>>> ...0% tolerance 0% common sense approach <br><br>True. I recall a case where a local elementary school boy was expelled for bringing his father's dummy WWII handgranade paperwieght to school because it was a weapon. A decision completely devoid of common sense.<br><br>On the other hand, our school administrators are faced with a very real and difficult problem of providing education in a safe environment. A zero tolerance rule on knives gives them a tool to that end, even if it seems draconian.<br><br>And while I doubt such rules will ever prevent another Columbine from occuring, they may help prevent the more common problem of general violence in schools. We just had a murder in my home town this summer of a high school boy by a fellow classmate when a dispute over a girl evolved from a fistfight to homocide when one of the boys pulled a knife and stabbed the other. It did not happen on school grounds, but it could have, and surely has before.<br><br>As an aside, I'd also be a little concerned if they allowed knives and had no special rules or training for them. The school staff running the event may be adept at handling knives and instructing youths on how to do so.. or not. If not, them allowing a group of children to carry them would be irresponsible and dangerous.