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	<title>Comments on: Six-year-old sent to reform school for bringing a &quot;weapon&quot; (Cub Scout camping cutlery) to&#160;school</title>
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	<description>Brain candy for Happy Mutants</description>
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		<title>By: nutbastard</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610817</link>
		<dc:creator>nutbastard</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610817</guid>
		<description>If he wasn&#039;t brandishing it - if he was using it as intended as an eating utensil, then there is no logical reason why he ought to be punished.

oh, right. logical.

zero tolerance policies are just another way to indoctrinate the youth of america into blind obedience to their holy government while providing a venue wherein the disobedient can be immediately identified and taken note of.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If he wasn&#8217;t brandishing it &#8211; if he was using it as intended as an eating utensil, then there is no logical reason why he ought to be punished.</p>
<p>oh, right. logical.</p>
<p>zero tolerance policies are just another way to indoctrinate the youth of america into blind obedience to their holy government while providing a venue wherein the disobedient can be immediately identified and taken note of.</p>
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		<title>By: Bumlooker</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611074</link>
		<dc:creator>Bumlooker</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611074</guid>
		<description>I would think that setting up a free pocket knife stand outside the school should be interesting no? </description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I would think that setting up a free pocket knife stand outside the school should be interesting no? </p>
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		<title>By: smegoid</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610822</link>
		<dc:creator>smegoid</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610822</guid>
		<description>This is ridiculous. I remember my school offering a cheap hunting knife as one of it&#039;s three top prizes on our school olympics day. I didn&#039;t win it, and I forget if the winner was immediately cuffed and expelled upon accepting the prize from the principal. But all the same. That was the late 80s. Not that long ago. Where has all the brains gone?</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is ridiculous. I remember my school offering a cheap hunting knife as one of it&#8217;s three top prizes on our school olympics day. I didn&#8217;t win it, and I forget if the winner was immediately cuffed and expelled upon accepting the prize from the principal. But all the same. That was the late 80s. Not that long ago. Where has all the brains gone?</p>
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		<title>By: Ito Kagehisa</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610824</link>
		<dc:creator>Ito Kagehisa</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610824</guid>
		<description>I&#039;ll be in the area all week, I&#039;ll check this out, see if I can get a look at the knife in question.

Y&#039;all know about the cake knife incident, right?

http://www.communitypub.com/education/x1098994143/Bill-would-alter-zero-tolerance-policy-for-knives-in-school</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ll be in the area all week, I&#8217;ll check this out, see if I can get a look at the knife in question.</p>
<p>Y&#8217;all know about the cake knife incident, right?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.communitypub.com/education/x1098994143/Bill-would-alter-zero-tolerance-policy-for-knives-in-school" rel="nofollow">http://www.communitypub.com/education/x1098994143/Bill-would-alter-zero-tolerance-policy-for-knives-in-school</a></p>
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		<title>By: jacord</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610831</link>
		<dc:creator>jacord</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610831</guid>
		<description>The linked NY Times article has a picture of the knife.  It is similar to the BB image (fork, spoon, sharp knife).

This is simply outrageous - no knives in school, ok, but the punishment is completely out of proportion.  Where is common sense?  I fear the day my kid accidentally does something apparently innocuous and gets the Full Wrath of the School Regulations brought down.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The linked NY Times article has a picture of the knife.  It is similar to the BB image (fork, spoon, sharp knife).</p>
<p>This is simply outrageous &#8211; no knives in school, ok, but the punishment is completely out of proportion.  Where is common sense?  I fear the day my kid accidentally does something apparently innocuous and gets the Full Wrath of the School Regulations brought down.</p>
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		<title>By: danlalan</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610832</link>
		<dc:creator>danlalan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610832</guid>
		<description>I have a couple of questions for those of you who grew up going to schools with zero-tolerance policies like these, if you will indulge me. I&#039;m having an age disconnect with this story and am curious about the effect of such policies on kids, and whether they are having a long term negative impact on society. 

Was the fact of the existence of these policies important to you? Or even in your awareness?

Do you think they affect the way you view authority, and if so, how? How about your classmates?

