And yet another zero tolerance case.

[Rageaholic]

Story here.

Student was suspended for 12 MONTHS because she had a pocket knife in her purse. They found the pocket knife by some random drug search (her perfume smelled like drugs) and automatically assumed bad intentions. At first, it was a 3 day suspension, but this was escalated to 12 months essentially holding her back for a year.

Fuck this zero tolerance bullshit. It's turning everyone into anxious, paranoid wackos who don't use their brain.

[Greenday]

Hell, I carry a pocket knife five days a week. It's a damn tool. This zero tolerance BS goes way too far.

[HYHYBT]

Interesting that there's neither mention of why it was changed from three days to a year nor even of a refusal to give a reason. It's as if the question itself was somehow out of bounds, despite being the most important among the basic five.

[s_stabeler]

I can possibly understand the three-day suspension (though I'd recommend not- ever heard of a warning? She was a good student) but not a 12-month suspension. As said, it is functionally holding her back a year- for forgetting she had a knife in her purse. Had she actually threatened someone with it, 12 months would be appropriate ( if not outright expulsion) but for mere posession?

[Kheldarson]

Interesting that there's neither mention of why it was changed from three days to a year nor even of a refusal to give a reason. It's as if the question itself was somehow out of bounds, despite being the most important among the basic five.

It looks like it boils down to that it's the punishment for finding a weapon on school grounds. Supposedly period.

Yet, there were other items found in the search that are considered weapons (such as lighters) and the students weren't punished.

[Ginger Tea]

Re it's a tool, when you have a job that needs a knife its a tool, in school, not so much.
I once had a bag search in a rock club after work and my 'tool kit' was in it, multi head screwdriver and retractable blade box cutter. It was going to go in the cloak room anyways and I normally didn't have it on me, but I had a shift change so came from work to club, but upon seeing it (and I did say I had stuff in there) it got thrown in the managers office and it saved me the quid fee.

So it's a tool at work, but not in a nightclub, it has no business being in a night club.
Had this been a stop and search in the streets I would be behind "It's a tool" as its part of my own personal work tool kit.

Re the lighter and other 'weapons' found but ignored, is that your or the schools definition, as damn near anything can be weaponised. Lighters by them selves might fall under the smilex principle, harmless by itself but a weapon when used with aerosol or flammable liquids.

I could probably do more damage to you with the hammer I had than the box cutter, but it was the knife that was the problem.

[Jetfire]

I was in school in the 90's, a rural/town high school in Canada. Thank goodness we didn't (and as far as I know they still don't) have any of that Zero tolerance bullshit for knives.

All through school, I kept a Swiss Army Knife on me almost all the time, including in school. I didn't take it out (unless I had a reason to use it; and vandalism wasn't a reason), and never got in trouble for it. I don't think I ever heard anyone get in trouble for having a knife at school when I went there, unless they actually threatened with it. (And even then I only heard maybe a couple of incidents TOTAL ).

[Kheldarson]

Re the lighter and other 'weapons' found but ignored, is that your or the schools definition, as damn near anything can be weaponised. Lighters by them selves might fall under the smilex principle, harmless by itself but a weapon when used with aerosol or flammable liquids.

It's the school's definition: http://www.keyc.com/story/25337537/a...elled-from-usc

It should also be noted that the superintendent does admit to having discretion in the punishment, but it seems that they're still hitting her with the full punishment because

[The di]strict has an amnesty policy of sorts, allowing students to alert officials to a weapon they have in their possession to avoid punishment, and Helmers said that because Alyssa had the chance to tell her teacher about the knife while the lockdown lock downlace, her actions warranted an expulsion.

Never mind she consistently says she forgot she even had the knife in there...

[HYHYBT]

So someone who's brought one on purpose and knows they're about to get caught can get a lighter punishment, but bringing one accidentally gets the full penalty?

[Kheldarson]

So someone who's brought one on purpose and knows they're about to get caught can get a lighter punishment, but bringing one accidentally gets the full penalty?

Basically, that seems to be what they're saying.

[AccountingDrone]

And I can kill you with a mechanical pencil ... hell, I can show you how to turn a bic clicker into a needle thrower and how to extract the nicotine from tobacco, combine the 2 and you will die. More crap that isn't dangerous looking can be turned handily into improvised weapons that if they started actually thinking about it we would all be homeschooled because nobody would be able to walk onto school property without having something illegal in their possession.

[Kheldarson]

And I can kill you with a mechanical pencil ... hell, I can show you how to turn a bic clicker into a needle thrower and how to extract the nicotine from tobacco, combine the 2 and you will die. More crap that isn't dangerous looking can be turned handily into improvised weapons that if they started actually thinking about it we would all be homeschooled because nobody would be able to walk onto school property without having something illegal in their possession.

That's not the point here. Point is, the school has a list of items that they say are considered dangerous and suspension/expulsion worthy under this policy.

This girl is the only one getting dinged after the recent search.

So either somebody's trying to make an example of her for some god awful reason, or something else went on during the search that hasn't been revealed yet.

[protege]

So someone who's brought one on purpose and knows they're about to get caught can get a lighter punishment, but bringing one accidentally gets the full penalty?

Pardon my French...but what the fuck?

I mean, I accidentally brought a knife to school some years ago. Of course, 25 years ago, people didn't seem a paranoid then But seriously, I totally forgot it was in my coat pocket. I was in scouts, and usually had a Swiss Army knife on me when camping or fishing. I'd put the knife in my pocket, and simply forgot it was in there.

Of course, I didn't want to get my ass in trouble. I remember telling my teacher about it. She said that she knew I was in scouts, and to just go upstairs and put it in my locker. That was it. If that would have happened now, I would have ended up in the principal's office, and the cops would have been called.

Like other people here, I think that just about anything could be used to kill or maim someone. Hell, even a brake disc could be deadly if you clock someone upside the head with it

[DGoddess]

Like other people here, I think that just about anything could be used to kill or maim someone. Hell, even a brake disc could be deadly if you clock someone upside the head with it

So could a clarinet case, as I learned out of sheer necessity in the 5th grade. Or at least cause a concussion serious enough to warrant an ER visit.

People get worked up over the stupidest stuff anymore when it comes to students. One of my girlfriends had to go to school and have a come to Jesus meeting with a principal who had expelled her older son (this was back in the early 2000's) b/c he had brought a "weapon to school."

That "weapon" was a pair of nail clippers. He was using them in class and sent directly to the principal, who not only suspended him but IIRC called in local police.

Her son had to finish school at an alternative facility for "troublemakers" after the school refused to back down and she couldn't get an appeal through the school board. All of this due to "zero tolerance."

Which amounts to zero common sense.

[bara]

Zero Tolerance= No Thought... and that right there is perhaps one of the greatest things harming the world right now.