FL - Student Arrested After Cutting Food With Knife

[MeoW333]

I agree with you but am very curious why you say she should go to counseling? I genuinly can't think of why? I mean, after they did all this, now I can see why, but if they had handled it like you and I both wished they had, why would she need counseling?

The only reason why i say she should go to counseling (within the school) is to make sure things are going on properly at home. The parents weren't watching or were allowing her to bring the knife (lord knows they may have packed it for her). I don't see any problems with the girl herself, it would be to make sure that her home situation is up to par.

 

[JanetElaine]

The only reason why i say she should go to counseling (within the school) is to make sure things are going on properly at home. The parents weren't watching or were allowing her to bring the knife (lord knows they may have packed it for her). I don't see any problems with the girl herself, it would be to make sure that her home situation is up to par.

Oh okay I gotcha! Thanks.

 

[crypto6]

Why would things get ugly? I guess she could cut her finger, that might be ugly.

Part of the way to keep crap like this from happening is to outlaw frivolous lawsuits. This country is sue-happy, and as a result, everybody is scared to death to think for themselves and use common sense.
Everybody is trying to protect nobody but themselves, and if someone does something that could in the end hurt you (as in - they might sue you), you make sure you're ahead of the game and file charges against them. Even though they might not even have meant any harm and no harm was done. I'm sick of it.
Innocent kids get traumatized over nothing. If it was a mom beating them up because she has a bad hairday everybody would be up in arms. But no, this is happening under the guise of 'protection' and 'safety'. The heck it's not. They're scared for their own asses, getting sued. And this girl is being sacrificed for it.

(Not mad at you Crypto . But obviously I have strong feelings about this. I need to pop a chill-pill, me thinks ).

I agree with you; just providing the loyal opposing view.

My scenario would be the child/parents were warned, and the child forgot or willfully defied, and the knife ended back up in school and is now a hot item due to previous attention and wound up in another child’s hands, for better or worse.

My point is the legislature provided no civil or criminal protection for those who want to behave like real, caring human beings here. As a school official trying to do the right thing I would be just as worried about being Nifonged as I would being involved in a civil suit. This whole arena has turned into a political circus, and who’s suffering much more than they’re being protected by these over-the-top laws? I think it’s the kids themselves.

BTW, if it’s worth getting steamed up over, don't chill. Let us all hear about it!!

Crypto6

 

[Kymistry35]

No joke we had one child that brought nail clippers to school in our area. He was given one day suspension, parents were told we have a zero tolerance policy, no exceptions. I understand the need for caution regarding weapons, but come on nail clippers.

My nephew is suspended now for the same thing. My sister asked the principal if he was afraid my nephew would pedicure someone to death. He was suspended earlier for taking a toy gun to school.

 

[JanetElaine]

:laugh: :laugh:

My nephew is suspended now for the same thing. My sister asked the principal if he was afraid my nephew would pedicure someone to death. He was suspended earlier for taking a toy gun to school.

 

[nappy2]

My nephew is suspended now for the same thing. My sister asked the principal if he was afraid my nephew would pedicure someone to death. He was suspended earlier for taking a toy gun to school.

This is such bull these schools are taking things way to far !:banghead:

 

[JanetElaine]

My point is the legislature provided no civil or criminal protection for those who want to behave like real, caring human beings here. As a school official trying to do the right thing I would be just as worried about being Nifonged as I would being involved in a civil suit. This whole arena has turned into a political circus, and who’s suffering much more than they’re being protected by these over-the-top laws? I think it’s the kids themselves.

Yes, exactly!

 

[txsvicki]

The scissors all the kids use past kindergarten and sharp pens and pencils could do a lot more damage than a pair of nail clippers. The poor little girl was probably told to make her own lunch so she really packed her lunch good with knife, fork, and spoon. I have constantly warned my grandkids to never ever take anything to school , to not even draw a picture of anything, touch an alarm, joke around, or fight back. That's the only way to avoid being arrested at school. However, if my grown child decides to skip or quit school, I still someday have to be worried about myself being thrown into jail.

 

[kgeaux]

Rum Tum, Gotta agree with you. Good points.

"Zero tolerance" was NEVER a good idea in my opinion, because tolerance is absolutely necessary when dealing with young people. Youngsters do silly, goofy things all the time! And their judgement is......well, impaired by their youth. They are GOING to do things like cut a steak with a freaking steak knife, or God forbid, clip their nails with a nail clipper! :crazy: They might even do such things at school.

