Dropping the hammer on a 7 year old will give school district "much less to worry about" regarding

[TPaine7]

"someone bringing in something dangerous."

I sympathize with the superintendent's worries. It must be hard bearing responsibility for pupils' safety and school safety policies. It must make one really, really wish that security theater worked.

A 7-year-old child allegedly shot a Nerf-style toy gun in his Hammonton, N.J., school Jan. 18. No one was hurt, but the pint-size softshooter now faces misdemeanor criminal charges.

Hammonton Police began an investigation into the “suspicious activity” at the Hammonton Early Childhood Education Center Jan. 18 after school officials alerted them to the incident.

...

Dr. Dan Blachford, the Hammonton Board of Education superintendent, said the school has a zero tolerance policy.

"We are just very vigilant and we feel that if we draw a very strict line then we have much less worry about someone bringing in something dangerous," said Blachford.

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Cops-Charge-7-Year-Old-for-Bringing-Toy-Gun-to-Class-115125844.html?__source=newsletter

Cracking down hard on a 7 year old with an obvious toy and no ill intent will give you much less to worry about regarding someone bringing in a real weapon? Much less?

You might deter the decent kid who is trying to impress someone, but the kid most likely to do real harm--the real threat--isn't likely to be deterred by expulsion threats. I wonder how many school shooters wouldn't have done it if they thought they might get expelled.

[beevul]

1. Gotta...

"You might deter the decent kid who is trying to impress someone, but the kid most likely to do real harm--the real threat--isn't likely to be deterred by expulsion threats. I wonder how many school shooters wouldn't have done it if they thought they might get expelled."

Gotta reinforce the "guns bad" mantra, ya know.

[FreakinDJ]

2. This is just Male-Child Hating

[left is right]

3. I am not a fan of guns

but this is nuts that child should not be facing any charges

edited to add
If a teacher wanted to confiscate his Nerf Shooter on the grounds that it proved to be an inappropriate distraction, fine.

[YllwFvr]

12. Agreed

take it away. Recess is the time for play. Class time is not.

[newfie11]

4. this is absurd!! n/t

[SteveM]

10. Actually, it is a public school, but I get your drift...

Frome time-to-time, incidents such as the one in the OP are posted in this forum. Pictures of guns, toy plastic guns, hell, using your thumb and forefinger and uttering "bang!" will get you in trouble. For a primer on why schools engage in this kind of thing, reference the other "zero tolerance" policy: the War On Drugs.

Prohibition. It's what's for dinner.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Nerf is a gateway to assault weapons. Studies show....

:eyes:

Insanity.

[yodermon]

6. criminalizing childhood n/t

[Hoopla Phil]

7. What a load of crap.

We had these things all over my school when I was that age. Total dumbassary!

[Glassunion]

8. This is great!!!

""We are just very vigilant and we feel that if we draw a very strict line then we have much less worry about someone bringing in something dangerous," said Blachford."

Let me rephrase that... "We are just very vigilant and we feel that if we draw a very strict line then we don't have to think and have a false sense of warm and fuzzy that nothing bad will happen."

"Zero-Tolerance" creating dumb-fuck Americans since 1994.

[Euromutt]

9. When did schools become unable to function without resorting to the criminal justice system?

This is ludicrous. Bringing a "toy gun <...> that shoots soft ping pong type balls" is at worst a minor disciplinary infraction, and at best a "teachable moment" (much as I dislike that term). It is not anything remotely resembling a legitimate reason to bring in the cops and have a 7 year-old--a 7 year-old for fuck's sake!--charged with a criminal misdemeanor.

Whatever happened to, you know, educating kids instead of trying to turn them into career convicts at the earliest possible age? (What the ACLU terms "the school-to-prison pipeline" http://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/school-prison-pipeline)

[SteveM]

11. Public schools have become responsibility-shifting machines. nt

[YllwFvr]

13. appropriate response

Dont bring toys to school, they stay at home. Take it for the day. Let the bus driver give it to them as they leave the bus. Or just tell them not to take it out of a backpack until they get home. No need for it to even hit the news. Just my opinion.

Just as I was leaving high school they began to frown on "paper guns". On my freshman year we participated in the very last high school water gun fight. The entire school goes out for one period on a hot day and has a one hour super soaker fight. Large tubs of water are scattered about for refills. It was done every year. Teachers are fair game, bring a towel. At least I got to do it once. The one kid had an Assault Super Soaker. You know, the one with the backpack.


Good times.