Small Knife in Lunchbox Gets N.C. Student Suspended, Charged With Weapon Possession

[JBeukema]

A standout North Carolina high school student has been suspended for the remainder of her senior year and charged with a misdemeanor for having a small paring knife in her lunchbox.
Ashley Smithwick, 17, of Sanford told WRAL she accidentally took her father's lunchbox to Southern Lee High School in October instead of her own when school officials searched the lunchbox, along with several other students' possessions, possibly looking for drugs.
Ashley's father, Joe Smithwick told the station the lunchbox had a paring knife inside so that he could slice up an apple that accompanied it.
"It's just an honest mistake. That was supposed to be my lunch because it was a whole apple," he said.
But school officials didn't see it that way.

The athlete who takes college-level courses was suspended for the remainder for the school year, banned from campus and this month was charged with misdemeanor possession of a weapon on school grounds, WRAL reported.

Small Knife in Lunchbox Gets N.C. Student Suspended, Charged With Weapon Possession - FoxNews.com

 

[Quantum Windbag]

What a wonderful example of why we need a zero tolerance policies.

 

[R.C. Christian]

Utter stupidity. I took a switch blade to school when I was in 4th grade. It was confiscated until the end of the year and given back to me. I took inert grenades, and other weapons to show and tell, stuff I picked up on the practice fields at Benning and Sill, and everyone was cool with that. Stupid pigs.

 

[Granny]

This "no tolerance" business goes way, way beyond the pale. The girl is right - once that incident goes on her school record it will follow her the rest of her life - and that is way beyond sad.

The principal needs to be given enough flack from the community that it amounts to him "being rode out of town on a rail".

 

[hboats]

That's right, punish the good students. You know, the ones who make honest mistakes like grabbing the wrong lunch box in the morning before leaving the house.

All the while the bad students can get away with whatever they want because the administration is scared of them.

Do you think they're searching the lunchboxes of the ones that probably bring guns to school? No, they're searching the lunchboxes of the school's star athletes and the students that are taking college level courses because they need to fulfill that "random search" requirement and they aren't afraid of those students.

Rick

 

[DiveCon]

What a wonderful example of why we need a zero tolerance policies.

you mean why they are stupid

to me "zero tolerance" means "zero common sense"

 

[Quantum Windbag]

What a wonderful example of why we need a zero tolerance policies.

you mean why they are stupid

to me "zero tolerance" means "zero common sense"

Exactly.