I suspect they have a written policy from the higher-ups (and their attorneys) that specifically spell out what action they have to follow and when.

If they want to keep their job and have any future in the system then they have to follow those rules.

I don't know for a fact if that is why they took the action they did but it is consistent with other bureaucracies I've observed.

They're in a no-win situation because one time they follow common sense and don't call the cops and something bad happens then the press will be asking "why didn't you follow your own policies?".

Y'know, a lot of policy enforcement got done in the woodshed. Too bad it got tore down a long time ago.

"Zero Tolerance = Zero Common Sense"

Not my quote (unfortunately), but oh so true.

JimJr

Way out in the country we were behind the times and that kind of punishment was still an option while I was part way through school.
Though today I don't think I would allow it, the rules are left too much to interpretation and there is no more clear cut right and wrong so I'd be afriad my kids might get the punishment for something that I didn't think was wrong. Have that issue with my MIL, she will punish for things that annpy her rather than things that are wrong and now gets mad that we won't leave our kids in her care.

"... my MIL... now gets mad that we won't leave our kids in her care."

OMG! Someone is protecting their kids against something that matters! GO, EUGENE!!!

Sue

Hence the rules...

Link

I'm still going to have to say the rules against not stabbing your classmates and burning them with a torch pretty much cover the situation.

Try as you will, you just can't legislate psychos and other vicious people out of the human race. Even when it is obvious that certain people are a danger, nothing will be done, because they and other criminals have more rights than the victims do.

Sue

You are right Sue. Nothing gets me more upset than when they pass laws after some phychos commit some crime instead of dealing with the real issue.

Dave

The laws in question aren't there to legislate/regulate the psychos, but to lay blame on the administrators of the school should the psychos do something. Since the administrators haven't got anywhere near the resources it takes to detect and deter individual carry, they are compelled to impose zero tolerence policy. This very generalized policy does nothing to prevent the psychos from doing what they are going to do, because the administrator still doesn't have the resources he needs to enforce the policy completely. However, it does limit his culpability in court or before his superiors by allowing him to claim they did everything "within his power" to prevent such an event. Unfortunately, that means then they have to enforce the zero tolerance policy any and every time an event that meets the generalized criteria occurs, otherwise they risk re-assuming culpability.

We have an almost uncountable number of such regulations/laws on the books that have no effect on stopping willful acts of violence, but hold those in authority accountable for the acts of psychos, unless they exercise "due diligence".

Ain't our legal system great?!!!