Zachary Christie with his mother, Debbie, his father, Curtis, and the Cub Scout utensil that got him suspended from school.
Zachary’s mother, Debbie Christie, has started a website, helpzachary.com, in hopes of recruiting supporters to pressure the local school board at its next open meeting.
Finding character witnesses when you are 6 years old is not easy. But there was Zachary Christie last week at a school disciplinary committee hearing with his karate instructor and his mother’s fiancé by his side to vouch for him. Zachary’s offense? Taking a camping utensil that can serve as a knife, fork and spoon to school. He was so excited about recently joining the Cub Scouts that he wanted to use it at lunch. School officials concluded that he had violated their zero-tolerance policy on weapons, and Zachary was suspended and now faces 45 days in the district’s reform school.[via Celebgalz]
those school board officials should be shot in the head. they need to learn the difference between a fork and s dangerous weapon - i think a couple of rounds through the back of their skulls would demonstrate that difference quit nicely
ReplyDeletehow would a 6 yr. old know that a fork could be a legal weapon--come on folks--that's a big sign of stupidity on the school board officials--i'm rooting for you, Zachary!--
ReplyDeleteI can not believe the ridiculous extent the Zero Tolerance Policies have been taken. 6 year old children suspended from school for anything is laughable!! In the last several years I have been noticing small children suspended for hand-olding, kissing, bringing weapons and every other stupid thing you can imagine. What do they hope to accomplish with this foolishness?? Any fool should have known that this was a little boy excited about being in Boy Scouts and sould have simply settled the matter by telling him to not bring it back - I'll bet he would have left it home next time. All this over reacting by the nuts in the ISD is only teaching the child to not bother with basic reasoning skills. Let's all be like Barney Fife!!!
ReplyDeleteOnce again the quality education our taxes pay for is less than "quality".
ReplyDeleteMany educators and school board members are addressing the problem by overreacting to a non-aggressive minor infraction of the rules.
I remember as a cub scout and as boy scout the pride in being allowed to use a tool such as an Ax, hatchet or pocketknife / camp spoon. The sense of being responsible enough to be trusted by any adult to have the maturity to use an adult tool.
The young man has been given mixed messages by those in authority.
Be proud of the responsible actions of being trusted with the tool but don't share it with other friends at school.
We as parents and responsible reasonable educators missed out on a "teachable moment" with the young boy.
IF we learn from our mistakes in an environment that gently matures us we become a well adjusted stable adult. IF we are always "have our hands smacked" by those who have no discernment we are destined to produce unadaptive kids that are fearful of making GOOD rational judgment calls
But if the establishment "EDUCATORS and Administrators alike" do not practice a common sense approach to a reasonable application of rules then we are destined to a childhood learning environment that victimizes and stigmatizes our developing children.
I am sure he knows how to use a spoon, fork or knife at home but has no clue that the knife on his camp utility tool would be stigmatized as an evil deadly weapon.
Never in my lifetime did I think that so called mature rational adults in charge would be such a paranoid reactionary buffoon.
Common sense seems not so common today.
These "Expectations are from the schools Expections.... page 3
ReplyDeleteExpectations for the District Office
Christina’s District Office is committed to providing a unified set of customer-oriented central services designed to work in
partnership with schools and building leaders in creating high performing schools for all Christina students.
What Building Leaders Can Expect:
• Responsiveness from each department to issues and concerns voiced by building administrators.
• Open, honest, and ongoing two-way communication to provide support for teaching and learning in all buildings.
• Staffing allocations and funding sources that are commensurate with student enrollment projections.
• School environments that are clean, orderly, safe, cost effective, and instructionally supportive.
• Relationships with all staff and students that are cooperative and courteous.
• Identification and utilization of resources that ensure the highest level of productivity and efficiency in support of
District-wide teaching and learning.
• Service and support to our customers – building administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, co-workers, and
community.
• A commitment to do what is right for students, and to work together to identify and fix the things that go wrong.
The Authorities WENT wrong how do we fix them ????? VOTE THEM OUT !
IF the decisions are final and the ruling stands.... They are incompetent and not fit to govern, lead or hopefully not procreate.