A Pencil Can Be A Weapon, You Morons
The people most in need of education on school property are the idiots running the schools with their zero sense politices. From 11alive.com in Georgia, Jerry Carnes writes of a kid who accidentally brought a knife to school, reported it to his teacher, and was rewarded for his honesty (and adherence to a totally dipshitted policy) with a suspension from school:
Thirteen-year-old Jack Persyn was at chess club before the start of classes at Lanier Middle School in Gwinnett County when he discovered an inch-and-a-half long knife in a bag he brought to school. The military style bag was given to him as a Christmas gift from his aunt, who bought it at a yard sale.The disciplinary report written by administrators at Lanier Middle states that the 8th grader "accidentally" brought the knife to school and that he "immediately self-reported" the weapon to his teacher.
Still, Jack was punished with four days of in-school suspension.
"There was never a safety issue," said the teen's father Bill Persyn. "No harm was done. It was a genuine honest mistake, yet he got pulled out of class for four days. I can see a one hour detention if they had to do something, but this is nonsensical."
One hour detention? Why? I used to have a paring knife in my lunch all the time to cut my apple, probably from fifth grade on, and I went all those years in school and never stabbed a classmate.
via ifeminists
Take note, doing the right thing and being honest gets you punished, lying keeps you safe.
This was the lesson that boy learned
lujlp at January 10, 2012 1:55 AM
>>Take note, doing the right thing and being honest gets you punished, lying keeps you safe.
This is unfortunately true, especially when dealing with any government bureaucracy.
Assholio at January 10, 2012 7:20 AM
too true, that would be the lesson I learned if it had happened to me.
Joe J at January 10, 2012 7:28 AM
Never self-incriminate with Any authority figure.
Frank at January 10, 2012 8:11 AM
Okay, let's see if I've got this straight, here. We're supposed to:
1. Punish integrity by inflexibly enforcing degrading and often arbitrary rules,
2. Make it easier to be dishonest than honest via the procedure outlined above,
3. Destroy children's faith in adult wisdom since no thought whatsoever appears to have been used in rendering judgment against this kid, and finally,
4. Wonder aloud, "HOW COME KIDS HAVE NO CHARACTER ANYMORE THESE DAYS?"
The worst part is, we probably asked for this.
Old RPM Daddy at January 10, 2012 9:28 AM
Why? I used to have a paring knife in my lunch all the time to cut my apple, probably from fifth grade on, and I went all those years in school and never stabbed a classmate.
I always carried a pocketknife. From Jr High on. As did most of the other boys.
(Graduated in the late 80's.)
Teachers often would seek me out, because it was well known I knew how to sharpen knives, and mine was kept *very* sharp.
Actually, still am carrying the last one I bought, when I was a junior, I think. Gerber. Don't keep it as sharp now, since I don't have as much spare time. But I've also got a clip knife and a multitool at almost all times.
Kid learned a good lesson. Shut. Up.
Don't confess. Don't talk to the police. Don't volunteer anything, stay quiet, get a lawyer.
My high-school self could have learned a lot from those observations.
Unix-Jedi at January 10, 2012 10:03 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2012/01/10/a_pencil_can_be.html#comment-2906092">comment from Unix-JediA guy I was fond of in high school got in trouble all the time -- was assumed to have been doing something wrong all the time. He wasn't doing anything wrong. I had the air of a Good Girl, and I was supposed to be out from school on MWF for an internship I'd wrangled at Detroit's Channel 4 (in my senior year) but I also skipped Tues and Thurs and just wrote papers to get the As I needed to graduate.
Amy Alkon at January 10, 2012 10:05 AM
"A guy I was fond of in high school got in trouble all the time "
I've seen lasers less straight than that line. :)
Unix-Jedi at January 10, 2012 10:33 AM
Still do.
Accidentally carried it through TSA screening leaving San Francisco for the East Coast. Buried it in my carryon luggage to get it through Charlotte on the return trip.
Good thing I wasn't carrying cupcakes.
Conan the Grammarian at January 10, 2012 10:57 AM
I have to admit, I got out of the habit of carrying a knife/multi tool years ago. Probably a good thing in the DC area, too many metal detectors and stupid rules around here.
Joe J at January 10, 2012 12:13 PM
he learned a valuable lesson: don't trust school administrators
xxx at January 10, 2012 1:45 PM
"an inch-and-a-half long knife..." That's not a knife. That's just a screwdriver.
Cousin Dave at January 10, 2012 6:30 PM
This is in the same category as the TN nurse facing 3.5 years, minimum, for carrying her concealed handgun in NYC and looking for a place to store it.
When I was in junior high I normally carried a lock blade on my waist in a sheath. When I hit senior high I carried both the lock blade and a boot knife. (The boot knife was totally concealed.) About a third of the guys carried them. It was common. But that was 1985 and before.
In Ohio, for adults at least, outside of the usual proscribed knives, carrying a knife is not considered a crime until it is pulled as a weapon as the aggressor. I can legally walk down the street carrying a four foot long, sharpened, bastard sword and the cops can't do crap about it.
It would be interesting to walk onto a school campus that way and see what they would do. I know they would probably call the local law enforcement. The question would be would the administration do until then. Crap their pants, faint, yell and scream or just be slack jawed idiots?
Jim P. at January 10, 2012 7:32 PM
"The question would be (what) would the administration do until then. Crap their pants, faint, yell and scream or just be slack jawed idiots?"
Blame television, notably Firefly, for your savage desire to kill.
Radwaste at January 10, 2012 7:51 PM
Radwaste: I'm trying to put this as delicately as I can... How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep?
Jim P.: You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake, you'll be facing me, and you'll be armed.
Jim P. at January 10, 2012 8:51 PM
Had a couple of similar idiocies in OK schools, about which I said
Ok. So if you accidentally take a knife to school and get caught, you get expelled.
BUT, if you follow the rules and turn yourself in, you get expelled...
What kind of idiocy is this?
My observation: 'zero-tolerance' rules are not for school safety; they're to protect the school officials, so they don't have to actually think and make a decision. "Well, it's stupid, but I followed The Rules so leave me alone! It doesn't matter I screwed that kids' life up!"
Firehand at January 11, 2012 7:58 AM
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