I have read something that made me mad today, it is about a six-year-old boy who got suspended from school and recommended for placing in a local reform school for juvenile delinquents just because he bought a camping utensil to school. The camping utensil includes a knife (a three-inch one use for eating). The zero intelligence school officials think that the kid has done a criminal act by bringing the camping utensil to school. The name of the child is Zachary Christie and his parents have started a site Help Zachary in an attempt to petition for thereversal of the punishment for their son. The school's decision to send the kid to reform school fo juvenile delinquents is so unfair, the kid brought his camping utensil to school becuse he is a Cab Scout and he believes that Cub Scouts eat using their camping utensils. Zero tolerance is for unthinking robot, we are human beings with intelligence, why would we have this downright unintelligent thing like zero tolerance?
26 comments:
i can't believe what this world has came too. i mean really, people have no common sense these days in good judgement! i'm really sorry this little boy and his family have to go through this. i'm looking for the website to sign the petition. so far i can't find it but when i do, this little boy is going to have my name to back him up!
amira debian
rules are rules, but now how is the school gonna keep others from doing it now. if one person gets away with it then all should get a free pass. discrimation is against the law right folks! ya the punishment sounds harsh but maybe the parents should have pleded there case first with the board before going to the media. not only that what parent gives a 5 year old a pocket knife which is what it is not a camping tool? blame the parents not the school. and it sounds like this isnt the first time the child has taken the pocket knife to school and im willing to wadger the parents knew the child had it with him at school.
That is crazy and insane! He's 6 years old! So what if he was eating something that he needed a knife to cut it with?( and I mean a real one not a plastic one!) If he was like 10 I'd understand but 6 year olds don't think on that level and it was something that he got from Cub Scouts! If they think that a 6 year old could handle it and it would be safe why can't the school? With a school like that... he's better off not going back. You can't raise kids in a bubble anyways! It's a camping utensil not a WEAPON! Get over it!
Although I do understand the schools deceision somewhat I also believe they have gone overboard. Not all children have bad intentions and school officials need to find a different way to deal with this type of case. It's almost like school officials are waiting for children to do something bad. Each case should be handled separately especially when it comes to little children Zachary's age. Let's have more faith in our children and don't punish them for something they may not even do. It's like sending someone to prison for a crime and years later find out that the person sent to jail was not guilty. I'm not saying to teachers not to pay attention to whats going on but to use some discretion.
zapman makes a lot of assumptions that he cannot prove by anything reported in the media. The way he spells and constructs his sentences I'll bet he is a member of the school board that suspended Zachary. At least the boy is trying to get an education. Good advice for zapman. Common sense is dead!
I also read about this little boys plight a short time ago and felt bad for both him and his parents. The school board is meeting tonight to discuss Zachary's suspension. Let's hope common sense prevails and the school board decides he should remain in class rather than be sent to a school for juvinile delinquents. Hopefully, some follow-up news reports will be posted on the web to let us know the outcome of that board meeting.
the administration has gone too far. why take an innocent and obviously naive child and send him into a reform situation that would be detrimental to his mental health. The powers that be are being excessively rigid and just plain stupid. I hope they see the light. This child is well spoken and obvioiusly not emotionally troubled.
We are paying school superintendents to use judgement. If we just have a rule book we could hire a robot with a default computer program. Zack seems like the kind of kid interested in gadgets and how they work. He is smart and well spoken, maybe a future engineer. We need home (USA) grown engineers to be a viable nation. This kid needs some advanced placement not reform school.
The more we concentrate on the absurd the more we will ignore or not see the big picture.
Zack shows us all that we are missing the boat.
since when is a 6 yr old totally competent?what next execute them for not eating lunch as they are told?He is 6 yrs old how devastating is it for a 6 yr old to be removed from everything he knows is normal,his friends,teachers and everyone he comes in contact with that start him in the right direction everyday the 5 day suspension is more then enough,this isnt a 3 time loser or a career criminal ,give me a break geesh.
Zack is well spoken, bright little boy with who likes tools. Perhaps he is a future engineer. Our nation needs home grown engineers. This school district won't allow its superintend to use judgement. That's a very sorry reaction to our difficult times. Zack does not need reform school
He may need a gifted and talented program for kids who appreciate how things work in our world. If we concentrate on the innocent so we do not have to confront the true evil. we are all in big trouble.
I hope this works out for Zack and children like him who are just curious.
I think this is way out of hand the school is taking it a little to far for this little boy..he had no idea that it was wrong.he is a 6 yr old CHILD come on people now whats wrong with this picture, I dont feel that he belongs in a
juvinile delinquent for 45 days..its just not right to take this kid from his family...
As a 37 year Scout veteran, Cub, Boy, Eagle, Adult Leader, Woodbadge, Order of the Arrow, I find it rather sad that this would occur. Even at his young age, he has more virtue than most boys his age. Scouting has alot to offer. Just "Google" Eagle Scout and you'll see what I mean. I carry a small Swiss Army where ever I go, a larger one in my travel kit. I hope this school district sees their errors. I also hope that the local Scout council has an influx of new boys.
My son was a senior in high school 3 years ago here in Norwalk CT. He had never gotten into in any trouble in school or out ever (or since then). One day (I think gym class)a butter knife fell out of his messy backpack. He was taken to the office and the headmaster asked a police officer in the building if he should be arrested. The officer laughed and said no. I was called, he was immediately suspended, we had to go before a disciplinary board where he was suspended for 10 days, mitigated to 5 because he had never been in trouble before. I was angry, but my son asked me not to make it worse for him by challenging the disciplinary board people. Zero tolerance is ridiculous, in this case a waste of their time, mine, my son's.
