High school senior suspended for having a pocket knife in his car. Despicable school policies. His car was more dangerous than his knife. Just posted in case anyone wants to speak with the superintendent about this.

Superintendent George J. Goodwin
ggoodwin@lansingburgh.org

http://www.wten.com/global/story.asp?s=11283345

QUOTE:
He's an Eagle Scout, on the honor roll, taking Advanced Placement classes, and never been in trouble with the law. He's received commendations from the City of Troy and the Boy Scouts of America for saving a woman's life, and this past summer, he completed Army basic training. All of it was accomplished before the age of 17.

"I'm just trying to do what I can while I can," Matthew says.

His goal is to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a dream since he was in grade school.

"I have a first-grade yearbook that says I want to be driving tanks in the Army," Matthew says. "I mean, this is something that I know I've always wanted to do."

But the dream could be in jeopardy, thanks to a two-inch pocket knife that officials at Lansingburgh Senior High School found in Matthew's locked car last month.

Zero tolerance ... seemed like a good idea at the time.

It's interesting that schools are now places where thinking and logic are forbidden.

[insert rant]

I am dumbfounded...

Three things the kid did wrong. First, he violated a school policy. Second, he told someone else that he had the knife in his car. Third, he let them search his vehicle, and in fact disclosed that it contained the knife.

That said, the school's policy is inappropriate, and the Superintendent should intercede in this situation and fix this now. Given their public response, I doubt the superintendent has any intention of doing his job and helping this boy and fixing a ridiculous policy, and I should certainly hope the school district gets litigated for this.

It is unfortunate when those we put into places of public responsibility are either too lazy or incompetent to do their job properly, and resort to these sorts of "comprehensive absolutions" instead. Bad form.

This is why I tell my girls to keep their stuff with them and well hidden and keep their mouths shut. This gives others no cause to question them, yet preserves their ability to take care of their own interests.

Another nutty no tolerance story. Remember the old days when you hired good people (principals and superintendents in this case) and they were expected to make sound decisions based on a framework of rules and the particulars of individual cases.

American society is so litigious that policies have been set in place to protect the district and no one is allowed to deviate from those policies. If the school principal were do deviate from the "no tolerance" policy he or she would likely be subject to termination regardless of how intelligent and well reasoned their actions were.

IIRC there were a couple of young grade schoolers that were suspended a couple of years ago for chasing each other around the school yard pointing the fingers at each other and yelling "bang". Another zero tolerance "weapons" policy in action.

I couldn't agree with your post more Benjammin, but remember your criticism was used to put in place the zero tolerance policy we criticize now as being bad form.

I dislike zero tolerance policies because they take judgment out of every equation they touch - sentencing guidelines, three strikes rulings, drug laws, weapons policies. The public administrators in this situation are left with no decision to make except what was prescribed by the zero tolerance policy - they don't have to be dunderheads to do that, they would be dunderheads not to follow the policy. The folks who establish dunderheaded policy and can change it - the school board, not the superintendent or principals or teachers. But your community has to be comfortable with the alternative to a zero tolerance policy - people in places of public responsibility making judgment calls.

So which will it be - are they dunderheads, or are they public authorities capable of exercising common wisdom over something like a weapons policy? We can't have it both ways.

Sort of oh topic. there was a 9 year old who was suspended for a week, for having a necklace with a casting of a gun on it. About the size of a thumbnail. It was considered a "gun" by the school, even though it was a medallion. Common sense has been overruled, sadly.

Those are the rules and he got caught breaking them. That's the problem with implementing laws, bylaws or even school rules. No favour should be given to those no matter their background otherwise what is the point of having the school rules in the first place.



This is basically a non story simply because if this guy was the local bully drug dealing pot head on the verge of being a drop out this would not have reported and most definitely not on CNN either. This is almost as silly as the London Library story being reported on the BBC. Weird.

I just don't see how a 2 inch pocket knife could by any stretch
of the imagination be considered a weapon. A pair of scissors is
just as dangerous and I am sure there are plenty in the school. A
pocket knife is a tool not a weapon.

I apologize for doing continuing this. I feel strongly about it and knives and freedom are popular here and this is the Around the Campfire. Here is another one. A 6 year old is suspended:

<quote>
Zachary’s offense? Taking a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school.
</quote>

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/education/12discipline.html?_r=1