Florida School Knife Incident

Hi Rick,

This forum is often a venting place for knife enthusiasts' feelings. In turn, some will send reasoned responses to the officials in question. I would never encourage a raging, emotional response. Some people will send such a letter, but those will fall on deaf ears.

I, too, sent a reasoned letter to Mr. Bode (the school principal). Covered were issues about what lessons are being taught and what their "standard" on a weapon is based upon (legal definitions of weapons rather than fear-based definitions). Common sense should be the standard by which they administer. I did share that I felt his action was extreme enough to warrant removal from his position. I truly believe that.

My wife is a 15 year veteran junior high teacher. I don't want her injured while at work. But the sterile environment they are envisioning is based in fear, not reason and common sense. Schools are positioned to be the standard for education...A place where the definitions of words are learned. The lesson they are learning here is that schools can make up new definitions as they go along. A steak knife is not defined as a weapon in any state I'm aware of, unless used as a weapon or being carried and concealed. These definitions are best to be set by lawmakers (though I often don't agree with them either, they are our democratically elected "law makers"), not school administrators.

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Ron Andersen
Consumer Services Manager
SOG Specialty Knives, Inc.

Website: www.sogknives.com
Email: ron@sogknives.com
 
Some thoughts:

1. Excellent response Gollnick!

2. "Zero Tolerance" policies often result in "Zero Intelligence" interpretations and/or actions.

3. I'm saddened to learn of the death of "Common Sense." Citizens, be afraid--Be very afraid.
 
The frustrating thing about these rules is that schools feel pushed into them because parents too often will raise a fuss because little "Johnny" or "Janet" has been "mistreated" by being thrown out of school by a principal who fancies he knows the difference between a kid bringing a weapon to school and an accident like the one described in this situation.

It's easier for them to just point to an inflexible policy and wash their hands of the whole thing.

The lacking element from these rules is discression on the part of the administrators. A kid who brings something that is deemed dangerous by school officials should be "subject to" severe action instead of the punishment being so unbending without question.

 
The injustices and illogical positions of the school administrators are complicated. The students most in need of discipline are often those labeled under "behaviorally disordered," meaning they cannot be punished like regular students. They fall under something like a non-discrimination policy, in essence giving them a right to be bad, requiring tons of red tape to enact any punishments. Actually, my wife just told me that there are limits on these students that make it harder to suspend or expel them and the frequency at which these punishments can take place. This means regular students are easier to punish...thus easier targets (like in this case). What is happening to our schools? If "zero tolerance" is designed to be a deterrent, then it should be easier to enforce against the students it is targeted at stopping.

------------------
Ron Andersen
Consumer Services Manager
SOG Specialty Knives, Inc.

Website: www.sogknives.com
Email: ron@sogknives.com

[This message has been edited by Ron@SOG (edited 05-29-2001).]
 
Hmm...

This reminds me of when I was at the same age as this girl (6 years ago), the principal himself at my school carried a small knife in his belt, fully visible.

I also remember that I pulled out my Victorinox Explorer and started to sharpen a pencil. He saw me, went straight over, and said in this friendly voice : "don't you cut yourself with that knife, then i have to take it from you" If he had taken that knife from me, he would just keep it until the day was over. Then he would hand it over to me, and the "incident" would never have been remembered by anyone...

Okay, the school had only 60 kids, but, anyway... I just had to write this...

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The sword is a personal weapon...

The knife is a personal tool...

[This message has been edited by Norwegian (edited 05-29-2001).]
 
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