All we've accomplished with this insanely rigid policy is to criminalize youngsters who are being youngsters. I would love to see the numbers on how many kids 11 and under have been arrested over such ridiculously trumped up charges as this. And I would love to see a study done on the effect of an early arrest for such stupid things......what does this do to a kid? Do you think there is a chance the child might begin to think they are bad? And start to do bad things? Because even a little child knows that people who get arrested are bad.

 

[JanetElaine]

Do you think there is a chance the child might begin to think they are bad? And start to do bad things? Because even a little child knows that people who get arrested are bad.

That is what I am very worried about. Because that's exactly what I think will happen. You are very right when you say you can't have 'zero tolerance' around kids... you need tolerance with them. No, not for kids who are being bad. Yes, for kids who bring steak knives to school to eat their steak for lunch. I really, really, worry about this. Yes there are dangerous kids in our schools, and yes we need rules to protect others from them. But I am also very worried about the effect of 'over-the-top' rules and actions (like this). You could screw up a whole generation of kids by acting like this. They're not going to care anymore, because they have juvi records anyway. Their future is messed up. And is that what we want for this country's future? I know I don't.

 

[eve]

Rum Tum, Gotta agree with you. Good points.

"Zero tolerance" was NEVER a good idea in my opinion, because tolerance is absolutely necessary when dealing with young people. Youngsters do silly, goofy things all the time! And their judgement is......well, impaired by their youth. They are GOING to do things like cut a steak with a freaking steak knife, or God forbid, clip their nails with a nail clipper! :crazy: They might even do such things at school.

All we've accomplished with this insanely rigid policy is to criminalize youngsters who are being youngsters. I would love to see the numbers on how many kids 11 and under have been arrested over such ridiculously trumped up charges as this. And I would love to see a study done on the effect of an early arrest for such stupid things......what does this do to a kid? Do you think there is a chance the child might begin to think they are bad? And start to do bad things? Because even a little child knows that people who get arrested are bad.

So true about the tolerance issue. "Zero tolerance" is annoying to me as a term, it is really about being blind to the facts, in many cases. The real troubled kids are often in the shadows or there is no way to really help them before they injure others, yet these innocent kids are dogged for non-issues.

I am a teacher, I see it all the time. It happens frequently. Suspended for a nail scissors, a tweezers, for example, and yes, "weapons violation" does go on the student's record. I am told to report and follow up on such things. Kids can't have Tylenol in their purses, for example, either. I'm surprised tampons aren't "weapons."

My own son had a "theft charge" on his junior high record because he and another boy were playing catch with a girl's key ring on the bus (they liked her, she liked them). She got the keys back, it was just kids horsing around.

Just ridiculous.

Eve

 

[Mr. E]

A former student (long since graduated) recently confessed to me, and showed me the evidence, that she carried a knife disguised as a lipstick all through school. It was a pretty neat device -- it looked just like a lipstick until you took the top off and turned the base so the little knife could come out.

I thought it was an impractical method of defending yourself, anyway. I mean, what are you going to do, ask your assailant to "hold on, I need to reapply my lipstick."

Whomever said zero tolerance doesn't work for kids, I agree. Kids are learning how to behave, and they sometimes make wrong choices. Each case needs to be looked at individually. I know a girl who was taking a test in grade 2 with a substitute. It was a spelling test, and this girl would spell the word when it was called, then take her list out of her desk to mark off that the word was called. She was afraid the substitute would miss a word! She wasn't cheating, but of course the teacher had to treat her actions as such.

My point is: this is school, not prison. Take moments like the knife at lunch as teachable moments, not an excuse to punish somebody.

 

[crypto6]

My point is: this is school, not prison. Take moments like the knife at lunch as teachable moments, not an excuse to punish somebody.

Nicely put. And that’s exactly what most of these trumped-up sanctions are: An excuse to show concern, with someone else paying the high cost of a personal stigma not deserved, and without having to meet an actual threat. A politician's delight.

Crypto6

 

[Annie]

What seems to be missing in our schools is common sense. I don't understand how a nail clipper or a plastic knife could ever be a weapon. If it is a usually well-behaved child who is eating steak with a knife, I would just tell her it isn't allowed, take it until school is out, or call her parents to come pick it up. Arrest people for really serious offenses. Don't do it on ridiculous charges.

 

[MagicRose99]

I'm probably in the minority here... but...