  </description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have a couple of questions for those of you who grew up going to schools with zero-tolerance policies like these, if you will indulge me. I&#8217;m having an age disconnect with this story and am curious about the effect of such policies on kids, and whether they are having a long term negative impact on society. </p>
<p>Was the fact of the existence of these policies important to you? Or even in your awareness?</p>
<p>Do you think they affect the way you view authority, and if so, how? How about your classmates?</p>
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		<title>By: Debby and Greg Verheyden</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610833</link>
		<dc:creator>Debby and Greg Verheyden</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610833</guid>
		<description>Please. I am a mother of two grown boys. This child probably was so excited to eat a meal with his dad during a camping trip or in preparation to a camping trip after purchasing this UTENSIL! He thought it would be fun, as a six year old boy would, to take the fork to use for his lunch to show others his new camping tool. At 6 years old, it would have been a lesson for the teacher/school board to take advantage of a lesson for this young boy to explain when this was to be used outside of school, not inside of the cafeteria at school..call the parent to pick it up, re enforce the message to the child..send him back to class and move on. What happened to making appropriate decisions at schools? This school district failed this child. This is a 6 year old not knowing what was wrong and could have been a learning experience!!!! Now, he will not see his schoolmates for 45 days, not knowing why...and experience a very negative experience &quot;for a 6 year old&quot; with no anger issues till now. One that will have negative results in the end.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Please. I am a mother of two grown boys. This child probably was so excited to eat a meal with his dad during a camping trip or in preparation to a camping trip after purchasing this UTENSIL! He thought it would be fun, as a six year old boy would, to take the fork to use for his lunch to show others his new camping tool. At 6 years old, it would have been a lesson for the teacher/school board to take advantage of a lesson for this young boy to explain when this was to be used outside of school, not inside of the cafeteria at school..call the parent to pick it up, re enforce the message to the child..send him back to class and move on. What happened to making appropriate decisions at schools? This school district failed this child. This is a 6 year old not knowing what was wrong and could have been a learning experience!!!! Now, he will not see his schoolmates for 45 days, not knowing why&#8230;and experience a very negative experience &#8220;for a 6 year old&#8221; with no anger issues till now. One that will have negative results in the end.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611350</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611350</guid>
		<description>Yes, as a former cub scout (and Eagle scout) this is exactly what I was thinking of--the combo with the little slot where they all latch together.  That knife is anything but sharp.  Kids in cub scouts in my area weren&#039;t allowed to carry any knives with an actual blade--you had to be a Boy Scout (6th grade and up, so roughly 12 years old) to use a pocket knife.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yes, as a former cub scout (and Eagle scout) this is exactly what I was thinking of&#8211;the combo with the little slot where they all latch together.  That knife is anything but sharp.  Kids in cub scouts in my area weren&#8217;t allowed to carry any knives with an actual blade&#8211;you had to be a Boy Scout (6th grade and up, so roughly 12 years old) to use a pocket knife.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610840</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610840</guid>
		<description>I&#039;m terrified that I&#039;m going to end up seriously hurting some school administrator or school board member once my sons get into public schools. 

I&#039;d like to think that I&#039;ll be able to be calm and rational if my kids get hit with this kind of idiocy, but I don&#039;t really suffer fools very well, so hopefully we&#039;ll dodge the Zero Tolerance bullets, but I have a feeling I&#039;m going to be engaged in at least a few heated shouting matches with idiot officials over an aspirin or butter knife some day.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m terrified that I&#8217;m going to end up seriously hurting some school administrator or school board member once my sons get into public schools. </p>
<p>I&#8217;d like to think that I&#8217;ll be able to be calm and rational if my kids get hit with this kind of idiocy, but I don&#8217;t really suffer fools very well, so hopefully we&#8217;ll dodge the Zero Tolerance bullets, but I have a feeling I&#8217;m going to be engaged in at least a few heated shouting matches with idiot officials over an aspirin or butter knife some day.</p>
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		<title>By: AirPillo</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-612121</link>
		<dc:creator>AirPillo</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-612121</guid>
		<description>Just an update: The school board voted to reduce the punishment for grade K-1 children who violate this rule.

Suspension is still mandatory, which shows that they&#039;re still either cowards or not secure in their own competence to make decisions... however, it&#039;s only a 3-5 day suspension now.

