Cub Scout utensil gets boy, 6, school suspension

[Ptarmigan]

Cub Scout utensil gets boy, 6, school suspension
By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 7:40 a.m. MT, Tues., Oct . 13, 2009

Dressed in a button-down shirt and tie and speaking calmly and articulately, first-grader Zachary Christie hardly looks or acts like the sort of kid who should be spending 45 days in reform school. But, thanks to a zero-tolerance policy, that’s where Zachary’s Delaware school system wants him to go after he made the mistake of taking his favorite camping utensil to school.

A Swiss Army-type combination of fork, spoon, bottle opener and knife, the tool has been Zachary’s favorite ever since he got it to take on Cub Scout camping expeditions. “He eats dinner with it, breakfast and everything else, so it never occurred to him that this would have been something wrong to do,” the 6-year-old’s mother, Debbie Christie, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Tuesday from Newark, Del.

Full Article

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More leftist stupidity as schools. Zero common sense does nothing. It never stopped school shootings.

[Celtic Rose]

Punishing innocent children for such a complete mistake accomplishes nothing.  Good for his mother for refusing to send him to the alternative school. 

[Thor]

Cub Scout utensil gets boy, 6, school suspension
By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 7:40 a.m. MT, Tues., Oct . 13, 2009

Dressed in a button-down shirt and tie and speaking calmly and articulately, first-grader Zachary Christie hardly looks or acts like the sort of kid who should be spending 45 days in reform school. But, thanks to a zero-tolerance policy, that’s where Zachary’s Delaware school system wants him to go after he made the mistake of taking his favorite camping utensil to school.

A Swiss Army-type combination of fork, spoon, bottle opener and knife, the tool has been Zachary’s favorite ever since he got it to take on Cub Scout camping expeditions. “He eats dinner with it, breakfast and everything else, so it never occurred to him that this would have been something wrong to do,” the 6-year-old’s mother, Debbie Christie, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Tuesday from Newark, Del.

Full Article

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More leftist stupidity as schools. Zero common sense does nothing. It never stopped school shootings.

[thundley4]

Punishing innocent children for such a complete mistake accomplishes nothing.  Good for his mother for refusing to send him to the alternative school. 

And to think, when I was in school you could carry a sword to school on the bus.  Every kid had a pocket knife, and some even carried knives in sheaths on their belts.

[Peter3_1]

mORE "LIBERAL" insanity. Any fool that claims they have no options in such a case is lying, incompetent or a buffoon. More likely all three and we need to get these fools out of the schools and into jobs that their "talents" are more suited. You know, digging ditches with a spade under direct supervision.

[Ptarmigan]

mORE "LIBERAL" insanity. Any fool that claims they have no options in such a case is lying, incompetent or a buffoon. More likely all three and we need to get these fools out of the schools and into jobs that their "talents" are more suited. You know, digging ditches with a spade under direct supervision.

Where's Pinochet or Suharto when you really need them? They dealt with leftist in a brutal, sadistic, and violent manner that brought peace, stability, and prosperity.

[RobJohnson]

A knife is a knife & the kid broke the rules.

[Celtic Rose]

A knife is a knife & the kid broke the rules.

But does a six year old bringing a knife to school, with no apparent intention of using it in a violent way, really merit 45 days at an alternative school?  I can see the suspension, and I'll bet that he never does it again, but the additional punishment on top of it? 

Zero tolerance takes out  the common sense in meting out punishment.   

[Ptarmigan]

But does a six year old bringing a knife to school, with no apparent intention of using it in a violent way, really merit 45 days at an alternative school?  I can see the suspension, and I'll bet that he never does it again, but the additional punishment on top of it? 

Zero tolerance takes out  the common sense in meting out punishment.   

I agree. He should of at worst had it taken away for the day.

[thundley4]

I can't find the link, but the school has reduced the punishment for this kid to just the suspension, no 45  days in juvie.

[Chris_]

A knife is a knife & the kid broke the rules.

Looks like they figured it out:

Student Who Brought Camping Utensil to School Has Suspension Lifted

AP story at LINK

[Ptarmigan]

Looks like they figured it out:

Student Who Brought Camping Utensil to School Has Suspension Lifted

AP story at LINK

Looks like they couldn't take the heat.

[debk]

When I first heard about this, I thought it was ridiculous.

While I still feel the punishment is overkill (no pun intended) for a 6 year old with a Cub Scout eating utensil to be used when camping....I saw the clip on TV from this morning's interview on the Today show.

The kid sounded coached, Mommy was rubbing his hand as he talked, and the whole thing seemed way to staged.

I totally understand a 6yo boy sneaking into his backpack,  a new "toy" that he received as a proud little Cub Scout, he's at the age where this would be his first year as a Cubbie. That's pretty typical behavior for a child that age.

And while I don't for a minute think the child had any ulterior motives by taking it to school.....after watching the TV clip....I had to wonder if the kid thought it up on his own. Seeing the mother and listening to the little boy...just kind of made me think...hmmmmm.

[Deuce]

When I first heard about this, I thought it was ridiculous.

While I still feel the punishment is overkill (no pun intended) for a 6 year old with a Cub Scout eating utensil to be used when camping....I saw the clip on TV from this morning's interview on the Today show.

