Discussion:
Student Who Brought Camping Utensil to School Has Suspension Lifted
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Liberal Idiots
2009-10-15 04:19:51 UTC
Permalink
Check out the comments from cowering liberal cunt Jennifer
Jankowski.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,565640,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:
s0:a16:g4:r5:c0.000000:b28303250:z10

BEAR, Del. — A Delaware first-grader who was facing 45 days in
an alternative school as punishment for taking his favorite
camping utensil to school can return to class after the school
board made a hasty change granting him a reprieve.

The seven-member Christina School Board voted unanimously
Tuesday to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-
graders who take weapons to school or commit violent offenses to
a suspension ranging from three to five days.

Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school
for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination
folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last
month. Now, he could return Wednesday.

"I want to get him back as soon as possible. I want to put this
behind him as soon as possible," said Debbie Christie, Zachary's
mother. "But I also want him to know that he has a voice, and
when things are not right, he can stand up and speak out against
them."

A spokeswoman for the school district said more changes to the
school system's code of conduct were possible in the coming
months.

The punishment given to Zachary was one of several in recent
years that have prompted national debate on whether schools have
gone too far with zero-tolerance policies.

It was not the first such case in the Christina School District,
Delaware's largest with more than 17,000 students, which
includes parts of the city of Wilmington and its suburbs. Last
year, a fifth-grade girl was ordered expelled after she brought
a birthday cake to school and a serrated knife to cut it with.

The expulsion was overturned, and it led to a state law that
gave districts more flexibility on punishments. But that law
applied only to conduct that triggers expulsions, not
suspensions.

School board member John Mackenzie told The Associated Press
before the meeting that he was surprised school officials did
not use common sense and disregard the policy in Zachary's case.
The need for common sense to prevail over the letter of the law
was a recurring theme among the boy's supporters and school
safety experts.

"When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of
inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe
environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National
School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm. "People
have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis
doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."

Not everyone believed the school district was out of line.

Jennifer Jankowski, who runs the special education programs at
Jennie Smith Elementary in Newark, said schools need to be
vigilant about protecting students. If Zachary or another
student had been hurt by the knife, she said, the district would
have taken the blame.

"If we can't punish him, then what about kids that did bring (a
weapon) for bad things?" Jankowski said. "There's more to the
school's side than just us being mean and not taking this
child's interests into account."

Several people spoke on Zachary's behalf, including some who
said other students had been unjustly punished.

Dodi Hebert said her 13-year-old son, Kyle, was tormented
throughout last year by a group of bullies who ultimately
planted a knife on him. Kyle was ordered into the alternative
school, but Hebert refused to send him there and home-schools
him instead.

