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Author Topic: Overreact much?
Sean
First Tenor
Member # 2010

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Because this 6 year old was totally going to massacre his class with silverware.
[Roll Eyes]

45 days suspension, really? [Eek!]

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"Kosh, I'd like to introduce you to our Resident schmuck and his side kick Kick Me."-Ritten

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity".
-George Carlin

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Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
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i would have slapped a fine on the parents, too. i mean, he got the knife from thier home, right?

also, not mentioned but the rule also shields the schools since they can't be aquized (sp) in court of doing little in case something does happen violently...

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HopefulNebula
Active Member
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I used to have this whole rant built up about zero-tolerance policies, but Randy Cassingham says it a lot better than I do.

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"Don't fight forces; use them."
--R. Buckminster Fuller


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MinutiaeMan
Living the Geeky Dream
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Hooray for my local school district! I'm so glad my parents insisted on private education for me and my sister... [Roll Eyes]

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“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov
Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha

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Aban Rune
Former ascended being
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If someone stabs someone at school... is the issue really whether or not he brought a knife to school? Or whether or not he stabbed someone with it?

Now... of course there should be rules that you can't bring weapons to school. And bringing something like a machete or a combat knife... sure, I can see how that would lead to a suspension. But what this kid brought isn't even legally considered a weapon. If a cop found it in your pocket, you wouldn't be charged with a crime. So how is it a weapon?

And zero-tolerance policies don't prevent school shootings or violence. The kids who come to school to kill people don't care about the zero-tolerance policy. Might the rules keep more fights limited to fists instead of knives? Yes. And the rules should be there. But like the man said, zero-tolerance is just an excuse for the school administrators to not have to care about what's actually right.

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"Nu ani anqueatas"

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Reverend
Based on a true story...
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Well when you get down to it, just about anything can be weapon. In this case I think a school would be wise to cover it's own arse because after all, how would it look if a kid had been injured by that thing - accidentally or otherwise - because they had known about it and did nothing?
However, the sensible way to deal with it would have been to confiscate the item and notify the parents.

At least that's what happened at my school when someone brought in a penknife or jackknife and got found out. On the other hand I remember bringing a brand new (read very sharp) knife on a school camping trip when I must have been about 9 or 10 and never got in any trouble. Just told to be responsible with it.

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...what we demand is a total absence of solid facts!

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Aban Rune
Former ascended being
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Well of course they should do something if they know about it. And of course there should be rules about bringing those kinds of things on school property.

I don't see the difference, though, between making a rule that says those things aren't allowed and making a rule that says those things aren't allowed under penalty of expulsion, no questions asked or answered. Making a rule implies that appropriate action will be taken if the rule is broken.

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"Nu ani anqueatas"

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HopefulNebula
Active Member
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That's exactly the problem, though. The actions the school took were inappropriate.

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"Don't fight forces; use them."
--R. Buckminster Fuller


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Daniel Butler
I'm a Singapore where is my boat
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quote:
Originally posted by Pensive's Wetness:

also, not mentioned but the rule also shields the schools since they can't be aquized (sp) in court of doing little in case something does happen violently...

accused
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Dat
Huh?
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My good lord man, is that what Pensive was saying?!

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Aban Rune
Former ascended being
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quote:
Originally posted by HopefulNebula:
That's exactly the problem, though. The actions the school took were inappropriate.

Right. I'm just saying, how could the school be held more responsible legally for not instituting a zero-tolerance policy? Just making the rule says, "This is not permissible to us. Don't do it. We'll punish you if you do it." Adding one, cover-all punishment no matter what the circumstances are doesn't protect them more, it just shields them from having to deal with each situation individually.

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"Nu ani anqueatas"

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The Official Website of Shannon McRandle

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HopefulNebula
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...Oh, now I understand. I misread what you were originally saying.

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"Don't fight forces; use them."
--R. Buckminster Fuller


http://hopefulnebula.dreamwidth.org/

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Sean
First Tenor
Member # 2010

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quote:
Originally posted by Aban Rune:
quote:
Originally posted by HopefulNebula:
That's exactly the problem, though. The actions the school took were inappropriate.

Right. I'm just saying, how could the school be held more responsible legally for not instituting a zero-tolerance policy? Just making the rule says, "This is not permissible to us. Don't do it. We'll punish you if you do it." Adding one, cover-all punishment no matter what the circumstances are doesn't protect them more, it just shields them from having to deal with each situation individually.
This is my view as well. Saying they're not allowed is one thing, but one general punishment, regardless of circumstances is another, especially at the elementary level. My school has a no weapon policy, but as we're a very suburban school, where there's maybe...3 or 4 public fights per year, it isn't enforced too heavily. I know teachers who regularly carry a leatherman multi-tool in their pocket or briefcase, and those have decent sized blades. There was a kid last year in one of my classes who visibly had a knife on himself every day (you could see the clip on the outside of his pocket). No one did anything about it. No one seemed to care.

Generally, the school's policy states that if you do happen to bring a blade (for work in the case of those with work release,or perhaps if you've mistakenly kept it in your pants or backpack after a camping trip), keep it on you, don't take it out, and make sure no one gets a hold of it. If you want to be extra cautious, give it to the office, and they'll store it in the school safe until you leave. However, if you pull it in a fight, or someone gets a hold of it and uses it, your ass is screwed ,simple as that. Works fine, and no one seems to have problems with it. Wouldn't work in an inner city school, for sure, but it shows that zero-tolerance policies aren't entirely necessary.

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"Kosh, I'd like to introduce you to our Resident schmuck and his side kick Kick Me."-Ritten

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity".
-George Carlin

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MinutiaeMan
Living the Geeky Dream
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As usual, sense prevails, but only after the bureaucracy realizes there's a mob at the front door.

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“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov
Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha

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Jason Abbadon
Rolls with the punches.
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As any sense respect or trust of authority figures is discarded at an early age.

Way to kill his childhood early, assholes.

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Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering.
-Aeschylus, Agamemnon

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