What say you?

 

Several new cases of kids/teens encounters with zero tolerance policies:

 

• A California high school student who was confronted by Canyon High School officials and told to change her NRA T-shirt because the officials deemed the shirt a violation the school's dress code, which forbids offensive, violent or divisive clothing.
  

 

 

The T-shirt:

 

 

 

• A 12-year-old in Coventry, Rhode Island, was suspended from Shawn Feinstein Middle School for three days, and forced to miss testing for his advanced math class, after violating the school's "anti-weapons policy." His "weapon" was a toy key chain, slightly larger than a quarter--that was shaped like a gun. The seventh grader had won the key chain at an arcade. Unfortunately for him, the dangerous "weapon" fell out of his back pack and was picked up by a classmate who showed it to others.
  

 

 

The weapon in question:

 

 

• A 17 year old student and avid fisherman from Lassiter High School, was charged with the felony of bringing weapons into a school zone after police found fishing knives in a tackle box in his car. Police found the fishing knives while performing a random sweep of cars in the parking lot. Drug-sniffing dogs detected black powder in his car. The powder was residue from a firecracker that had been in the car since Fourth of July, but it was enough to warrant a full search that turned up the fishing-related weaponry.
  If the district attorney decides to prosecute, the kid could face 2-10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He's hoping to get the felony dropped so he can still get in the Air Force.
  I have no picture of the knives for this one.

 

• An 8 year old Florida boy who was suspended from school for using his finger as a pretend gun while playing with his friends. He was suspended for a day after administrators at Harmony Community School said the hand gesture was an act of violence. He didn't utter words that were inappropriate. He made a sound and used his fingers. In defense of the school, district officials said their code of conduct prohibits students from playing with "invisible" guns.
  

I could see the key chain kinda pushing the envelope a little, but the rest are just over the top and ridiculous.

If I ran the local public school I would be very strict on what was allowed to be worn - just to eliminate headaches and eliminate a lot of wasted time for me and school personnel.

If I ran the local public school I would be very strict on what was allowed to be worn - just to eliminate headaches and eliminate a lot of wasted time for me and school personnel.

So long as it wouldn't be politically driven like most of these are and would not only target guns, NRA and such, I'd be fine with that.

So long as it wouldn't be politically driven like most of these are and would not only target guns, NRA and such, I'd be fine with that.

 

Exactly. Schools seem to have to waste too much time policing . Let's just make it easy.

My son is studying to be a high school math teacher. He has an education administration class coming up on his schedule next semester. I'll have to ask him if there's a "how to suspend your common sense" section.

My son is studying to be a high school math teacher. He has an education administration class coming up on his schedule next semester. I'll have to ask him if there's a "how to suspend your common sense" section.

Talked to a longtime high school teacher recently. She said girls were bigger problem than boys. Her most commonly used phrase is "Zip it up," referring to the girls showing off their topmost assets. School is a place to learn, not to espouse right- or left-wing causes by advertising such on T-shirts.

Exactly. Schools seem to have to waste too much time policing . Let's just make it easy.

 

I would be interested to know how you would make it easy.

I would be interested to know how you would make it easy.

 

Standardized school uniforms would be an obvious way. Regarding clothing.

I would be interested to know how you would make it easy.

 

First goal would be to implement a dress code. Khakis. Collared shirts. No logos on the shirt other than school logo. If parents insist girls be allowed to wear skirts then I'd have a rule about the length and it would be so strict they'd just throw on khakis.

 

Pretty simple. Effective. No distractions for other students .

Talked to a longtime high school teacher recently. She said girls were bigger problem than boys. Her most commonly used phrase is "Zip it up," referring to the girls showing off their topmost assets. School is a place to learn, not to espouse right- or left-wing causes by advertising such on T-shirts.

Fair enough, but what about the other examples that have nothing to do with T-shirts or dress code?

If I ran the local public school I would be very strict on what was allowed to be worn - just to eliminate headaches and eliminate a lot of wasted time for me and school personnel.

 

WOW my fingers may fall off while I type this because it is the position that has been espoused by several of schools in the more left leaning areas of Louisville. (that I don'r agree with at all)

 

But you can't make our students wear certain clothing. They need to be free to express themselves and their choice of clothing is an expression of self.

Fair enough, but what about the other examples that have nothing to do with T-shirts or dress code?

Toy gun could be confused with real one, inducing alarm. On face of it, tackle box with knives in car is over-reach. Then again we don't know crime history at school. Kid using finger as gun is the most problematic of the four, but it appears school is private, so that muddies the waters. Good job setting up the thread with these four examples. This is the right way to do it.

Fair enough, but what about the other examples that have nothing to do with T-shirts or dress code?

The larger problem for me are the automatic suspensions. More often than not, the issue can be settled by hauling the child into the office and giving him a talking-to. You don't suspend an 8-year-old kid for using his finger as a gun. Then again, this is democracy at work. People elect school boards, whose members approve or oversee such policies.

WOW my fingers may fall off while I type this because it is the position that has been espoused by several of schools in the more left leaning areas of Louisville. (that I don'r agree with at all)

 

But you can't make our students wear certain clothing. They need to be free to express themselves and their choice of clothing is an expression of self.

 

I'm not sure what you're saying. You agree with me or you disagree with me? I can't tell if your last line is legit or sarcastic.