QUOTE: SPF2245-I agree the punishment is a little steep, however, I'm going on the side of stop blaming the schools and blame the parents/kids. Let's not forget, he was not supposed to bring a knife to school (it clearly IS/HAS a blade) so rather then letting it go...let's ask for a punishment of 5 days and call it even.
I agree 100%....He DOES need to learn his lesson, and so do the parents.
"The American Psychological Association has argued that strict zero-tolerance rules hurt student achievement and can even make schools less safe." "When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, "People have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."
And just for the record:
"State Democratic Rep. Terry Schooley sponsored a bill that gave districts more flexibility on punishments, but the law applies to expulsions, not suspensions. She was moved to act after a fifth-grader in same school district was expelled last year for bringing a birthday cake and a serrated knife to cut it with; the expulsion was overturned."
Wow, not everyone is treated equally, I'm sure glad she didn't trip and stab the birthday girl.
Thank goodness I was starting to think I was the only sane one here...thanks to Zoloft.