6-year-old suspended over utensil granted a reprieve

"zero tolerance" ok, but how 'bout some common sense folks? the kid's not Dillinger!!! and i don't want to hear anything about "if it was a child of color" GET REAL. what a nutty world we live in. people have lost the ability to use their brains. whew! drop me off on an uninhabited island in the Carribean and leave me alone. torgo.........i think you have a couple of wires touching that shoudn't be.

This has been blown way way way out of purportion. The kid made a mistake and cooler heads prevailed.

What an incredible display, by an institution supposedly teaching and guiding children, of ignoring child psychological maturity/developmental facts. 45 days in reform school? I would certainly home school or find alternative organizations to intrust with the well-being of my six year old child than the one above for which my tax dollars were paying.

Those who think this makes complete sense probably also believe that zero tolerance would have also prevented the Columbine High School massacre. There just isn't a logical connection. It may FEEL good but it is not the solution.

He absolutely should not be punished! He did not take the tool to school with the slightest thought of hurting someone. That was not in his heart so why punish the boy for something he never intended to do in the first place. This is a classic example of the good faring with the bad because bad people make things harder for us all. And that line becomes blurred after a while. Because someone has used something to hurt others, now everyone freaks out! Guns have to be used. Knives have to be used. The schools have knives. In the cafeteria to prepare food. So actually knives are at school, literally. If a worker cuts him/herself, or if someone else is accidently hurt, no one is arrested. The incident may be investigated, but accidents do happen. Had a child got hurt with his tool, as long as the injury was accidental, these things happen. People have started to blame the object for wrongdoing INSTEAD of one's actions or intent. Of course, what can one expect when society leans upon their own understanding instead of accepting truth of matters, which is actually our reality. I'm glad the kid got a reprieve. Don't rob the kids of their innocence because your scared of your own sins. LOL

Unbelievable! 45 days in a reform school????? What happened to a little bit of common sense? I am so sorry that a 6 year old had to go through all that mess. One good thing, by national attention maybe common sense will be brought back to the schools.

Zero tolerance is ZERO tolerance. It is not fair to judge on a case by case basis. If no knifes are allowed at school, that is what that means, NO KNIFES. The only thing this kid learned from this experience is that if you whine and complain enough, you will get out of your punishment and get your way. What happens when another first grader at this school brings a knife to class and someone is hurt, even if it is accidentally? Does every kid now get one free warning when bringing a weapon to school?

You can't have zero tolerance when dealing with young children like this. In most cases, they don't know they are doing "wrong". This also applies to accusing a young child of "sexual harassment". How can that be? They don't even know the difference between girls and boys at that age! Adults should not be robots and apply so called rules without using their heads. I think the children have more sense than the adults sometimes.

Yes the child did do something he didn't mean to do. I agree parents should have been a little more cautious with him having a knife, even if it was a Boy Scout utensil. However, children his age make mistakes, and can learn from them. I don’t agree with the zero tolerance factor. The school should have used better judgment than that, as for the teacher who confiscated it from the boy, maybe you should go back to school. I fear the day of sending my child to school! What are teachers teaching to our children? This example that has happened to the boy should be taken serious and hope that the school will learn some commonsense. Don’t misunderstand I feel our children need to be safe and in a safe environment; but can you at least use better judgment?

Insert question mark onto 2nd line in previous post. Editing function failed.

BTW, Newsvine dropped or hid the 60 pages of comments on this public school,affirmative action hire fueled travesty. WTF?

It was 15 years ago when I was a single mother of four, and my 6 year old took his older sister's pocket knife to school. Not to hurt anyone, but like that of this other 6 year old. He was also suspended for 45 days, and the school wanted me to put him in a special program. I did not, instead, I called the school district and arranged for a tutor during the 45 day period. While my young son was suspended, he got A's and B's in his school work. You ask him after he was able to return back to school if he will ever take a knife to school again, his response was,"No way, I could not go to school for 45 days." That was his exact words. I can so sympathize with him and I am sure my son could too. He is now 15.

Why is everyone trying to down play this by saying he took a Utensil to school. I was a KNIFE. This is straight from Coleman's Website...

• Includes folding knife, fork, spoon, and bottle opener

This would not be allowed on a plane and should never be allowed in a school. You have to be 18 to buy it and why??? It's dangerous. His parents should be punished for allowing him to have it. His parents claim it's part of his Cub Scout equipment. They are wrong. It is against Boy Scouts of America policy for any boy that is not a WEBLO (4th or 5th grade) to carry a knife or multipurpose tool that has a knife And then only with a parent. What if another child had seen the knife and cut themselves or another child? Every one of you defending Zachary would be suing the school and his family. 45 day suspension was a bit much for the boy. The parents deserve every day of it for not teaching him properly and not putting the knife out of his reach.

