I’m a middle school principal. I didn’t get to read all the comments but want to add my own. It sounds like you’re handling this appropriately. I’m surprised and dismayed that they reported this to the police. I’ve confiscated several knives throughout the years. A pocket knife does warrant a short suspension but if is under 4” it does not need to be reported to the police. This is why our schools are contributing to the prison pipeline. It really disgusts me.
What are the stats in your school regarding suspensions along racial lines?
I will admit the fact that the school took it this seriously with a white child made me think that the other little boy was really frightened. I am glad that the mom is taking it seriously since it is clear others don’t.
I’m a middle school principal. I didn’t get to read all the comments but want to add my own. It sounds like you’re handling this appropriately. I’m surprised and dismayed that they reported this to the police. I’ve confiscated several knives throughout the years. A pocket knife does warrant a short suspension but if is under 4” it does not need to be reported to the police. This is why our schools are contributing to the prison pipeline. It really disgusts me.
In my state, ANY weapon brought onto school property by someone other than law enforcement must be reported to the sheriff department for the jurisdiction in which it occurred. I imagine a lot of states have the same laws.
What are the stats in your school regarding suspensions along racial lines?
I will admit the fact that the school took it this seriously with a white child made me think that the other little boy was really frightened. I am glad that the mom is taking it seriously since it is clear others don’t.
She in Missouri.
From what i can find it IS required she report it. But she is not.
Four inches is enough to fuck someone up. For Christ's sake.
I also can't speak to my mom's reaction to us shooting Nerf guns at her because we weren't allowed to have toy guns, but given her prowess with shoes and wooden spoons, I can take a guess.
Personally I'm glad the police were called into this. Children need to realize the gravity of threatening someone or implying that they need to keep quiet about reporting things.
Personal story: When DS#2 was still in grade school (4th or 5th grade) on a Monday morning he inadvertently brought a pocketknife to school. The day before he had been whittling on the back porch and stuck the closed knife into his jacket pocket, promptly forgetting about it. While at school the next day, he realized he still had it on him. He promptly went into the office and self-reported himself. The knife was confiscated, he was talked to, and the school let us know what had happened. I'm really proud of him that he took the initiative to report it rather than showing it off to schoolmates or whatever other types of shenanigans that kids do at school.
I'm cognizant that this doesn't help the OP, but it does go to show kids are perfectly capable of making the right choice even in grade school.
This exact thing happened to my kid last year (at 11 in 6th grade). When he found it in his pocket, he flipped out and went straight to the principal crying, etc., because he knew how big of a deal it was to have it there. They contacted me right away. I had to go into the school to meet with tbe principal to retrieve it. She was especially merciful and just gave him a stern talking to, but made it clear that if he hadn't brought it to her or if it happened again, there would be massive consequences.