Zero tolerance or Zero common sense...

[Charade]

I was listening to the radio the other day and a man was relating to a story about "zero tolerance". He and his son like to go hunting. The dad lets the boy carry a bullet in his coat pocket. He forgot to take the bullet out of the kids coat pocket and off to school his kid went. The kid later realized he had it and went to his mom (who's a teachers aid at the school) and gave it to her. She gave it to the principal who was standing right there (he/she saw the whole thing go down). The principal suspended the kid for a week.



Oh, and btw, the kid was 5 and in kindergarten.

 

[froglady]

There appears to be lack of common sense all around.

 

[shortbun]

Lack of common sense for sure!

 

[RitaZ.]

I think the mom showed no common sense. The kid obviously understands that he shouldn't have the bullet on him, so he did the right thing. The school has no choice when presented with evidence like that. They have to follow the guidelines on conduct, which leave no room for common sense.

 

[shirleyb]

I'll vote lack of common sense. The kid was trying to do the right thing.

 

[DawnCt1]

Zero common sense. Nobody was hiding anything. The lesson learned here?
Be a sneak!

 

[Heidict]

Gheesh, talk about going overboard. The kid does the right thing and still he is punished for it.

 

[DawnCt1]

There are just so many things that happen in schools that are over the top. Yesterday and Connecticut high school was on LOCK DOWN. Yup, Lock down.
There was some mercury found in a corridor. Could it have been a broken thermometer? Yeah, we now know that mercury is hazardous but which one of us hasn't been thrilled as kids when the thermometer broke and we could play with the stuff. Haz mat, the fire department and the police showed up. I wonder how many people it took to clean up a couple of little balls of mercury.

 

[RitaZ.]

Yeah, we now know that mercury is hazardous but which one of us hasn't been thrilled as kids when the thermometer broke and we could play with the stuff.

I remember doing that as a kid.

 

[mking624]

Well ok I'd vote zero common sense.

But seriously? The boy is five and carries a bullet in his pocket and goes hunting?! Please please please tell me all he does is carry the bullet and doesn't actually shoot the gun. (because we all know that 5 year olds have impeccable aim).

 

[Charade]

There are just so many things that happen in schools that are over the top. Yesterday and Connecticut high school was on LOCK DOWN. Yup, Lock down.
There was some mercury found in a corridor. Could it have been a broken thermometer? Yeah, we now know that mercury is hazardous but which one of us hasn't been thrilled as kids when the thermometer broke and we could play with the stuff. Haz mat, the fire department and the police showed up. I wonder how many people it took to clean up a couple of little balls of mercury.

That reminds me of the scene in Monster's Inc when the one monster had a sock on his back and they put that dome over it and blew it up. Then they SHAVED him!!

 

[Charade]

I remember doing that as a kid.

When I was a kid, a mercury thermometer broke in my mouth. I just spit out the mercury.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

Zero common sense. Nobody was hiding anything. The lesson learned here?
Be a sneak!

Exactly.

 

[Charade]

Well ok I'd vote zero common sense.

But seriously? The boy is five and carries a bullet in his pocket and goes hunting?! Please please please tell me all he does is carry the bullet and doesn't actually shoot the gun. (because we all know that 5 year olds have impeccable aim).

I think the dad said he just comes along for the excitement.

 

[Serena]

I cannot stand that zero tolerance crap. It makes no sense.

 

[declansdad]

There are just so many things that happen in schools that are over the top. Yesterday and Connecticut high school was on LOCK DOWN. Yup, Lock down.
There was some mercury found in a corridor. Could it have been a broken thermometer? Yeah, we now know that mercury is hazardous but which one of us hasn't been thrilled as kids when the thermometer broke and we could play with the stuff. Haz mat, the fire department and the police showed up. I wonder how many people it took to clean up a couple of little balls of mercury.

Schools are in a no win situation. I agree that in the op's example that this was certainly over the top. But in your example, if they had done nothing and it was a hazzardous spill, people would be screaming their heads off that the school didn't follow procedures.

 

[DawnCt1]

Schools are in a no win situation. I agree that in the op's example that this was certainly over the top. But in your example, if they had done nothing and it was a hazzardous spill, people would be screaming their heads off that the school didn't follow procedures.

That is true, which further demonstrates that EVERYONE is over the top and has no common sense.

 

[luv2crash]

This same thing happened in my sons school last year. A thirteen year old let his dad use his duffle bag for a hunting trip over the weekend. Dad gives the duffle bag back to son on monday morning. On the bus the kid notices that his duffle bag is heavier than normal and unzipped an outside pocket and there were a few bullets in the pocket. When the kid gets to school he goes to the school bus driver who is a family friend and tells her about it and she takes a look and says that she will go into the school and explain what happened to the principal with him (they have metal detectors although it isn't a violent school). This kid got suspended for 2 weeks and had to go to summer school to make up.

The parents went to the school board and accepted full responsibility begged them not to suspend this child who had NEVER had a single disciplinary warning (not even uniform violation, which is common). The entire community was outraged and stood behind this family against the school board but because of "zero tolerance" they had to take the "appropriate action". What a crock!

 

[piglet too]

There is a problem with "zero tolerance" that will be hard to fix. ("if you bend the rules for this kid, then why not for this kid" type thing)

When my DS12 was in first grade he was given a little toy gun in his Halloween treat bag at school. I saw it and talked to the pricipal that night at the open house event. She thanked me for coming forward because if any of the kids (the whole class got them) had taken them out on the bus or in school, they would have HAD to be suspended in accordance to the rules. Stupid yes, but she said there would have been nothing she could have done it it came before her.

 

[yeartolate]

Zero tolerance policies weren't created out of nowhere,

THey were made because parentafter parent triesto get junior out of trouble they so richly deserve. "Well, so and so does something similar and gets away with it....."


I feel bad for the schools. If they try to enforcea "fair rule" properly, they have parents trying to get their precious out of trouble. The teachers and prinicipals end up spending too much time explaining why are "singling out" precious. SO BAM. Zero tolerance.

Parents need to grownup, and maybe some of these zero tolerance policies would go away.

As far as the mercury goes.....if some kid ended up with some disease that could be attributed to exposure tothat minute amount of mercury, how fast do you think they would sue? So again, suit happy parents cause over reaction of the school.