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NEWARK, DEL.: A school board member says a Delaware first-grader who was suspended for bringing a camping utensil to school is likely to get a reprieve.

Six-year-old Zachary Christie was ordered to spend 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers because he wanted to eat lunch with his favorite camping tool ` a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon.

The Christina School District has a zero-tolerance policy for weapons in school. Board member John Mackenzie says ‘‘the policy, of course, needs some additional flexibility.’’

Mackenzie says teachers and administrators need the freedom to use their commonsense when it's obvious that a child presents no danger.

He says the board will likely amend the policy Tuesday night and that any change would be retroactive to the beginning of the school year.

Do you all think he should be punished? Do you feel this is taking zero tolerance too far or is it a good thing?

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.


He eats every meal with it at home so he had no idea he would get in trouble.

Peg;1251647 wrote: Do you all think he should be punished? Do you feel this is taking zero tolerance too far or is it a good thing?


Lack of tolerance is rarely a good thing and, in this case, common sense and flexibility are called for.

The decision was unanimously overturned. He no longer will be punished. They came to their senses.

oh for petes sake!! Poor kid! What the hell were they thinking! Guess they dont support scouts either! Bloody stupid if you ask me.

YZGI;1251709 wrote: The decision was unanimously overturned. He no longer will be punished. They came to their senses.


Don't be fooled, they did no such thing.. they only came to their senses to put an end to being a laughing stock.



Common sense would mean you don't feel the need to spell out every minute detail of right and wrong behavior by students. They shouldn't need rules regarding weapons and what constitutes a weapon. A 'reasonable person' should be able to make a determination and act upon it, without pulling out a list of legalities.



Another instance of lawyers over involvement, IMO

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flopstock;1251720 wrote: Don't be fooled, they did no such thing.. they only came to their senses to put an end to being a laughing stock.



Common sense would mean you don't feel the need to spell out every minute detail of right and wrong behavior by students. They shouldn't need rules regarding weapons and what constitutes a weapon. A 'reasonable person' should be able to make a determination and act upon it, without pulling out a list of legalities.



Another instance of lawyers over involvement, IMO
Sometimes it takes being laughed at to come to your senses.

I don't know if his mother knew he was taking it or not. Even though it was for scouting, I'd know better than to let my children take anything with a knife although the fork could also be used as a weapon.

A FIRST grader though? Next they will be labeling him as a terrorist, and sending him to some internment camp they have put together without the American people even noticing. I am so losing faith in the Americans. And I bloody well am one!

Peg;1251647 wrote: Do you all think he should be punished? Do you feel this is taking zero tolerance too far or is it a good thing?


in my very humble opinion, "zero tolerance" is a cop out. It's the path to banishing individualisim. Yep gone are the days of "case by case"

Again I guess it goes back to elementary school eh, it just takes one bad apple to ruin everything.

Poor kid really I think that case was taken way to far. Now what if that child was a child of a different color, I bet he would have been quite a catch for those legal beagles and media mongers out there. It would scream a whole different story. Then would that be case by case or would it be race by race. Sorry but this kind of global generalization for silly things like this really bug me.

minks;1251795 wrote: in my very humble opinion, "zero tolerance" is a cop out. It's the path to banishing individualisim. Yep gone are the days of "case by case"



Again I guess it goes back to elementary school eh, it just takes one bad apple to ruin everything.



Poor kid really I think that case was taken way to far. Now what if that child was a child of a different color, I bet he would have been quite a catch for those legal beagles and media mongers out there. It would scream a whole different story. Then would that be case by case or would it be race by race. Sorry but this kind of global generalization for silly things like this really bug me.
It's the same mentality that shunted japanese americans into internment camps during ww2. It's really sad. And ugly.

More comments about the "zero tolerance" mind set:

Losing my Tolerance for "Zero Tolerance": Randy Cassingham's Weird News



Don't examine the indivdual case and the circumstance. Just mandate "zero tolerance." :-5

Oh, the little kid was just being a happy camper-just kindly replace his gadget with a regular plastic spork they use at school, and give the gadget to his parents.