He can go back to school on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, the change effected by this case is pretty weak, but at least it did cause change.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Just an update: The school board voted to reduce the punishment for grade K-1 children who violate this rule.</p>
<p>Suspension is still mandatory, which shows that they&#8217;re still either cowards or not secure in their own competence to make decisions&#8230; however, it&#8217;s only a 3-5 day suspension now.</p>
<p>He can go back to school on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the change effected by this case is pretty weak, but at least it did cause change.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611612</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611612</guid>
		<description>The parents of this boy seem to have done an excellent job of raising an articulate, brave little boy.  The imperfect judgement of a six year old boy should not result in reform school.  Have common sense and good judgment by adults gone out the window?  This situation should have been handled by the principal with the parents and the boy in his office with a stern warning.  I think the principal should be suspended and retrained on how to deal with young children.  If the parents don&#039;t get this turned around they should at least get the principal fired.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The parents of this boy seem to have done an excellent job of raising an articulate, brave little boy.  The imperfect judgement of a six year old boy should not result in reform school.  Have common sense and good judgment by adults gone out the window?  This situation should have been handled by the principal with the parents and the boy in his office with a stern warning.  I think the principal should be suspended and retrained on how to deal with young children.  If the parents don&#8217;t get this turned around they should at least get the principal fired.</p>
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		<title>By: Giovanni</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610848</link>
		<dc:creator>Giovanni</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610848</guid>
		<description>This isn&#039;t surprising but it&#039;s still sad. My nephew was suspended after he took an empty shell from his dad&#039;s rifle and put it on a keychain on his backpack. His dad was impressed with his son&#039;s injunuity. The teacher said it was as bad as brining a loaded gun to school.

When I was in Highschool I remember a valedictorian eagle scout being suspended for having a broken axe in the trunk of his car (he&#039;d taught BSA safety class the night before). I also had a friend who was expelled for his threatening mechanical pencil.

@danlalan ZeroTolerance was a big deal when I was in school. If someone punched me in the face I would be suspended, even if I didn&#039;t do anything to provoke the other kid and didn&#039;t do anything to fight back. I always knew that I couldn&#039;t ever depend on school authorities to have any kind of sense when it came to conflict. 

I was once punished for grabbing a kid and kicking him several times, never mind that he and his friends had me on the ground and were kicking me for 5 minutes before I was able to get up and try to defend myself. I told them it was defense and I was told by the school officials that defense was only blocking. I told them to try blocking five people when they&#039;re kicking you on the ground.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This isn&#8217;t surprising but it&#8217;s still sad. My nephew was suspended after he took an empty shell from his dad&#8217;s rifle and put it on a keychain on his backpack. His dad was impressed with his son&#8217;s injunuity. The teacher said it was as bad as brining a loaded gun to school.</p>
<p>When I was in Highschool I remember a valedictorian eagle scout being suspended for having a broken axe in the trunk of his car (he&#8217;d taught BSA safety class the night before). I also had a friend who was expelled for his threatening mechanical pencil.</p>
<p>@danlalan ZeroTolerance was a big deal when I was in school. If someone punched me in the face I would be suspended, even if I didn&#8217;t do anything to provoke the other kid and didn&#8217;t do anything to fight back. I always knew that I couldn&#8217;t ever depend on school authorities to have any kind of sense when it came to conflict. </p>
<p>I was once punished for grabbing a kid and kicking him several times, never mind that he and his friends had me on the ground and were kicking me for 5 minutes before I was able to get up and try to defend myself. I told them it was defense and I was told by the school officials that defense was only blocking. I told them to try blocking five people when they&#8217;re kicking you on the ground.</p>
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		<title>By: AirPillo</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611362</link>
		<dc:creator>AirPillo</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611362</guid>
		<description>Your reasons sound convincing, they make this sound like a good idea... until people actually remember that the problems you listed have been solved by passing the buck onto the children.

Regardless of the justification, the solution needs to be about the best interests of the children. That&#039;s the entire point of the education system. When our schools start viewing children as a political resource or a patsy for their own failings, somebody needs to go on a spree of job terminations.