Apparently, sharp scissors were allowed in school, but not dull butter knives.
I watched Zachary and his family on the Today Show. Show them overwhelming support from a nationwide audience.
As a mother of an Eagle Scout, I am horrified at this action against this young cub scout. Zero tolerance in this case is zero sense. Stop this foolishness before this child is harmed for all of his life.
The child is 6 yrs old. Why couldn't the person who took the utinsel off of him ask him what he was doing with it first? He seems like a very responsible child. He is not a teenager who wants to cause trouble. My mom had three children and we all had those. No one ever got hurt. But to send him to reform school? Cub Scouts teach him one thing and the school suspends him for it.I hope at the meeting the school uses common sense.
My children DO NOT got to public schools for stupidity like this. The rules I understand but I do think some situations should be assessed in a certain way. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in groups. Especially school boards.
Cindy Ramsey
I can't believe an eating utensil can be classified as a weapon. It would have been better had the teacher had Zachary put the tool in his school bag, and explained the problem to his parents that evening. 'Zero Tolerance' shouldn't have come to play since an eating utensil is not a weapon. How can it be considered a weapon in a school, but not on an airplane?
I've seen stupid, but the education board in this little town, takes the cake. I'm the father of four boys, I've seen it all. He's a little kid for God's sake. Get a life you school board idiots. You people ruin my day.
wow, what a difference a few years make. I am so glad my kids are out of school and never had to live with the insane rules in the school systems. I still have a hard time blaming weapons on crime when I myself and my son who graduated in 1995 drove pick-ups to school with our rifles and or shotguns mounted on a gun rack in the rear-window for hunting after school was out. We even took them out to show friends without any incidence what so ever! I admit, this may have been alittle bit too much freedom on school property, but, there were no school shootings back in those days, so, what happened to cause all the insanity. The guns and knives are still the same, we all carried a pocket knife to school from 1st grade through graduation. No problem. If someone wants to cause bodily harm with a weapon at school, they are not going to give a damn about the 0 tolerance rule!!
as a scout, a mom, and a recent woodbadger I see a major problem with the school system. there is no way this 6 year old knew that this camping tool was not allowed at school. What should have happened was the knife and boy go to principal, get the issue explained, have the parent come get the knife and the boy return to class.
If the school is going to be paranoid they need to have a metal detector and a pair of officers at every door keeping students and staff from having anything dangerous. oh and the pencils and pens have got to go as well as laser pointers, paper clips, binder clips, and anything that might ever be thought of as a possible weapon. desks and chairs will have to be bolted to the floors and windows will have to have metal protectors so they can not be broken.
School is not prison and we need to stop treating it that way. stop the bullying behavior and you stop the worst of the crimes (Virginia tech.). Listen to the children they have values, especially scouting values that are instilled.
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to god and my country and obey the laws of the pack!
How foolish!
An most unjust punishment whereas it does not fit the crime by intent. A sharp pointed pencil can be equally considered a weapon. Therefore, should all pencils be outlawed from schools in that they may lead to stabbings?
The board by the evidence of its directive in adjudicating the situation has demonstrated and shown the world their ineptitude to THINK, and have drawn far more attention than the circumstance warrants.
Much ado about nothing... but with the board's complement it's now a major human interest story about a board of people dead from the neck up. Congratulations folks!
I am so glad that I don't live in this school district. Is it so full of problems that they can't take the time to see that a little boy didn't mean any harm because he brought a Cub Scout eating utensil with him to school? It probably wasn't the smartest thing in the world to bring to school, but Zach did not intend to use it for violence.
What is the difference between a Cub Scout utensil and the utensils used at lunch by students every day? Maybe we should have our schools serve sandwiches and bags of chips for lunch so that utensils won't be needed.
Take a look at the individual students and not just a "policy". You may not look like such a bad place in the future. Stop treating little Zach like a juvenile delinquent when he isn't one!
I know there is a lot of violence in schools as in the world itself. But to shame a little 6 year old that innocently brought what he probably considers his favorite toy to school is ludicrous. To take a straight A student that is only just starting his life in school, out of the school environment and make an example of him is wrong. This could have a major impact on the way he thinks of school and school authorities and totally devastate his academic furture. Let the punishment fit the crime and I see no real crime here. Granted knives have no place in school, but an innocent act does not warrant such punishment. Perhaps, a simple explanation of the right and wrong of what he did should suffice. I just pray that this treatment of young Zachary does not blemish his education and love of life. As for the parents, I am sorry that had to happen to you and your son and wish all of you the best of luck in this ridiculous situation.
As a retired elementary school principal and Director of Special Education for a K-12 School District, as well as a current school board member, I strongly object to the way this bright young boy has been treated. School administrators must be given discretion in the implementation of rules. The primary responsibility of school board members is to set policies that are effective and that benefit the students. A policy that leads to a six year old student being sent to "reform school" without looking at the circumstances is ridiculous! Where is common sense? I bet this school district has a sexual harassment policy that would send a kindergarten student to reform school for kissing a peer on the school ground!
Ruels may be rule but come on.We can let NFL football players who should be in jailed for murder make millions .What about these rules. If zacks parents had milloins like This Ravens player should this would be dropped ASAP.
As a school administrator I feel that a little common sense should be used. Do we want to have a child hate school--please look at what else could be done. This child made a mistake at age 6--use some sense in a punishment, he is not a criminal. The principal needs to be talked to--this was not a dangerous weapon.