I dunno Bob. My youngest attends public middle school. It's rife with thieves. I suggested he put a small lock on his backpack. He said they would just break it. He prefers not to have his backpack ruined. Whatever we are doing as adults to raise kids today is not working.
The other day my boy's maple wood drumsticks were broken in two by a kid reaching through a tiny opening in his locker. My son said he knew who did it. I asked him if he saw it. He said no, the other kids ratted this kid out. I said we can't do anything. My wife's like, I'm going to say something to the kid. I advised to do nothing since she can't prove he did it.
This Principal messed up but we don't have a good situation either way in my eyes. You let it go and it's a downward spiral from there.
The Principal must have asked the other kid and the other kid must have said they saw this kid do it. He said/she said. The Principal should have let it go. Happy?
A "justice" without truth is simply a power play. I suppose you wish for the old USSR back?
I would have expected the OTHER kid (who lied) to get the shame treatment AND be made to apologize for getting the first one in trouble, if they were to be consistent in their principal principles.