I find it interesting how this article kept referring to it as a "utensil"! It took me to read all of the article to see that it was considered dangerous and that it was a "Knife", that's a far cry from a utensil. A fork, spoon, or spork (spoon/fork) is a utensil... but a knife is a knife. He brought a SWISS ARMY KNIFE to school... how can anyone not see that as an issue? Even his mother?

Although I don't believe he had an intention to hurt anyone, he never should have brought it to school. They did mention the no-tolerance policy as a way of blurring the lines of racial discrimination and the overwhelming disparage between disciplines handed out to African American children vs White or other, etc. I look at it and say, that anything could have happened and any kid could have gotten a hold on the weapon and either injured themselves or someone else. That's the real issue!

As for his expultion and reform school. I think that a child that age, needs to be in school and i would hate to see a child miss the much needed education. Of course there is home-schooling that can be done. Since he had no intentions to harm anyone and he no one was harmed, I would not keep him out that long, but he and his family would need to know that it can NEVER happen again for ANY reason and he will receive the full extent the next time for sure!

The Key Files - keyfiles.blogspot.com

I think this 6 year old boy should have been tried as an adult, locked up and then have attempted murder and assualt charges filed against him, and with at least a million dollar bond. This child obviously shows potential for being a serial killer, and thankfully an astute principal noticed what this child was up to, though this was probably after the pedophile school principle had sought to have sex with him. The fact that all that was needed was a phone call to the parent instead of making a federal case out of this incident shows the retardation level of school principals, teachers, etc.  

So I guess lets just change the no tolerance policy for one kid. Instead of having him learn from his mistake, lets just give him the message that with offenses such as bringing a knife to school, the punishment for him will not be as harsh. This is rediculous. It is a zero tolerance policy for a reason. What kind of message does that send to other students? A child could have been hurt by this kid and he gets a few days suspension? If a criminal committed a violent act, are we going to slap the kid on the wrist or give them a harsh punishment? Kids are supposed to learn from their mistakes, and this child will not learn. This was an unintelligent move on the school board. This child should not be celebrated for committing an offense against school policy.

Unless I misunderstood, this little boy is an active boy scout or had something to do with boy-scouts. If this is true, then I would have a problem with the actions being taken against him, as in our county and most all of the areas around where we live, the boy-scouts all hold their meetings at the school. At all of the meetings the boys are given their badges and rewards for successfully completing different parts of their training. During these meetings they are instructed to come in uniform, with all of there this's and that's on which they have earned over the course of time. This particular knife is a boyscout issue style of knife. Now, on the other hand, I would expect with giving a little one of his age a tool, of this nature, would have come many talks on the do's and don'ts of having such a tool. Over all I think the school system needs to have situations be more circumstantial and consider the prior dangers exhibitedby the students in each situation. I would hope that this particular school is not one that holds weekly or biweekly boyscout meetings or they are seriously sending a mixed signal to the smaller children which are told it is OK to have it on their person one day but not the next. I am grateful that the parents are not willing to send him to a reform school for any amount of time as he is not a child that came to school wielding a weapon with the intent to do harm to anyone at anytime. It would not be a good atmosphereto put this child around other children who truly deserve to be there, and in most cases, need to be there. The school really needs to rethink their ruling on this matter as I guarantee it would have been nothing more than a simple misunderstanding if it had been the superintendent's child or someone else in that kind of position.

I think most of us are missing a very important point. He is a boy scout, okay. Then that means he has no excuse, boy scouts are taught about safety and responsible actions and consequences, are they not. I know ours are.

It was published in writing in the school's policies that weapons are not allowed, zero tolerance. I bet his school expected that his parents would read and understand the school's policy. Why didn't his parents communicate to him that knives (even his little one) are weapons and not allowed at school? Where were they in the education of their son about weapons and weapon safety?

Shame on the school board for bending to the whims of these parents. And shame on the parents for crying to the media, instead of heading this off by teaching their son acceptable behavior. What happens next time Zachary brings a weapon to school, a bigger or more dangerous one? They changed the rules for him this time, will they next time, when it's a gun? The precedence has been set, the rules don't apply to Zachary.

This is why No Tolerance policies are crazy. They turn school administrators into discipline technicians and do not allow for the people in charge to exercize their own discretion. Also, this is clearly a case of mistaken behavior not misbehavior. All rules in our nations school districts need to be age appropriate with the idea of guiding the children to internalize the appropriate behavior. What does this teach our children? What lesson did this boy take away from all of this? Why are the administrators hands tied? Boy, this is a lesson in how the crimes of Nazi Germany were allowed to happen...

