A 10 year old Philadelphia elementary school girl was recently hauled off in handcuffs to the police station after scissors were found in her bookbag. Police had been searching bookbags for property that was stolen from a teachers desk when they came across the scissors. Though she didn't threaten anyone, school administrators said the scissors are considered a deadly weapon & she violated the rule by bringing them to school. Though she was later released by police when they decided she hadn't committed a crime, she has been suspended for 5 days & may be expelled to a special disciplinary school.
Are we missing something here at American Values? Surely a pair of scissors doesn't warrant the trauma to a 10 yr old girl of handcuffing her, putting her in a police car & dumping her into the police process at their headquarters. And surely the school administrators cannot be serious when they are considering putting her into a disciplinary school. More trauma for the girl. But, hey, this justifies the school district hiring another psychologist - to commiserate with the poor traumatized girl.
The mother says the girl had the scissors from another school project & the girl herself was mystified because they use scissors in class. But, again hey, those are school scissors - so they are not considered lethal weapons. Let's get serious - a freaking pencil can be considered a lethal weapon under the law. It is the intent that counts.
The mother was angry that she was not called until after the girl was taken to the hoosegow & that the principal who knew the girl for 4 yrs allowed it to go this far.
The principal & police say they are following the law. But in reality they are interpreting the law under its strictest sense. There is no need for the police or the handcuffs. If the police say she broke no law when they finally released her then why was she arrested to start? And why couldn't the school administrators take her into an office & speak to her, set up a meeting with the mother?
We see this zero tolerance baloney more & more - a kindergarten boy suspended for pointing a chicken finger like a gun, 2 boys suspended for playing "cops & robbers" during recess, a 1st grade boy suspended & charged with sexual harassment for kissing a girl classmate, a 15 yr old girl arrested & cuffed for eating a french fry in a city transit area where eating is prohibited.
These clowns disguised as school administrators have lost sight of common sense. And in the process they are traumatizing & stigmatizing the innocent actions of childhood. They should try using their positions, with their over-bloated salaries, to instead be on the alert for the real trouble-makers in school.
We at American Values have zero tolerance for jackasses & fools (aka school officials) who prance about & stalk school hallways looking to arrest the next kindergarten kisser. They should try putting their energy into educating the children - but we know that may be asking too much of them - it's another area of zero tolerance for the clueless. But they damn well make sure that the kids know how to put a condom on a banana or push a homosexual agenda on first graders. These useless administrators have plenty of tolerance for those type of things. It's beyond time that these idiots be suspended, not the kids.
UPDATE: The police have apologized to the girl & mother for arresting her. We think the mother should sue the police for false arrest & sue the school board. Maybe it will bring some sense to these adults. The school suspension is still pending.
....from sea to shining sea