This whole situation arose from a belief, intentional or incidental, that school administrators need more protection than children do. It&#039;s completely insane and we cannot be apologists for something so damned backwards.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Your reasons sound convincing, they make this sound like a good idea&#8230; until people actually remember that the problems you listed have been solved by passing the buck onto the children.</p>
<p>Regardless of the justification, the solution needs to be about the best interests of the children. That&#8217;s the entire point of the education system. When our schools start viewing children as a political resource or a patsy for their own failings, somebody needs to go on a spree of job terminations.</p>
<p>This whole situation arose from a belief, intentional or incidental, that school administrators need more protection than children do. It&#8217;s completely insane and we cannot be apologists for something so damned backwards.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610851</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610851</guid>
		<description>I had one of my high school kids come up to me and tell me he had just realized his pocket knife was still in his pocket.  I made him wait till all the kids left class, had him hand it to me and told him I would give it back after school.  I then berated him for being so trusting.  Most of my colleagues would have had him expelled for a year for his forgetfulness.  Sometimes the world is so completely unfair...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had one of my high school kids come up to me and tell me he had just realized his pocket knife was still in his pocket.  I made him wait till all the kids left class, had him hand it to me and told him I would give it back after school.  I then berated him for being so trusting.  Most of my colleagues would have had him expelled for a year for his forgetfulness.  Sometimes the world is so completely unfair&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: cognitive dissonance</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611619</link>
		<dc:creator>cognitive dissonance</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611619</guid>
		<description>this is even more absurd than the story a while back that a girl was suspended for having a metal knife in her lunch box to cut her sandwich (i think)and she was likewise, an unassuming straight A student, and likewise, suspended/expelled.

a stark contrast to my uncle&#039;s telling me that in high school they used to have .22 rifles in their locker so they could go hunting/trapping right after class.

its sad that it takes just one incident to forever derange prevailing wisdom.
</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>this is even more absurd than the story a while back that a girl was suspended for having a metal knife in her lunch box to cut her sandwich (i think)and she was likewise, an unassuming straight A student, and likewise, suspended/expelled.</p>
<p>a stark contrast to my uncle&#8217;s telling me that in high school they used to have .22 rifles in their locker so they could go hunting/trapping right after class.</p>
<p>its sad that it takes just one incident to forever derange prevailing wisdom.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610854</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610854</guid>
		<description>Think this kid will grow up never trusting authority?  He got a lesson in how amazingly stupid and callous adults and some of their rules can be.

Too bad there is no zero tolerance for idiotic lawmakers and school authorities.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Think this kid will grow up never trusting authority?  He got a lesson in how amazingly stupid and callous adults and some of their rules can be.</p>
<p>Too bad there is no zero tolerance for idiotic lawmakers and school authorities.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610864</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610864</guid>
		<description>Yes it is correct to blame them for enforcing the rule. You may have anti-spitting-on-sidewalks laws in your town. The police do not enforce every single infraction they see, do they? Why wouldn&#039;t a principal / superintendent have latitude to do the same when a teacher notifies them of an infraction? It&#039;s fine for the teacher to say something, b/c the principal/super is handing out the actual punishment, and therefore should also be able to say &#039;that is foolish, no punishment&#039;. </description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yes it is correct to blame them for enforcing the rule. You may have anti-spitting-on-sidewalks laws in your town. The police do not enforce every single infraction they see, do they? Why wouldn&#8217;t a principal / superintendent have latitude to do the same when a teacher notifies them of an infraction? It&#8217;s fine for the teacher to say something, b/c the principal/super is handing out the actual punishment, and therefore should also be able to say &#8216;that is foolish, no punishment&#8217;. </p>
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		<title>By: thorn</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611137</link>
		<dc:creator>thorn</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611137</guid>
		<description>the only thing i hate more than f-ing ROBOTS, is that you never know when you&#039;re going to have to deal with one.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>the only thing i hate more than f-ing ROBOTS, is that you never know when you&#8217;re going to have to deal with one.</p>
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		<title>By: jfrancis</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610882</link>
		<dc:creator>jfrancis</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610882</guid>
		<description>On my daughter&#039;s first day at 6th grade we were informed that a squirt gun was first and foremost a gun and would be treated as one by school officials.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On my daughter&#8217;s first day at 6th grade we were informed that a squirt gun was first and foremost a gun and would be treated as one by school officials.</p>
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		<title>By: IronEdithKidd</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611142</link>
		<dc:creator>IronEdithKidd</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611142</guid>
		<description>I&#039;m not interested in my kids learning that adults are unthinking ass coverers charged with administering Draconian punishment for any offense regardless of the severity of the perceived threat.  It still amazes me that these zero-tolerance laws aren&#039;t being challenged in court due to the lack of proportionality in the punishments.  </description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m not interested in my kids learning that adults are unthinking ass coverers charged with administering Draconian punishment for any offense regardless of the severity of the perceived threat.  It still amazes me that these zero-tolerance laws aren&#8217;t being challenged in court due to the lack of proportionality in the punishments.  </p>
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		<title>By: fran6co</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610901</link>
		<dc:creator>fran6co</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610901</guid>
		<description>It&#039;s great to see the school system teaching valuable life lessons to our children at such an important age. Lesson number one: rules are bad and stupid.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s great to see the school system teaching valuable life lessons to our children at such an important age. Lesson number one: rules are bad and stupid.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610902</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610902</guid>
		<description>Stupid policies for stupid lazy people.

