(Rock Hill-AP) May 7, 2005 - An 11-year-old boy was arrested this week for carrying ten nails in his pocket at a Rock Hill middle school and charged with carrying an unlawful weapon.
Dianne McCray, assistant principal at Rawlinson Road Middle School, asked the child Wednesday what was jingling in his pocket and the student gave her the 3.5" long nails.
A school resource officer arrested him. His father picked him up and he was not taken to the police station.
The father said the nails were left in his pocket after a Boy Scout outing. He says it is ridiculous that his son faces an unlawful weapon charge. He says the boy threatened no one.
Did he resist the school authorities? Did he use vulgarity and disrespect when confronted by those authorities? If he did, he should be punished for it--unless, of course, it's school policy to allow students to be disrespectful and vulgar when, in their eyes, the circumstances warrant it. The nails are another story. If that's bad policy, it should be debated at the proper level by the appropriate individuals.