Zero Tolerance stupidity!

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 2:02pm

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...ets-suspended/

Derauslander posted this on Facebook.
Ah yes, the American school system fails again:
Kid pulls a gun.
Kid threatens to kill a student.
Kids wrestle the kid to the ground.
Kids wrestle gun away.
Kids get suspended.

Yes, I know, the kid could have been bullied or they could have been the bullies. Fine then explain the situation because, as of now, it looks stupid. As I told Der, they were suspended because no one died. How can you keep the ban debate going if nothing bad happens?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 2:05pm

How do you think this should be handled?

**submessenger** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 2:12pm

At a glance, yes, this seems like punishing the righteous.

I'll hedge with we probably don't know all the facts. My gut tells me the other kids knew he had the gun well before he leveled it at a teammate's head.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 2:21pm

You investigate and then do what is necessary. If you find that they are guilty of bullying suspend them. This whole react first, apologize later is getting dumb.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 2:55pm

I'm giving the authorities, here, the benefit of doubt because media hyperbole trumps reason every time. Bullying? That seems like editorializing on top of the story. I got a dollar on "gunman has been toting this thing around for weeks, maybe months, but his teammates never bothered to intervene until it was too late." I also wouldn't be surprised to learn that the investigation is the result of this revelation, not the cause.

The school-related-gun thing is at a fever pitch, now, and it is retarded. I heard a story, yesterday, about some 5-year-old girl with a "gun" fashioned from a piece of paper. ****, when I was 5 I had a cap gun (actually 2, one with the plastic loads, and one that just smacked the paper strips), and it was socially acceptable. I could buy my own ammo at 7-11!

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 3:22pm

They were given a temporary "emergency suspension" pending a school hearing for "being involved in an incident with a weapon", which sounds like a zero tolerance policy to dealing with such incidents.

They were allowed to return to class today.

Florida...yeah.

**submessenger** · Posted On: 3/04/2013 4:12pm

Originally Posted by W. Rabbit

They were given a temporary "emergency suspension" pending a school hearing for "being involved in an incident with a weapon", which sounds like a zero tolerance policy to dealing with such incidents.

They were allowed to return to class today.

Florida...yeah.

I'm gonna put words in Fake's mouth, here - he and presumably DerAus are upset about Zero Tolerance trumping Common Sense. I am generally in agreement with that sentiment. However, I think this particular case - which had an actual loaded gun - is not the one idealists (I count myself among them) should be taking a stand on.

**ChuckWepner** · Posted On: 3/06/2013 3:58pm

I'm keeping my powder dry, so to speak, on this one until I see some fuller reporting from journalists. Obviously, if it ends up being the case that they punish kids who saved another kid (and who knows how many others) from a schoolmate who was holding a pistol to another kid's head, then they are idiots.

I suspect the "suspend everyone involved pending investigation" policy is par for the course. This school seems to be long on rigid enforcement of policies and short on common sense compromises from the administrators, if another, less significant case that made the news last fall is any indication.

I don't know if it's a "never bend policy so it's harder to sue me" attitude, or what, but I'm surprised we aren't seeing a sharp upswing in school administrators getting punched in the nose.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1185465

**submessenger** · Posted On: 3/07/2013 2:13am

Here are some other recent "taking ZT too far," stories:

Student suspended for making pop tart into gun:
http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/...art-gun/nWg4N/

Girl humiliated for having paper gun (this is the story I referenced, above, 5th grade, not 5yo):
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/206...paper-airplane

Teacher suspended for rhetoric on chalkboard:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...194851881.html