Zachary Christie, a six-year-old, was about to have his life turned upside down because of a group of educators and school board members incapable of exercising sound judgment.
NEWARK, Del. (AP) -- A Delaware first-grader who wanted to eat lunch at school with his favorite camping utensil, a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon, now faces 45 days in the district's alternative school for troublemakers.
...The folding knife is banned as a dangerous instrument under the Christina School District's zero-tolerance policy in the student code of conduct, and officials said they have to act regardless of his age or what he planned to do with the instrument.
...Zachary was ordered to spend 45 days at the Douglass School, an alternative school for children who violate the district's code of conduct. Students there participate in behavior modification programs and receive counseling.
For his offense, Zachary was going to be thrown in with children who really need to be separated from other students.
From the helpzachary.com website:
The School District committee recommended that he be alternatively placed at The Douglass School, a reform school for juvenile delinquents. This is the same school where they place children who have severe behavioral problems and who are guilty of such offenses as assault and battery, rape, drug offenses, concealing a deadly weapon, and more.
It's absolutely idiotic that the Christina School District committee would make such a recommendation.
Thankfully, Zachary has been spared this horribly inappropriate sentence.
The Christina School Board voted unanimously to amend the Code of Conduct for the 2009-2010 school year to allow individual schools and school administrators more discretion when deciding disciplinary actions for students in Kindergarten and First Grade.
Read the amendment.
Unfortunately, while the school board did act to ensure that the youngest children in the Christina School District won't fall victim to zero-tolerance policies, they did nothing to address older students. There is no evidence that zero-tolerance policies do anything to reduce school violence, and there is significant evidence that these policies harm students. It is our hope that by working with the school board and local lawmakers, we'll be able to overturn and do away with all zero-tolerance policies and put into place policies that will take into consideration a student's age, intent, disciplinary history, and other circumstances that arise on a case by case basis.
Additionally, it is not only the Christina School District that is using these draconian policies. We have heard stories from families all over the country who have had children who were victims of these policies. We will work with advocacy groups and educators anywhere we can to make sure that zero tolerance policies are no longer used in our schools.
Although this has been a nightmare for Zachary and his family, perhaps his story is the beginning of the end of zero tolerance policies.
Hopefully, his story is the tipping point and parents aren't going to take it anymore.
Doing away with zero tolerance policies doesn't mean less discipline in the schools or diminished expectations in terms of the behavior students.
It means taking a responsible and reasonable approach to do what's best for our children.
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2 comments:
I have been so upset over this story that I can barely speak about it.
The idiots responsible for this should be fired and never allowed near children again. They have NO judgment. I doubt they are as good as trained monkeys.
What they tried to do to that precious child is abuse. Government sanctioned abuse.
I'm hoping that school boards across the country are going to rethink their zero tolerance policies as a result of Zachary's story.
Maybe it will initiate some change.
The school officials that implement such ridiculous rules are the ones in need of an education.
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