A knife is a tool(just like a gun) and should be treated
with a little care and respect. Educate not mandate.

I have been carrying a knife everyday since I was 7. That&#039;s about 33 years now. The only one who ever got cut with one of my knives was me. Shit does happen. 

If you need to cut something let me know....
</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Stupid policies for stupid lazy people.</p>
<p>A knife is a tool(just like a gun) and should be treated<br />
with a little care and respect. Educate not mandate.</p>
<p>I have been carrying a knife everyday since I was 7. That&#8217;s about 33 years now. The only one who ever got cut with one of my knives was me. Shit does happen. </p>
<p>If you need to cut something let me know&#8230;.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610909</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610909</guid>
		<description>@danlalan  I went to high school for a year and 1/2 during the start of the zero tolerance policies. I was forced to leave or be sent to alternative school because I wouldn&#039;t stop dressing in black, wearing &quot;inappropriate&quot; &quot;goth looking&quot; make-up and having been found wearing a trench coat. I got patted down nearly every day by 3 or 4 cops for having been rumored to have &quot; a lot of guns&quot; and spent every day in in school suspension for for getting beaten up or saying things the staff disproved of. Oh yeah, and I was banned from making any form of art on the school premises because it scared a teacher and was supposedly &quot;satanic&quot;.
Before the whole Columbine thing I was a mostly A student.

Experiencing all that has made me into an absurdest.

- satat</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@danlalan  I went to high school for a year and 1/2 during the start of the zero tolerance policies. I was forced to leave or be sent to alternative school because I wouldn&#8217;t stop dressing in black, wearing &#8220;inappropriate&#8221; &#8220;goth looking&#8221; make-up and having been found wearing a trench coat. I got patted down nearly every day by 3 or 4 cops for having been rumored to have &#8221; a lot of guns&#8221; and spent every day in in school suspension for for getting beaten up or saying things the staff disproved of. Oh yeah, and I was banned from making any form of art on the school premises because it scared a teacher and was supposedly &#8220;satanic&#8221;.<br />
Before the whole Columbine thing I was a mostly A student.</p>
<p>Experiencing all that has made me into an absurdest.</p>
<p>- satat</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610912</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610912</guid>
		<description>Yes... it is wrong.  They have the choice of following a rule that makes no sense, or to do the right thing.  I realize that could get them in trouble, but I&#039;n not sending a 6 yr old to reform school.  Give him a good talking to, for a 1st offense, and the punishment grow if there are subsequent offenses.  He&#039;s 6!!!  He probably didn&#039;t even know he was doing anything wrong!  COMMON SENSE PEOPLE!  WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY???</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yes&#8230; it is wrong.  They have the choice of following a rule that makes no sense, or to do the right thing.  I realize that could get them in trouble, but I&#8217;n not sending a 6 yr old to reform school.  Give him a good talking to, for a 1st offense, and the punishment grow if there are subsequent offenses.  He&#8217;s 6!!!  He probably didn&#8217;t even know he was doing anything wrong!  COMMON SENSE PEOPLE!  WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY???</p>
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		<title>By: Daemon</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611178</link>
		<dc:creator>Daemon</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611178</guid>
		<description>Note to zero-tolerance enforcement goons:
EVERYTHING is a weapon. 

