In the news recently, a middle school student a 14 year old boy, to be precise was suspended from Arizona Schools because of a drawing he made while sitting in class. No teacher wants to find his or her student doodling, but must admit that not all students will be as enamored of their subject as the teacher is.
The Arizona Schools district the boy attends has a zero tolerance policy concerning weapons; this includes drawing them, or even writing about them. In response to the Columbine massacre in 1999, most Arizona Schools have some version of such a policy in place. (Approximately 96% of all Arizona Schools have a zero-tolerance policy.)
Understandably, schools need to send the message that it is not okay to bring weapons to school. Nobody wants to see another Columbine. We must do all in our power to stop the violence, and this must include educating students about the harm an atmosphere of fear can do. Students who go to school every day afraid for their lives because they dont know if theyll be attacked or not are not learning, which is the principle purpose for attending school in the first place. Arizona Schools understand this, and have sent the...