Recently, in response to a story about a British judge who wanted Sikh boys to be able to bring a knife — the kirpan, an important article of faith for Sikhs — to school, a commenter asked “Do you ever worry about kids grabbing other kid’s pencils and stabbing each other?”  Given that I still have a black scar on my arm from when I was stabbed with a pencil (admittedly, by a sister rather than a classmate), I would have to say yes.  And now there is even more reason to be concerned about implements of literary and physical torture: an 11-year-old boy from New Hartford, NY has been charged with, among other things, criminal possession of a weapon — a pencil.

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Once upon a time, every schoolboy had a pocket knife with him at all times.  It was a tool, used for carving things out of wood, preparing food, or just playing around with.  Of course, times have changed.  In a post-9/11, post-Columbine world, no one carries a knife; most schools have a zero-tolerance policy that not only covers pocket knives, but also includes eating utensils.  So why would a British judge be advocating for schools to allow boys to bring a knife to school now?

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Guns have no place in schools.  I think that most of us can agree on that.  Whether carried by staff or students, the likelihood of a tragic outcome is, I believe, fairly high.  Even if the weapon is never fired, its presence alone is enough alter the atmosphere and have a negative impact on the ability of students to learn.  And so we have zero-tolerance policies in place at schools across the country.  But how “zero” should they be?

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Earlier this year, Alameda Unified School District, just across the bay from San Francisco and, undoubtedly, home to many school children with gay and lesbian parents, approved a curriculum that teaches tolerance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered members of the community.  Two board members, however, voted against the program, one because the curriculum is not comprehensive enough — she felt it should have included race and religion — and the other because there was no opt-out provision.  The latter issue prompted the Pacific Justice Institute to file a lawsuit on behalf of parents who, I guess, want their children to think it’s okay to bully kids based on sexual identity and gender preference.

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In another case of zero tolerance run amok, a 6-year-old boy has been suspended for bringing a camping utensil to school. It wasn’t a can of flammable sterno or a bottle of bear spray that got him in trouble.  It was a spoon/fork/knife combo utensil used for eating.  And despite the fact that eating is clearly what Zachary Christie intended to do with his spork, he is facing 45 days in reform school for violating his school’s zero tolerance policy on weapons.  Continue reading »

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