Do you support zero tolerance policies? What are your thoughts on this matter? See example below.?

WOW, what happened to this kid is absolutely absurd. Zero tolerance policies need to be looked at on an individual case by case basis. They ulitmately can end up ruining an innocent kids future born simply out of fear of another Columbine. This kid is a little boy, not a teenager. He was not seeking to bring harm to his classmates in any way.

It think this zero-tolerance BS has gone way too far, and can end up doing more damage to the psyche of a child than what it is worth. The only person who got scarred from this camping utensil being brought into school, was the kid himself by getting kicked out, and his family because of now having to lawyer up and fight the school's decision. What's next arresting 5 year olds? Metal detectors in pre-school or kindergarten? Sexual harrasment lawsuits from children playing?

That being said, parents need to be more aware of what their children are sticking into their backpacks and taking to school. Show "n" Tell can turn into a "Slow Hell" real quick for these parents and their kids.

No, I don't support Zero Tolerance policies. All cases should be on a case by case basis. That being said....BUT I can understand why they exist: helicopter parents and their lawyers. The faculty and staff of every school knows who the problem kids are. They also know who's not a problem. Unfortunately, if a problem kid and a non-problem kid break the same rule and the problem kid gets a harsher punishment, everyone from the kid's teachers to the principal to the school board will be hearing how unfair they are. Believe me, you get really sick and tired of hearing about how you're picking on someone's "little angel", of being threatened with lawsuits. There's no convincing these parents that their little angel is a devil at school. So, the schools developed Zero Tolerance policies that apply to everyone equally, no matter what. They are very unfair to the kids who slip up every once and a while because they require punishments designed for the perpetual screw-ups.

I think a bit of common sense should be applied to these policies at school. My son got in trouble for bringing a metal ball that was a reproduction of a revolutionary war era bullet. Just the ball the size of a small metal marble, no powder, no gun, and he was sent to the principles office. I was told that I would have to come and get him because he couldn't take it on the bus.

Good grief. There is no defense of a zero tolerance mindset when it is applied so strictly.

No, I do not support zero tolerance policies as zero tolerance means zero thought is applied.

The appropriate way to deal with this would have been to take the child to one side and explain that the school can't allow things like that as they could be used to hurt another child, tell him he's not in any trouble as he didn't mean to do anything wrong but a teacher will have to look after it for him until the end of the day then he can have it back. Then at the end of the day give it back to him along with a letter to his parents asking them to make sure he doesn't bring anything like that to school again, but again stressing he's a good kid who isn't in any trouble.

School Departments are so afraid of being sued that they have set these guidelines to protect their selves. If they didn't have zero tolerance and some kid came to school with a fork and stabbed a student the School Department would be chastised for not having a strict enough rule in place. Sad...but true.

Yes I do, but not the way America goes about it. This is absurd. Just like arresting a 6 month old baby because their name was on a terrorist watch list.

Sharpen up.

Zero tolerance policies are lazy and counter-productive.

Shame on school and the directions