Camping tool gets 6-year-old a school suspension - New York Times

NEWARK, Del. -- Finding character witnesses when you are 6 years old is not easy.

[Veronica Xavier]

This is unaceptable. Children cannot be treated as criminals.
it is absurd. Parents should write a letter to the President, Barak Obama.
I am ashamed to be an American.

[HNLCSI]

Silly lawmakers....no common sense.

[Greg from Texas]

I for one think he should be in trouble....but not that harsh !!!.I have been a Scouter all my life , since 1st grade. A scout should not have a knife at this age. We don't teach the whittlig Chip till 3rd grade. By then they know a little more what to do with a knife than to think ,'wow!, cool !". By then , they know it is a tool....not like paranoid people calling it a weapon. Mom , dad...your bad. He should not have that knife at that age...Watch a little closer please !!!When it comes to his Whittlin' Chip , make him earn it , tear it up , then learn it again. Don't write this president....he thinks he's a movie star or something...hasn't done this country a bit of good. He definitely can't help this child. Mom , dad , just watch a little closer please. Thanks for your time....Timeless Values..Scouting....

[Home School Scout Mom]

I think the school administrators should be allowed to use the since the Lord gave them in determining each situation.
Zac's Mom... You find home school a wonderful experience! Your scouting is a great resource. Try to find Christian home school suport groups as well.

[Mom]

If intent is such a big part of law; shouldn't we extend this to schools. Clearly this is a case of a LITTLE BOY wanting to use his new camping tool. He never intended to use on anyone. He just wanted to use his new tool. It is such a same when kids have to worry about so much at such a young age. What is this world coming too?

[Kimberly]

This is absolutely obsurd what they are doing to this to this child.
We, the American people, need to stand up and let our so-called Government know that we have "zero tollerance" for them attacking our children. That is exactly what they have been doing for awhile too. Taking our small children and sending them to jail while they let these damn hoodlums and immigrants stand out on our streets and shoot innocent people. Yeah, that's it, let our government take half our babies to jail and the gangs kill the other half. Everyone needs to let them know that enough is enough. I guess that is what happens when you put people who have no morals into the government offices. Well, lets stand together and vote them out of office. That includes our Federal, State and City officials as well. We need to put people who do not want to take our freedom away and turn this country into a communist country. We as parents and grandparents want people in these elected jobs who want to help secure our childrens future in this country, not dictate to us and take our kids and punish them because of their innocence.
When are they going to start doing what they were elected to do? From Hussien Obama down to the county officials. We did not elect you to dictate. Like I said, go after the illegals who are a real danger to all of us, everywhere, not our little children.
They should leave this child alone and quit making themselves look like the idiots that they are.

[willy]

O..M..G!
Is this for real????
Do these people not haveanything else to PATROL!!! Do we not have anything else to worry about or be so concerned about in the world today, that we need to make sure this little man is punished to the full extent of the law because he was so excited that he joined the boy scouts that he snuck his utility knife to school and used it to eat w/!!!
People kids are gonna be kids for Christ sakes. Im sure this little guy didnt plan on bringing his knife to school in order bludgently execute his teacher and fellow classmates before sliting his own neck COME ON!!
This is what should have happend had the principal and teachers not been so G.D. Libral, peta loving tree huggers.
1. Take the knife from the child. 2. Sit him down and EXPLAIN WHY its not right to bring sharp objects to skrool like that. and finally 3. Let his parents know what happend so they can EXPLAIN it to him also PERIOD.
EPLAIN has been capitalized because i belive some of the problems w/ our children today is that we no longer seem to have enough time to sit them down and explain why things happen and what consiquinses are anymore.
Children need awnsers to things like this thats how they learn right from wrong ....their not born w/ the gift. Lawmakers are becomming a serious problem in todays society as far as being so quick to protect the world from itself they dont even have time to EXPLAIN to themselves anymore why or what their doing.
I understand someone could have gotten hurt by the knife any ADULT would but think about it people do you really think that if me or you at that age had gotten a cool gift like that, would we have even though about it being unsafe ? or would we have though COOL!! lets go use this for its intended purpose and show it off.
We all remember getting things like that, items that we though were neato or cool.
Just my 2 cents

[Russ]

Boy!! What are we teaching our children? I do not think he should have taken the knife (tool) to school. Now that he did he should, at 6 have to speak to the entire school about responsibility. That is enough punishment yet provides a life lesson. The school system should also show some adult behavior and interview the CHILD!!. I don't think a 6 year old could commit a Colombine situation. If he were my child I would be sitting at the school board raising HELL. This is just a damn shame for this young child and his mother.

