More Zero-Tolerance nonsense

This one is from my former stomping grounds in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota:

A Blaine High School student named Tony Richard has been hit with a ten-day suspension, and may yet be expelled, after a parking lot security guard noticed a box cutter laying inside the student's locked car. Outside the school.

The student has an after school job at a local supermarket, where his duties include opening boxes, of course.

Apparently anything that could "reasonably be considered a weapon" is verboten. That's a pretty broad classification, if you ask me. I sure wouldn't want to be assaulted with the jack handle that's in virtually all car trunks, or the screwdrivers and wrenches commonly stored in the same place. Are all students who possess those items on campus guilty as well?

I worked all throughout high school and college as a night stocker, produce clerk and cashier at a supermarket in Maryland, and I can't begin to tell you what a pain in the rear it was to misplace one's cutter, as it's pretty much used constantly in that line of work. One quickly learned to protect theirs like a crown jewel, as not having it meant a miserable shift of attempting to open containers solely with one's fingers, which generally doesn't work out too well for said fingers. (The boxes themselves don't much care.)

Therefore, mine was in my car at all times along with my apron and other gear, as I generally had to report to work straight from school, just like this fellow apparently has to. Leaving it at work wasn't an option, as there were no lockers, and coveted items like my specially ordered left-handed model would disappear in moments if left unguarded.

The ninnies that run the Anoka-Hennepin school district should show a little common sense and mercy to someone who would probably much rather be at the Saturday football game, but instead has to schlep over to Cub Foods and spend the day performing mindless drudgery.



P.S. I especially loved the following anecdote from one of the article's commenters concerning their own dealings with the same boneheaded administration:

"My own son was given detention 2 years ago in the middle school that feeds into Blaine High School for bringing a hunting magazine to school for independent reading. Although there was no written policy prohibiting the magazine, AND this middle school actually had the SAME magazine in their school library for kids to check out, he was given detention."

You honestly couldn't make this kind of stuff up if you tried.