there, but you just can’t assume they are all a lost cause and schools should try that route first. If it doesn’t work then they can start with the punitive measures.
Of course what makes these stories so newsworthy is that these kids have no prior records, seem to come from “good” families and the authorities jump right to the most extreme measures because of zero tolerance policies. It’s simply ridiculous.
And following a kid around to make sure he doesn’t get another shot anywhere? That’s just wrong.