Knife At Lunch Gets 10-Year-Old Girl Arrested At School?

Question

What do you think?

http://www.wftv.com/news/14858405/detail.html

I know that kids used to sometimes bring a pocket knife to school back in the day. I have been to one room school houses and read some history.

Zero tolerance means zero thinking when disciplining.

Wouldn't it be best to look at that individual student and determine if they are trustworthy enough to use the knife.and keep an eye on them? You need to look at each incident and judge accordingly. Not just blindly give out the same penalty and create criminals out of good students.
I teach and not all teachers are stupid.... but I will agree a lot are. :)

Answer 1

It's an issue with the zero tolerance that so many schools have adopted. This girl's normal behavior doesn't play any part or that she never used the knife in any manner that was considered inappropriate. It's simply the fact that she had a knife. I think that zero tolerance is just plain lazy and a horrible way to teach children. This poor girl will probably be traumatized from being arrested. At the very least, she'll remember it forever. Her mom or dad probably put it in her lunch and like most kids she didn't think anything of it. She probably thought the same thing mom or dad did when they put it in there, okay I've got steak for lunch so I need something to cut it with.

I don't argue that she should've been in trouble, but I think this could have been handled differently. Recognizing the child is normally a good student, the teachers should have confiscated the knife and perhaps got the principle involved. There should have been a meeting with the parents and the student discussing the rules against knives in school. Depending on how this meeting went I'd say perhaps giving the girl one detention or in school suspension would have been understandable just so they can say she was punished.

All of that requires more work and I think school administrators are being lazy creating these no tolerance rules.

Answer 2

i don't comprehend, it extremely is needed as a accepted rule in todays colleges, have been they have taken God, and thereby good and incorrect, out of the textbooks. was, each guy could carry a knife, and maximum cases a gun to. returned then, some loopy gunman, or knifer, does not get 3 ft. And on suitable of that, their weren't loopy gunmen. yet in this man or woman case, without taking a seem on the super photograph. . . it is ridiculous. Me? I continually carry an 8 inch knife, this is the biggest one criminal to hold the place I stay, and that i assure you're safer able the place me and my acquaintances (who've comparable perspectives approximately knife/gun administration) can combat a assassin on even floor, with the two human beings armed, than able the place i'm going to be unarmed and he will have a knife or gun that has been made unlawful (massive deal! it is unlawful, basically the human beings who're risk-free with weapons besides care approximately that! Murderers gets their palms on an unlawful weapon, they are committing homicide besides, what do they care approximately breaking knife or gun rules?)

Answer 3

This is a disgrace. The teachers and the school officials at this school need to be fired immediately. They have absolutely no competence whatsoever to teach children.

This child was using an eating utensil for its designed purpose, eating.

The same people who run that school do not know how to teach children what they need to know to be successful later in school and in College and later in life.

The behavior of these teachers is an example of why American children score down at the bottom on achievemnet tests compared with children from most other countries, even third world countries.

The incompetence of these teachers is beyond belief.

Normally I support teachers and tenure. I am a lifelong Democrat, however when I see incidents like this I can see that it is time that we abolish tenure and start firing teachers in droves and replace the curent crop of teachers with adults who are competent to teach and have at least a small modicum of mature judgment.

Answer 4

That is so damn outrageous!!! I mean the teachers IF they had had any brains at all would have just taken the knife and called the poor child's parents that night and told them that she can not have a steak knife at school. That she needs to have it pre-cut before bringing it. What a bunch of fool!!!!! And these dumb-asses are teaching our children. No wonder Children these day's don't know anything. Sorry but this kinda makes me mad.

Answer 5

It does sound ridiculous but the article is brief and I am guessing pertinent information was left out.

Edit: After reading the article a second time it actually looks like a couple teachers overreacted and that the police handled the situation as best a they could. The school is in a boat load of trouble.

Answer 6

My husband and I both remember the days when it was perfectly normal to carry a pocketknife (there are so many practical uses!) to school or anywhere and adults thought nothing of it. A kid who is violent and inclined to assault will do it anyway, whether he has a knife or not.

Given that the culture has changed, I agree with the policy not to allow knives at school. But if a kid forgets and brings one in for a practical reason, she absolutely does not deserve to be criminalized!

Answer 7

Lotsa stupid goin' on here...
MOM - gotta know the rules of the school her daughter attends...
DAUGHTER - must know that knives are a no-no...
SCHOOL - observe and respond...remove the knife/help her slice up the steak,end of issue...
OK - perhaps daughter did not know about the knife in lunchbag..she did at lunchtime.
Can the school not provide a plastic knife?
Not the school's fault - it's the school board who makes the rules.

Answer 8

For all the people that think the school was wrong. It is the law in Florida (and also where I live in Arkansas) that the police be called when any weapon (including a nail file on a set of clippers) is found in the school. It is covered in the student handbooks each child is given at the beginning of the school year. So what you are saying is that the rules should be allowed to be broken. Bet most of you would be contacting your attorneys if your kid got stabbed due to a "harmless" steak knife being used on them. Go to your next school board meeting and perhaps you will learn something.

Answer 9

Teachers now r so dumb...That knife was for cutting steak.Not slashing people.And how could a plastic knife cut steak...jeez.....

why cant the teachers tell her to not bring the knife next time...and soon the teachers are going to ban food becuase the children can choke on them....and soon one day pencils are going to be banned becuase it is pointy....

schools like these really grinds my nerves

Answer 10

How stupid?! Soon they are going to ban plastic snack baggies because kids can sufficate in them. She brought a steak knife and got arrested?!!?!?! WOW. What if a 15 year old did that (not threatening anyone)?