While I think having this girl arrested was going a little overboard, she does deserve to be punished for bringing a knife to school. It takes one second of losing one's temper to stab someone... especially a young child who doesn't have control over one's emotions as an adult does (or at least should).

This wasn't a plastic knife... this was a steak knife. A steak knife can kill. This young girl knew the rules... she broke them. She should have received suspension, not arrest, but she does deserve some punishment. (At every school I've ever dealt with, every year at the beginning of the school year, each child is given a handbook to read and rules to acknowledge. I'm positive that "no weapons" is one of the major rules.)

Speaking as a parent, I'd want my child's school to protect my child while in their custody. Getting rid of weapons (yes, even a steak knife) is a priority to me.

 

[nappy2]

I'm probably in the minority here... but...

While I think having this girl arrested was going a little overboard, she does deserve to be punished for bringing a knife to school. It takes one second of losing one's temper to stab someone... especially a young child who doesn't have control over one's emotions as an adult does (or at least should).

This wasn't a plastic knife... this was a steak knife. A steak knife can kill. This young girl knew the rules... she broke them. She should have received suspension, not arrest, but she does deserve some punishment. (At every school I've ever dealt with, every year at the beginning of the school year, each child is given a handbook to read and rules to acknowledge. I'm positive that "no weapons" is one of the major rules.)

Speaking as a parent, I'd want my child's school to protect my child while in their custody. Getting rid of weapons (yes, even a steak knife) is a priority to me.

First off I wish there were more parents like you:clap:

But I dont think she has parents [ at least good ones]

 

[Bobbisangel]

What seems to be missing in our schools is common sense. I don't understand how a nail clipper or a plastic knife could ever be a weapon. If it is a usually well-behaved child who is eating steak with a knife, I would just tell her it isn't allowed, take it until school is out, or call her parents to come pick it up. Arrest people for really serious offenses. Don't do it on ridiculous charges.

You are right. That is exactly the way it should have been handled. The lunch room monitor could have just explained things to the little girl and put the knife up. I doubt that she was sitting there waving the knife at everyone at her table.

 

[kgeaux]

I'm probably in the minority here... but...

While I think having this girl arrested was going a little overboard, she does deserve to be punished for bringing a knife to school. It takes one second of losing one's temper to stab someone... especially a young child who doesn't have control over one's emotions as an adult does (or at least should).

This wasn't a plastic knife... this was a steak knife. A steak knife can kill. This young girl knew the rules... she broke them. She should have received suspension, not arrest, but she does deserve some punishment. (At every school I've ever dealt with, every year at the beginning of the school year, each child is given a handbook to read and rules to acknowledge. I'm positive that "no weapons" is one of the major rules.)

Speaking as a parent, I'd want my child's school to protect my child while in their custody. Getting rid of weapons (yes, even a steak knife) is a priority to me.

When I was a girl, steak knives were actually present in the cafeteria every single day......they were part of the cutlery offered. We did not slice each other up, we cut our meat.

The child in this case appears to have never been a problem before and was a good student. I am sure she did not realize that zero tolerance has made 'steak knife' synonymous with 'weapon.'

There is something foregin to me with the expectation that a good girl who lost her temper would reach for a steak knife to settle the dispute....that's just nuts to me. Probably nuts to her teachers, counsellors and principal, too. Each of those could probably point out to us exactly which kids in the school would be likely to harm others......but zero tolerance has ensured that this good girl will be treated exactly like them, exactly as though she had brandished that steak knife against others instead of against her meat! I think that is as dangerous as having a weapon at school. The destruction caused, and I am certain there was destruction in that little girl's soul, may not be visibly apparant, but it's there.

 

[JanetElaine]

:clap: :clap: kgeaux!

Steak knife to me would not be and is not synonymous to weapon. If I allowed my DD to use a steak knife and she was packing a steak lunch, I would think nothing of having her bringing one to school. That does not mean I don't monitor her or don't care about her, or the safety of all the other kids, either.

 

[kgeaux]

First off I wish there were more parents like you:clap:

But I dont think she has parents [ at least good ones]

I'm not sure why you've decided she has no parents or bad ones. Could you explain? They seem to have raised a little girl who is a good student, described by school officials as a responsible 5th grader, who is capable of packing her own lunches. Nothing there smacks of bad parenthood to me. Even if the parents didn't dig through the child's lunch every morning, the little girl was a 'responsible' child.....the parents had probably decided long ago that this child was perfectly capable of packing her own lunch.