aeohio
New Mexico
Full Member
Joined: 09/20/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
 Offline
|
I am not opposed to common sense and I do not fault the child, the bottom line is these rules are set up to prevent something from happening. As I said I think this punishment is overboard.
I think that the school board probably is highly educated (not sure do not know them personally) and they do not want a TV crew at there school for a kid being hurt because another kid brought a knife to school. I am sure they do not want this publicity either. But I would like someone to tell me where the school draws the line. Think about all the things that could go wrong with a child having a knife at school. The rule has such a harsh punishment because of the potential of harm that could be caused. Again while I do not agree with the punishment or fault the child its not like he drew a picture of a gun, brought in a squirt gun. He brought in a knife, regardless of the intent it was at school and a knife has no business being in a school.
There are two questions that you need to ask yourself
1. Would you feel the same if another child accidentially got hurt with this knife?
2. Where does the school draw the line so it is fair for all?
Again I think the school went overboard but I can see their point and I can understand it, dont agree with it but I understand it. I think the parents are to blame more then anyone else.
2010 Passport UL 290BH
2006 Ford Expedition Limited
|
fla-gypsy
North Florida
Senior Member
Joined: 04/19/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
When I was a kid we had show and tell after Christmas and I remember kids bringing BB guns and stuff, but we never tried to kill each other either.
09 SuperDuty Crew Cab 6.8L/4.10(The Black Pearl)
06 Keystone Hornet 29 RLS/(The Cracker Cabana)
Camping Photos
|
MI Director
Michigan
Senior Member
Joined: 03/03/2007
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
We went to school in the country and during hunting season worn our hunting clothes to school with all our hunting equipment in the truck of the car in the school parking lot all day. One nice field was next to one of the schools and we would park in the last row over there load up in the parking lot and head into the field from the edge of the lot. Part of the field was school property.
School officals need to get there heads on straight and use common sense or we're going to end up with a bunch of wimps who can't think for themselfs.
|
DanJoan
Bellevue, NE, USA
Full Member
Joined: 02/12/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
aeohio, it is an eating utensil! I had one when i was in grade school!
The 6 year old didn't take it to play with it, he wanted to eat lunch with it.
The school needs to use their over-educated minds to come to reasonable solutions. BUT they throw ALL students in the same irresponsible bowl and punish the good student and the gang member!!
Wonderful Wife (young): Joan
First Born Daughter(18): Melissa (with Jesus)
Terrific Son (17): Caleb
Beautiful Daughter (12): Rebecca
2004 Antiqua 195ck
2001 Dodge Ram
|
Pawz4me
North Carolina
Senior Member
Joined: 06/05/2007
View Profile
|
aeohio wrote:There are two questions that you need to ask yourself
1. Would you feel the same if another child accidentially got hurt with this knife?
Nobody got hurt in this instance, so it's a moot point. Playing "what if" in every single situation that could possibly cause some harm is a very slippery slope. Books can potentially be used as weapons, as can pens, pencils, rulers and keys. And let's not even think about those pointy ends on compasses. In the hands of an older, stronger kid with malice on his/her mind, any of those could be serious weapons. Should they be banned because of the "what ifs"?
Quote:2. Where does the school draw the line so it is fair for all?
They keep the basic rules in place but consider each case individually before deciding on what punishment, if any, is suitable. They consider intent and use common-sense. This was a first-grader who (from what we know) had no intent at all to do harm. He apparently never even thought about the potential. OTOH, an older kid with a perfectly "legal" pen or pencil could do great harm.
Me and the DH 
Two boys and two dogs (and two cats who prefer to stay home)
2008 Forest River Georgetown 350DS (bunkhouse model)
2001 Honda CR-V
|
|
|
chasfm11
Dallas/Ft Worth Areas
Senior Member
Joined: 02/28/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
aeohio wrote:The school is in a lose lose situation, I do not blame the school in this situation, they have a rule and they have to follow it, if they do not and something bad happens next week with another student doing the same thing then they lose as well.
Sorry, but I do blame the school.
Fact: No one is ever going to remove all of the possible risks to kids in school by making rules. All these rules do is to allow administrators to avoid having to make decisions. It is not favoritism to have people who get paid to make decisions make them. If they want to "spread the blame", they could have a panel of 3 administrators/teachers who could review such situations. There was another situation where a student (Eagle Scout, honor student) was suspended because he had a knife in his car. He was also in the military and was trying to get into West Point. Somehow, the administrator questioned him and made him open up his car, finding the knife (which, by the way, wasn't even classified as a weapon by the State of NY because the blade was only 2 inches long.)
I used to teach. One of the things that I discovered while teaching was that many who were promoted to administrator were cowards and were always looking for something to hide behind. Let one parent fuss and they caved in like a snowman in the hot sun. One that I worked for had never upheld any teacher's decision, regardless of merit of that decision. We called him "jellyfish".
These are the kind of people who bring you "zero tolerance" rules.
2000 Georgie Boy Landau 36'DP Cummins 5.9, Allison 1000 5sp
2005 Saturn Vue Toad, Falcon2 Towbar, BrakeMaster Toad Brake
|
smkettner
Southern California
Senior Member
Joined: 03/21/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
|
I agree with the rule but a warning or just suspension for the rest of the day would be enough. Especially considering the age and purpose. I don't blame the child, but the parents knew better and used poor judgement if they allowed this to happen. As a parent I signed a list of similar rules and was required to go over the rules with my child. Too many people think they are exempt from this stuff. There are a lot of what ifs that could have happened that do not happen because of these rules. JMO.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
|
Vakeel
So. California
Full Member
Joined: 04/27/2008
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
|
If you don't like the rule, then you go and try to change the rule. You don't whine about it after you get caught breaking it, and assume everyone who is simply enforcing the rule they told you about before hand is a moron, because you either cannot understand the rule, cannot follow the rule or do not like the rule.
In plain English: Zero tolerance means what it says.
As for common sense: It comes into play with you as a parent at your home. If you want to buy your child a knife, that is fine. But, have enough common sense to teach him/her about the rule of not taking it to school. Have enough common sense to realize that you should monitor your child because he or she is a child and may not listen to you. And finally, have enough common sense to realize that if you do not do both of the above and your kid gets expelled because he/she took the knife to the school, it is no one else's fault but yours!
And no, I am not a teacher or a school administrator. Just a parent with a kid in a school who realizes the times now are different than the times when we all grew up. If you don't believe me, just look at the CNN headline today about the three kids who deliberately lit another kid on fire because the kid owed them $40 and told the police when they stole his dad's bike!
|
Pawz4me
North Carolina
Senior Member
Joined: 06/05/2007
View Profile
|
Apparently there is at least some commonsense left.
Quote:However, on Tuesday night the school board made a hasty change to its code of conduct. The seven-member board voted unanimously to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-graders who bring weapons to school or commit other violent offenses to a suspension ranging from three to five days. Now, he could return Wednesday.
Full article
|
jefff929
Pacific wonderland, wet side
Senior Member
Joined: 05/23/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Pawz4me wrote:Apparently there is at least some commonsense left.
Quote:However, on Tuesday night the school board made a hasty change to its code of conduct. The seven-member board voted unanimously to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-graders who bring weapons to school or commit other violent offenses to a suspension ranging from three to five days. Now, he could return Wednesday.
Full article
With no reform school 
2001 Dodge 2500 QC, Diesel, Auto, 4x4 Shortbox, Stull running boards, 24.5' Prowler 5er
Diesel Bombers
My Baby
Another NWBomber
|
|
|