As a scout leader for 25 years and also a teacher this has been a very interesting forum to follow. I'm glad the administrators changed their mind and allowed the boy to attend school as each case should be determined individually not by a blanket statement. But as a scouter I'm concern that a 6yr old which is a Tiger Cub would be allowed to have that piece of equipment in the first place. 3rd graders are introduced to safe handling of knifes but as stated earlier only Webelos which are 4th and 5th graders are allowed to carry a knife after they have earned their wittlin chip(a knife safety program)and only with adult supervision.

I think suspending the first graders is absurd!!!!!!!!! I have a 1st grader just like this liitle boy who also like to wear shirts & ties to school for no reason. My son is also in boy scouts & love to camp & go fishing. Even though my son has never taken any of his boys scout such or fishing stuff to school. I know he would never take them to harm someone. He might take an item because like the 6 year in the story & my son and most boys that age think these things are cool, they are neat. They don't view them as dangerous weapons or have any intent to use them as such. I think the boys should have been talked to about why we don't take those kind of things to school, and then maybe sent home for the remainder of the day. I think most kids this age still respect adults & what we tell them. And they understand when we tell them why things are the way they are. I think the school staff & school board both over reacted!!!!!!!!!! WHAT EVER HAPPEN TO COMMON SENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think he should have in school suspension. not reform school. It all depends on his behavior at school.

IT IS A KNIFE! Not a utensil. A knife!! This policy should be enforced. This kid should not get special treatment because he's a "cute" little six year old. He's just a great actor, you gullible fools! 45 days in reform school is nothing! I remember in my school our zero tolerance policy was strict, and the penalty? One year expulsion for the first offense. I know because as a child I too was caught with what they are now calling a "utensil," a camping knife from my weekend girl scout trip. My parents tried to cop the b*llsh*t "camping tool" story too but my school had a steadfast zero tollerance policy that did not waiver and I was expelled. That was back in the 90's and I was mad about it then and felt a year of being expelled was kind of harsh, but now I see that it was necessary and prudent. An example must be made of these children making "mistakes" and putting every other child in danger. It fell out of his pocket? What if another child picked it up and got hurt. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO KNIVES OR ANY OTHER WEAPONS!! And this kid was only going to get 45 days for bringing a WEAPON- NOT A UNTESIL-A WEAPON into school and endanger everyone else? Those white trash parents should be punished for giving A KNIFE to their SIX YEAR OLD KID. What lesson are we teaching these kids? Are all you people taking stupid pills?!? Why is he getting special treatment? No one knows his true intent they just know what his parents made him say to the camera all wide eyed and teary, so he would get away with it. This teaches kids everywhere that it is now ok to have a KNIFE in school as long as you call it some other name such as "utensil" or "camping tool". As long as we glaze over the fact that it is a KNIFE- A WEAPON with a fork and spoon attatched. How many euphemisms are there for KNIFE OR WEAPON? I guess "camping utensil" is now one of them.

All I can say is some of you have given me even more reasons for begging my grandchildren not to reproduce. Are you so afraid that you would want to lock up children for something like this? I am a woman and as a child I had a knife and yet I never stabbed anyone. The world you people are describing is not a world I would want to bring up a child in. Schools today are more like prisons and they are the main reason more children are turning to crime and SUICIDE. I remember getting into fights and no one called the law. We would fight and make up. What you people need would be to wrap yourselves up and hide in the closet. You are not making us safer by turning our children into adults right out of the womb. Take at look at the laws that went into effect right before the crime rate went up. The more freedoms you take, the more people will fight back. I used my seat belt most of the time before it became a law but it pissed me off that my choice was taken away. America, land of the free, NOT anymore.

Adults need to use common sense. The punishment way outweighed the boy's intent. I can understand the zero tolerance policy BUT to suspend this very innocent, honest looking 6 year old boy to a boys' reform school for 45 days seems ridiculous. What a scary experience for such a young fellow - what would he learn there - rebellion, no trust of adults, etc.? The knife should have been taken away, returned to his folks, he should have been reprimanded and told not to bring it to school again and given the reason - the school policy against such items - all in a calm and straightforward way. THEN, the whole incident should have been put down as a past experience and dropped. - Such a big deal! Perhaps we all can learn from this. We send a crushing punishment on an incident like this and YET, many adults allow their children to play violent video games and see violent movies - violence is part of their play. This is what we need to attack. What are adults thinking?!?