CSDistrict Adjusts Weapons Policy

Item: District adjusts weapons policy: Officials given leeway on pocketknives /Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press

More Info: School trustees in Coeur d’Alene have tweaked the district’s weapons policy to give principals and the superintendent more discretion regarding disciplinary action when a student unwittingly brings a pocketknife to school. “It’s so common. It’s as simple as, ‘I went fishing with my grandpa and I forgot it was in my backpack,” said Trustee Tom Hamilton. Until Monday’s board meeting, a student in that situation would have been automatically suspended for several days. The child would have to go to an expulsion hearing before the board before being allowed to return to school. Now, if a child immediately reports that he or she brought a pocketknife to school, the policy calls for the principal to conduct an investigation into the child’s possession of the item.

Question: Common sense prevails?