Letter regarding zero tolerance - help requested

self ^ | 10.06.03 | E-mail

[Cathryn Crawford]

I got this letter last night, in response to my zero tolerance article of a few weeks ago. I was wondering if there were any Freepers that would give me some suggestions on how to respond.

Cathryn, my son has become what I would call a victom of the Zero Tolerance. He is 8 years old and it took what is called a multi-tool to school with him yesterday.He took it out to use the screwdriver function to try and repair his sunglasses and a boy saw him and turned him into the teacher. I got a call from the principal today asking me to come in and I did. She informed me that my son had a weapon at school and that he has been suspended for 10 days and will be recommendend for expulsion for one calendar year.

I am supposed to go a hearing before the school board Monday night to see if they are going to expel him or not.

Do you have any guidence on what I can do? Do you have any court cases in Mississippi that would be beneficial in my case?

Thanks,

I'd appreciate any advice that you guys could give to me for me to pass on to him.

[Leatherneck_MT]

www.hslda.com

Get your kids out of public school. That's the best advice I personally can give you.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I will help you out on that!!

[ChadsDad]

Thats a little to broad for me. I have some friends on school boards who are quite bright, and trying to help the community. I have served on the board for our Lutheran School (225 kids)for 8 years now, and currently serve as chairman. From here, I can see the very difficult task of serving on a 'public' school board. Like them or not, school board members should be respected for the very act of serving. If you disagree with them, either run for their seat, or help someone run for their seat. I'm not saying every school board member is wonderful, but I do not think that "most public school districts are insanely stupid AND arrogant".

[andy58-in-nh]

Go right to the news media- preferably to whichever local paper is the most conservative/libertarian in outlook, and see if they can assign a reporter to cover the hearing. Secondly, retain an attorney - you will need one with you. When you go before the school board, ask if the Minutes of the proceeding are being recorded (in writing or on tape). If not, graciously ask for a continuance to allow you to obtain a court ruling allowing for the recording of the hearing. (Intimidate them). Thirdly, be respectful and dignified at the hearing, but make it clear that your son has done nothing worng, and that you are prepared to take the case to the State Supreme Court if necessary, and to every news outlet in the country for certain. Few school boards will want to take the chance of having their stupidity (and their faces)splashed all over the evening news. Good luck!

[Cathryn Crawford]

Thanks. That's a good post...good ideas.

[TheOtherOne]

He is 8 years old

Why is he carrying a 2-3" knife to school? I am all against zero tollerance, as I am against mandatory minimums. But, there are rules for a reason. Suspension sounds about right, not expulsion.

[MineralMan]

Cathryn,

If this was one of those multi-tools that has a knife blade, the kid's SOL, I'm afraid. Most schools prohibit knives for students. I won't debate the wisdom of such rules, but most schools have them.

If the school has such a rule, and the boy had a knife on his MP tool, the parent is simply not going to win here. While I, like most kids, carried a pocket knife during my school years, that's no longer allowed, and parents really have to be careful what's in their kids' pockets.

Again, I think this is a stupid rule, but there's not going to be much recourse here, I'm afraid.

[CatoRenasci]

I know. There's really not much else to say. These zero tolerance codes are ridiculous, and exist only to protect administrators from having to take responsiblity, make decisions based on the facts, and accept that some bozo might sue them. With these idiot codes, they're like germans saying "I was only following orders". That defense didn't work for Nazi officers, and it shouldn't work for adminstrators who ruin lives with zero tolerance.

[Arrowhead1952]

Cathryn, I think you live in Texas. Do you remember the kid who was suspended at Lago Vista for three days, because he had hepled his grandmother move, and a butter knife fell out of a box during the trip to her house? Someone saw it in his pickup bed, and turned him in to the office staff.

That is about as stupid as the "zero tolerance" issue can be.

[occam's chainsaw]

Cathryn, Can you please describe the "multi-tool" to us? A few have been quick to assume that it was a Leatherman or something similar, but I can't imagine someone using a Leatherman to fix a pair of glasses. It would have to be an awfully large pair of clown glasses or one hell of a magic trick.

[Cathryn Crawford]

I have no idea. I'll try to find out from the person that emailed me.

[patton]

Lawyer. Use Brown v. Board of Education, and Color of Law.

Sue the school board as an organization, and as individuals.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This is an example of the idiocy that public schools have decended into. Home school sounds like the solution for this.

[zeugma]

I can understand you not agreeing with the broad brush of my statement, but and school district that allows what was reported in the post to stand is being run by insanely stupid people.

[Darksheare]

Pencils, pens, and even notebook binders can be considered weapons...

[Darksheare]

Saw someone catch a T-square to the face in shop class once.
Also saw someone get taken down with a protractor of all things.
Seems it made a good, if curved, bludgeon weapon in a half closed fist.
Nevermind india ink or tempra paints as eye irritants.

Schools have a 'no sense' policy...
I think I'm going to be sick, but I'm with you.
There's a nice Texas Instruments sci calc that'd make a nice tazer case.

[BigBobber]

I agree this is the right approach. These rules are stupid because they only cover "traditional" weapons. If these idiots really want to be safe they need to treat students the way police treat people in lock-up.

That's right, no shoe laces, belts, neck ties, pens, pencils, sissors, pointed shoes. You get the idea.

[rootntootn]

Put him in private school. He may actually get an education vs. an indoctrination.

[Spiff]

Tell her this:

Education Welfare Distribution Centers (aka. Public Schools) can enact whatever idiotic rules they want. If you don't like what goes on in your child's welfare school then remove said child and either homeschool or pay for the child's education at a private school. I suppose the people sleeping in the homeless shelters don't like the cockroaches sometimes but they don't have much of a choice. You do. You can pay for your child's education or you can gratefully accept whatever handouts are available.

[DannyTN]

It seems to me that if you wanted to homeschool, you would get less hassle if your child first violated zero tolerance.

Then instead of harrassing you for homeschooling, they would think they are harrassing you by expelling your kid, which is what you wanted in the first place.