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Part of me is expecting more facts to come out exonerating the administration or mitigating the seeming draconian nature of the punishment.
And part of me wonders why school administrators, even if they feel justified and claim it's not just zero-tolerance and that this kid has a history, etc., would choose this incident as the straw that breaks the camel's back?
The school has a "zero tolerance for guns and gun replicas". The key chain is a replica, and zero tolerance means just that.
Having been a middle school teacher, I know that most seventh graders can certainly understand the concept of "zero tolerance". I also know that some will try to test the limits of the concept.
The school has a "zero tolerance for guns and gun replicas". The key chain is a replica, and zero tolerance means just that.
Having been a middle school teacher, I know that most seventh graders can certainly understand the concept of "zero tolerance". I also know that some will try to test the limits of the concept.
No, it is not.
Something that is the size of a quarter is in no way a replica.
1
: an exact reproduction (as of a painting) executed by the original artist <a replica of this was painted … this year — Constance Strachey>
2
: a copy exact in all details <DNA makes a replica of itself> <sailed a replica of the Viking ship>; broadly : copy <this faithful, pathetic replica of a Midwestern suburb — G. F. Kennan>
This is simple absurdity, and sounds like the administrators need to go back to school! (Along with a certain middle school teacher!)
"Please put that toy back in your backpack."
'No.'
"Put that away or you will get a detention."
'No.'
"Fine, go to the principal, you have a detention"
...
'My child is not going to a serve a detention for a toy gun.'
"Then he will be suspended."
'Well, he is not serving that detention.'
... Child gets suspended. Parent goes to news media. News media shows up at school.
"Why was this child suspended, was it because of zero tolerance?"
'We cannot comment on a specific disciplinary action'
"The parent says he was only suspended because of your zero tolerance policy on gun replicas."
'We cannot comment on a specific disciplinary action'
"Can we see your policy on guns and gun replicas?"
'Here it is.'
... "School officials pointed to their policy on gun replicas."
"Please put that toy back in your backpack."
'No.'
"Put that away or you will get a detention."
'No.'
"Fine, go to the principal, you have a detention"
...
'My child is not going to a serve a detention for a toy gun.'
"Then he will be suspended."
'Well, he is not serving that detention.'
... Child gets suspended. Parent goes to news media. News media shows up at school.
"Why was this child suspended, was it because of zero tolerance?"
'We cannot comment on a specific disciplinary action'
"The parent says he was only suspended because of your zero tolerance policy on gun replicas."
'We cannot comment on a specific disciplinary action'
"Can we see your policy on guns and gun replicas?"
'Here it is.'
... "School officials pointed to their policy on gun replicas."
That was my first thought about how it went down, too. I would also bet that said "innocent" child has done this BS before.
The school has a "zero tolerance for guns and gun replicas". The key chain is a replica, and zero tolerance means just that.
Having been a middle school teacher, I know that most seventh graders can certainly understand the concept of "zero tolerance". I also know that some will try to test the limits of the concept.
It does. Zero tolerance. That's it.
Now will come the part where someone will say that I'm "PC" or a "liberal" or that I "don't love guns".
They will be right on all counts. Instruments of death or replicas of them do not belong in schools.
There is a zero tolerance policy for drugs in schools. What if a kid brought in some corn starch and a straw and pretended to snort it?
Would everyone be all "up in arms" them? Cocaine. Guns. Neither belong in schools or in my life.
So now we can add groundless, baseless speculation to everything else....
Except that teachers are all too familiar with the pattern above and it is extremely common. Far more common than "zero tolerance" incidents. We have a generation of parents who believe that teachers are inherently wrong. So when a teacher hands their kid a detention, they refuse to allow their kids to serve it and force the school to issue a suspension instead.
In this age he take toy gun in school and in the age of 20 he take real gun fire.. you have to punish that child.
I played with toy guns as a kid (including "finger guns" as detailed and punished in the links I have posted)
I went on.... Not to "take real gun fire", (whatever that means) but instead joined the Marine Corps and was decorated for valor in Iraq.
As to the other poster... Thank you for admitting WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!
But... As the links I provided show... It is anything but reasonable.
Of the 6 cases in the links, only the Montgomery County (which was reversed) and Spotsylvania (which is going to court) cases have any evidence that the children involved were suspended under zero tolerance policies or were even suspended for violence. The parents says their children were suspended for that reason, but the district either said nothing, or in the 8-year old case specifically said the child was not suspended for violence (and that was only because the parent released the child's record, not because the district did).
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