[Kelly from CT]

This is a 6 year old child they are comparing to Columbine Students and Virginia Tech students....Weren't those older kids? Kids that weren't so innocent, kids that had motives...The "zero" tolerence is good, but be real....every situation is different as every child is different and of different age....

[Hold please]

I find it interesting that everyone here is outraged because a young boy is facing suspension, possibly time in the "reform school" because he violated the school's zero-tolerance policy on weapons. While I'm inclined to agree that the punishment as written in the article seems to be harsh, the reality is this:
School districts are the playthings of lazy and irresponsible parents. Common sense dictates that this child should get a warning and maybe be sent home for the day, if just to return the utensil to school. But common sense does not prevail when the parent who's child brought a stiletto to school (with intent to use it) gets wind of little Zach's leniency. That parent will scream and cry and threaten to sue, and, annoyingly, will have a case. Zero-tolerance is just that. It protects the school from having to face lawsuits from parents who think that their "little angel" was treated unfairly.
Of course, it also illustrates the folly of attempting to have zero-tolerance policies. You cannot have blanket punishments for infractions. But the District had to choose the lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, having to put little Zach and his parent(s) through this is how the schools protect the rest of the students from having to cancel a music program because lawsuits wiped out the budget.
Is this an unfortunate situation? Definitely.
Is the school out to get little Zach? I highly doubt it. They know as well as we do that the zero-tolerance policy was not created for situations like this involving kids like him. But their hands are tied.

[Hold please]

Kelly from CT wrote:

...The "zero" tolerence is good, but be real....every situation is different as every child is different and of different age....

But that's not the point of zero-tolerance policies. There is no grey area with ZTP. If I had a ZTP against M&Ms, for example, then it wouldn't matter if you had one M&M or 1,000 M&Ms, you still violated the policy and you're going to get the same punishment.

[alice]

Mom wrote:

If intent is such a big part of law; shouldn't we extend this to schools. Clearly this is a case of a LITTLE BOY wanting to use his new camping tool. He never intended to use on anyone. He just wanted to use his new tool. It is such a same when kids have to worry about so much at such a young age. What is this world coming too?

well said

[Dave3137]

Zero tolerance is an excuse for not exercising informed judgment. Period.

[Big Boy]

this kid was stupid. his parents were the real dumb ones. end of story.

[STARDUSTER]

boy oh boy. THEY're gonna put a prison number on a little boy for being a little boy. THE SYSTEM has broken down people!

[Chris of Alabama]

Maybe its time for the; National Rife Assoication to step up and speack out.Camping items and common sence goes along way.How many fathers want to teach there sons things that we were taught but can't because people want to make Rules of enforcement that have good and bad intent.

[brian whipple]

when children are in the scouting program they are proud little boys and to carry a knife or anything else scouts carry its a big thing for them.because of his age the school should be easier on him

[Tim]

Only in America could something as asinine as as this total lack of common sense take place. This is more proof that the public school system is broken and antiquated.

[wilee1]

In some cases when older kids steal guns or other weapons from parents or other family members to take them to school to kill other students or faculty, if not stopped until after the fact instead of talking them down and disarming them they should be gunned down policeto make an example, if you do this this is what will happen.this little boy is innocent he just wanted to eat his lunch.Im 38 and live in mid-coast maine and we all carried knives in school and in november during deer hunting season we all had guns in our cars and trucks,and nobody ever thought of using either to harm someone.

[mbjmay]

It seems to me this would be the worst thing to do to a better than average normal child who you do not want to be exposed to a world he is not familiar with and hope he never is. The laws have their reason to treat many cases in schools at this time but each needs to be studied for long term affects.