I could bludgen a man to death with a textbook. Impale their brainstem with a pencil. Shove wads paper down their trachea... You get the idea.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Note to zero-tolerance enforcement goons:<br />
EVERYTHING is a weapon. </p>
<p>I could bludgen a man to death with a textbook. Impale their brainstem with a pencil. Shove wads paper down their trachea&#8230; You get the idea.</p>
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		<title>By: jfrancis</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610925</link>
		<dc:creator>jfrancis</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610925</guid>
		<description>I also couldn&#039;t photograph her walking onto the schoolyard on her first day of school. </description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I also couldn&#8217;t photograph her walking onto the schoolyard on her first day of school. </p>
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		<title>By: jere7my</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610931</link>
		<dc:creator>jere7my</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610931</guid>
		<description>Based on the NYT photo, it looks like this is the knife he took to school:

http://www.survival-school.org/Default.aspx?tabid=246&amp;ProductID=102

You can see he&#039;s working on getting out the bottle opener in the picture. jacord is correct in saying it&#039;s &quot;similar to the BB image,&quot; but the blade is less wicked â€” by comparison with the bowl of the spoon, it looks like it&#039;s a couple of inches shorter.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Based on the NYT photo, it looks like this is the knife he took to school:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.survival-school.org/Default.aspx?tabid=246&#038;ProductID=102" rel="nofollow">http://www.survival-school.org/Default.aspx?tabid=246&#038;ProductID=102</a></p>
<p>You can see he&#8217;s working on getting out the bottle opener in the picture. jacord is correct in saying it&#8217;s &#8220;similar to the BB image,&#8221; but the blade is less wicked â€” by comparison with the bowl of the spoon, it looks like it&#8217;s a couple of inches shorter.</p>
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		<title>By: LB</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610934</link>
		<dc:creator>LB</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610934</guid>
		<description>jfrancis: I remember the administration being obsessed with zero tolerance policies when I was in elementary school (16+ years ago). Even an obvious water gun was considered an expulsion-worthy offense.

Of course, this was also when pagers were banned for the junior high school kids, because &quot;only doctors and drug dealers&quot; had them. (I never, ever heard anything about them being a disruption in class.)

In high school this was actually LESS of a problem; my high school didn&#039;t say anything about guns or pagers. Which was sort of good, because the seniors had a tradition of playing Killer (Assassin) every June.

One kid in my junior high did get in trouble for bringing a knife to school and the cops were called; however, it was a bowie knife so they were probably right to be concerned.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>jfrancis: I remember the administration being obsessed with zero tolerance policies when I was in elementary school (16+ years ago). Even an obvious water gun was considered an expulsion-worthy offense.</p>
<p>Of course, this was also when pagers were banned for the junior high school kids, because &#8220;only doctors and drug dealers&#8221; had them. (I never, ever heard anything about them being a disruption in class.)</p>
<p>In high school this was actually LESS of a problem; my high school didn&#8217;t say anything about guns or pagers. Which was sort of good, because the seniors had a tradition of playing Killer (Assassin) every June.</p>
<p>One kid in my junior high did get in trouble for bringing a knife to school and the cops were called; however, it was a bowie knife so they were probably right to be concerned.</p>
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		<title>By: insert</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-610936</link>
		<dc:creator>insert</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-610936</guid>
		<description>I&#039;m a little surprised that this kid has the intellectual development to be able to say &quot;I broke the rules, but the rules are wrong, ergo I did not do anything wrong.&quot; If my understanding of &lt;a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg&#039;s_stages_of_moral_development&gt;Kohlberg&#039;s stages of moral development&lt;/a&gt; is correct, then it takes a well-developed adult to understand the idea that rules aren&#039;t right per se.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m a little surprised that this kid has the intellectual development to be able to say &#8220;I broke the rules, but the rules are wrong, ergo I did not do anything wrong.&#8221; If my understanding of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg's_stages_of_moral_development>Kohlberg&#8217;s stages of moral development</a> is correct, then it takes a well-developed adult to understand the idea that rules aren&#8217;t right per se.</p>
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		<title>By: Anonymous</title>
		<link>http://boingboing.net/2009/10/12/six-year-old-sent-to.html#comment-611705</link>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">#comment-611705</guid>
		<description>When my son built a model of Jamestown Settlement out of Lego blocks, the teacher made him remove the two or three Lego cannons and tiny little spears the &quot;guards&quot; held. Good grief! What nonsense!!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When my son built a model of Jamestown Settlement out of Lego blocks, the teacher made him remove the two or three Lego cannons and tiny little spears the &#8220;guards&#8221; held. Good grief! What nonsense!!</p>
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