"You can't kick kids out of school for the kinds of things that
are happening," Connie Merlet told the board. "This is a
horrible thing to happen to our district, to be on the national
news because you guys weren't paying attention."
A B
2009-10-16 20:16:54 UTC
Permalink
Post by Liberal Idiots
Check out the comments from cowering liberal cunt Jennifer
Jankowski.
s0:a16:g4:r5:c0.000000:b28303250:z10
BEAR, Del. — A Delaware first-grader who was facing 45 days in
an alternative school as punishment for taking his favorite
camping utensil to school can return to class after the school
board made a hasty change granting him a reprieve.
The seven-member Christina School Board voted unanimously
Tuesday to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-
graders who take weapons to school or commit violent offenses to
a suspension ranging from three to five days.
Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school
for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination
folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last
month. Now, he could return Wednesday.
"I want to get him back as soon as possible. I want to put this
behind him as soon as possible," said Debbie Christie, Zachary's
mother. "But I also want him to know that he has a voice, and
when things are not right, he can stand up and speak out against
them."
A spokeswoman for the school district said more changes to the
school system's code of conduct were possible in the coming
months.
The punishment given to Zachary was one of several in recent
years that have prompted national debate on whether schools have
gone too far with zero-tolerance policies.
It was not the first such case in the Christina School District,
Delaware's largest with more than 17,000 students, which
includes parts of the city of Wilmington and its suburbs. Last
year, a fifth-grade girl was ordered expelled after she brought
a birthday cake to school and a serrated knife to cut it with.
The expulsion was overturned, and it led to a state law that
gave districts more flexibility on punishments. But that law
applied only to conduct that triggers expulsions, not
suspensions.
School board member John Mackenzie told The Associated Press
before the meeting that he was surprised school officials did
not use common sense and disregard the policy in Zachary's case.
The need for common sense to prevail over the letter of the law
was a recurring theme among the boy's supporters and school
safety experts.
"When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of
inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe
environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National
School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm. "People
have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis
doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."
Not everyone believed the school district was out of line.
Jennifer Jankowski, who runs the special education programs at
Jennie Smith Elementary in Newark, said schools need to be
vigilant about protecting students. If Zachary or another
student had been hurt by the knife, she said, the district would
have taken the blame.
"If we can't punish him, then what about kids that did bring (a
weapon) for bad things?" Jankowski said. "There's more to the
school's side than just us being mean and not taking this
child's interests into account."
Several people spoke on Zachary's behalf, including some who
said other students had been unjustly punished.
Dodi Hebert said her 13-year-old son, Kyle, was tormented
throughout last year by a group of bullies who ultimately
planted a knife on him. Kyle was ordered into the alternative
school, but Hebert refused to send him there and home-schools
him instead.
"You can't kick kids out of school for the kinds of things that
are happening," Connie Merlet told the board. "This is a
horrible thing to happen to our district, to be on the national
news because you guys weren't paying attention."
All right, I'll pardon your French.
That aside, Ms Jankowski seems to be soft in the head. How can anyone miss
the point so comprehensively? The whole point is that they need to be able
to act differently in different cases - so a child who clearly didn't intend
the knife as a weapon would be let off, while others would NOT.
A. B.
Bob LeChevalier
2009-10-17 02:08:28 UTC
Permalink
Post by A B
Post by Liberal Idiots
School board member John Mackenzie told The Associated Press
before the meeting that he was surprised school officials did
not use common sense and disregard the policy in Zachary's case.
The need for common sense to prevail over the letter of the law
was a recurring theme among the boy's supporters and school
safety experts.
"When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of
inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe
environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National
School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm. "People
have to understand that assessing on a case-by-case basis
doesn't automatically equate to being soft or unsafe."
Not everyone believed the school district was out of line.
...
Post by A B
Post by Liberal Idiots
"You can't kick kids out of school for the kinds of things that
are happening," Connie Merlet told the board. "This is a
horrible thing to happen to our district, to be on the national
news because you guys weren't paying attention."
That aside, Ms Jankowski seems to be soft in the head. How can anyone miss
the point so comprehensively? The whole point is that they need to be able
to act differently in different cases - so a child who clearly didn't intend
the knife as a weapon would be let off, while others would NOT.
The problem is that what seems clear to you isn't necessarily clear to
someone else. "Common sense" isn't always equally applicable,
especially since in many cases they have to rely on children as
witnesses.

Treating all cases the same regardless of "common sense" the same DOES
create a message of consistency to kids who are often lacking in
"common sense".

More importantly, any use of discretion is an invitation to parents to
sue, and a good lawyer can make anything seem like a case of common
sense or a case of a lack of common sense, depending on whose butt is
at stake. School districts lose a high percentage of cases when they
get sued, paying big bucks and lawyers fees because the government has
"deep pockets". Of course it is really the taxpayers that are being
gored in such cases, but the parents and the lawyers don't care.

If you want to see a return of discretion and common sense, then the
laws have to be changed so as to make discretion and common sense a
positive defense and not a liability in the courtroom.

Don't hold your breath. Too many people (and all tort lawyers) like
the tort laws the way they are.

lojbab
---
Bob LeChevalier - artificial linguist; genealogist
***@lojban.org Lojban language www.lojban.org

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