The kid sounded coached, Mommy was rubbing his hand as he talked, and the whole thing seemed way to staged.

I totally understand a 6yo boy sneaking into his backpack,  a new "toy" that he received as a proud little Cub Scout, he's at the age where this would be his first year as a Cubbie. That's pretty typical behavior for a child that age.

And while I don't for a minute think the child had any ulterior motives by taking it to school.....after watching the TV clip....I had to wonder if the kid thought it up on his own. Seeing the mother and listening to the little boy...just kind of made me think...hmmmmm.

That's a strong possibility. In any case, "zero tolerance" more or less translates to "zero thinking" on part of school administrators. They get to hide behind a policy so as to avoid having to use their own judgment and taking the possible flak for it. This sort of thinking is what led to that one teenage girl getting strip-searched looking for prescription-strength Tylenol. At no point did a school administrator stop and think that maybe strip-searching a minor with no parental or law enforcement input was maybe possibly a really stupid idea?

[debk]

That's a strong possibility. In any case, "zero tolerance" more or less translates to "zero thinking" on part of school administrators. They get to hide behind a policy so as to avoid having to use their own judgment and taking the possible flak for it. This sort of thinking is what led to that one teenage girl getting strip-searched looking for prescription-strength Tylenol. At no point did a school administrator stop and think that maybe strip-searching a minor with no parental or law enforcement input was maybe possibly a really stupid idea?

Life was so much easier when the principal was allowed to issue corporal punishment.

A kid did something wrong in school, and the principal whacked him with the dreaded paddle.....then called the parents. The punishment was worse when facing the parents.

Sure cut down on repeat offenses.....

[Peter3_1]

"A knife is a knife & the kid broke the rules."

Could not have thought up a more mindless drone responce. PERFECT example of  the liberal non-thought process.

[docstew]

So rules don't matter Peter?  I agree the punishment doesn't fit the crime, but there WAS a transgression committed.  Some punishment is necessary, just not what was originally handed down.

[thundley4]

Life was so much easier when the principal was allowed to issue corporal punishment.

A kid did something wrong in school, and the principal whacked him with the dreaded paddle.....then called the parents. The punishment was worse when facing the parents.

Sure cut down on repeat offenses.....

Some of us were slow learners. 

[debk]

Some of us were slow learners. 

only the boys.....

[thundley4]

only the boys.....

I was a good student, grade wise, in high school, but still manged to let small troubles find me. Never anything more serious than detention, but it happened at least once each year 9-11.  My senior year, I got a little better, no detentions, and not one day of school missed.

[Peter3_1]

OH,. MY, GOD!!!!!!!A TRANSGRESSTION!!!!!!! Imagine me holding a cross out thrust to ward off the EVILLLLLLLLLL

There must be both intent to circumvent and a knowledege that something is "wrong". The rest of the civilized world uses a KNIFE, fork and Spoon to eat. The kid, age 6 had a knife fork and spoon with which to eat. Called the hobo set when I was a kid. Saw nothing wrong, and for all we know, the school might issue a K, F, S WITH MEALS!

As was said, "stupid is as stupid does." This was stupid, and rationalizuing it with literalist interpretations does not make it smart.

 

[RobJohnson]

OH,. MY, GOD!!!!!!!A TRANSGRESSTION!!!!!!! Imagine me holding a cross out thrust to ward off the EVILLLLLLLLLL

There must be both intent to circumvent and a knowledege that something is "wrong". The rest of the civilized world uses a KNIFE, fork and Spoon to eat. The kid, age 6 had a knife fork and spoon with which to eat. Called the hobo set when I was a kid. Saw nothing wrong, and for all we know, the school might issue a K, F, S WITH MEALS!

As was said, "stupid is as stupid does." This was stupid, and rationalizuing it with literalist interpretations does not make it smart.

 

It's a sharp knife that is part of a pocket knife. I doubt the school issues sharp knives with the school lunch. Nice try. 

[Peter3_1]

THE KID'S KNIFE WAS SHARP? GOT A LINK?
Not relevent to the argument anyway!
Nice try!

[RobJohnson]

THE KID'S KNIFE WAS SHARP? GOT A LINK?
Not relevent to the argument anyway!
Nice try!

A Swiss Army Knife is simply a pocket knife with a couple extra features (like a spoon, fork, etc)

Yes, they are sharp, very sharp, they are made for cutting down trees so you can build your own cabin in the wilderness! Most of them even include a saw & a toothpick! 

[Celtic Rose]

It's a sharp knife that is part of a pocket knife. I doubt the school issues sharp knives with the school lunch. Nice try. 

The sharpness of the knife has nothing to do with the pertinent part of Peter's post.  In this instance, the boy lacked both intent of wrong-doing and comprehension that he was breaking the rules at all.  The boy apparently associated the pocket knife with eating utensils, and therefore even if he knew about the no knifes at school rule (which is not clear from the article), he lacked the mental maturity to connect his item with the forbidden knives.  I agree that some punishment is necessary, though I imagine that a discussion with the principal would have probably sufficed, the fact that the school refused to even negotiate on the "no tolerance" policy until the media got involved shows an obvious lack of reasoning ability on the part of the school.