Hilton Head student suspended over blade in pencil sharpener
HILTON HEAD ISLAND — A 10-year-old South Carolina student has been suspended from school after his pencil sharpener broke and he didn't immediately get rid of the blade inside.
Authorities tell The Island Packet of Hilton Head that a teacher at Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate Elementary School found a small razor blade on the boy in class Tuesday.
A police report says it was obvious the blade came from a pencil sharpener. The report says the boy is a well-behaved, good student and cried when he was suspended for at least two days. He could face further punishment.
School district spokesman Randy Wall says the district has a zero-tolerance policy on weapons, but wanted to be reasonable. He says they needed to make sure the student understood the seriousness of having the blade.
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Comments
This article has 28 comment(s)
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on September 11, 2008 at 9:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is fn ridiculous!It's not like this kid threatened to shank someone.If a pencil sharpener or any of its parts are so dangerous-take them off of the REQUIRED school supply list!
Posted by Paramount on September 11, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Seriously.....this happened?
No wonder our educational system is flawed.... we have people like this in charge who fail to show any sort of rational thought.
Posted by Pillsbury on September 11, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How ridiculous. Way to instill confidence in the school system in a young student!!
Posted by SCHoser on September 11, 2008 at 9:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So they take what seems like an excellent student, and do this to him? I just hope this doesn't spoil him on school. Why doesn't anyone there have ANY common sense! They wanted to teach him a lesson on the seriousness of this? A detention may have been a better solution here-if any punishment was needed at all. Here's another thought-THROW THE DAMN TEENIE TINY BLADE AWAY!!! Idiots. I bet the teacher had all the students hide under their desks and called the police! geez...
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on September 11, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And "understood the seriousness of having a blade"?Well....don't make it mandatory that he bring one to school!
Posted by RTC on September 11, 2008 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand that there is a zero-tolerance policy on weapons. I was not aware that pencil sharpeners were considered such, even broken ones. Why couldn't they just have explained to the child that he shouldn't have kept the blade? It would have been a simple matter to do so, and then things could have gone back to normal without creating all of this hooplah.
Posted by klghnc on September 11, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am so glad that i pay taxes for this education system
Posted by katsplay on September 11, 2008 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Was there an appropriate place to dispose of this blade? If not, and the student had simply thrown it into the trash, it might have cut someone. I mean, it is a dangerous weapon, right?
Posted by jca on September 11, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
good grief
a broken pencil sharpener
you gotta be kidding me. whats next the pencil. i was stabbed in the leg with one years ago in school and nothing was done except i had to get shots to return to school
Posted by cfrulla1 on September 11, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
yep this ranks right on up there with some of the stupidest shiet ive ever heard...so what if i have a broken pencil that is sharp, what if the teacher has scissors, what if my ruler breaks and there is a sharp edge.....what a beautiful system, meanwhile, down the road in colleton county, known gang members are drinking on public property, shooting deputies, etc..and police are wasting their time going to schools to investigate a broken pencil sharpener...utterly ridiculous.....
Posted by ironhorse on September 11, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The gangs are nothing! Crack down on the students, especially the class clown with the sharp wit!
Posted by mrjm on September 11, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Someone please post the e-mail address of the Beaufort County Superintendent so that all these, and more, comments can be sent to the ultimate decision maker in this matter.
Posted by Lovely_One on September 11, 2008 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow, you are kidding me! I cannot believe they suspended this kid for that and here in Berkeley County they didn't suspend a student for threatening her teacher. What a crock. He is such a hardened thug who wanted to cause harm to other students with his extremely dangerous pencil sharpener blade that he actually cried when he was suspended. Yeah, that shows how heartless he is. Give me a break!
They go after the good kids with a vengeance and turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the real bastards that are the downfall of our school system. I hope that his parents are not letting this one go. If he was my kid I would be at the school standing on the person's neck who made the decision to suspend my child for this. I would also give the idiot of a teacher a few pieces of my mind.
Posted by Carolina_Politics on September 11, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yet another example of why zero tolerance policies are not only the products of mental midgets, but defeat the entire purpose of their existence. No gain will be made by suspending this child. It also doesn't help that the people running the school are by-the-book drones who have never held a single job outside the shell of academia, thus denying them valuable life lessons of common sense. If I was this child's father, I would probably have to go to the school, punch somebody out for satisfaction, and then begin the home schooling.
http://www.carolinapoliticsonline.com/20...
Posted by Tammie on September 11, 2008 at 12:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I had to read...and reread this article to make sure I read this right. Because he didn't dispose of the blade quickly, he gets suspended? Was he a threat or something? Sorry Hilton Head, y'all effed up big time on this one.
Posted by orpheus on September 11, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
this child broke the rules. he was given a slap on the wrist and he cried about it. what a baby. he should have been immediately carted off to the school for juvenile delinquents and to remain there until he turns 21 years of age.it is kids like this that endanger the rest of us. job well done hilton head school system as well as an excellent display of judgement and standing up to all those free thinkers out there.
Posted by Lovely_One on September 11, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I pray to God that orpheus is being sarcastic.
Posted by MR_PRETTY on September 11, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wow! we all seem to agree here. blacks, whites, and illegal immagrants. this must be a frist. this is the only good to this tragic story. this little blade weilding kid has done what even obama could not do!
Posted by wheels2u666 on September 11, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr wall is a total dip Sh*&
he was my kids middle and elementary teacher, whose risen through the ranks by his total kissing up, he has no common sense and this truly shows what a knucklehead he is along with this ridicilous policy, NO Common Sense whatsoever, its an embarassement to Beaufort County school..
Posted by Lovely_One on September 11, 2008 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hilton Head Island Elementary School
30 School Rd.
Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Phone: (843) 342-4100
Fax: (843) 342-4299
Cynthia Hayes, Asst Supt., Student Services
Address: Borroughs Ave, Beaufort, SC
Telephone number: 843-322-5429
Dr Jacqueline Rosswurm, Human Resources Services Officer
Address: 1300 King St, Beaufort, SC
Telephone number: 843-322-2300
Principal:
Jill McAden Email: jill.mcaden@beaufort.k12.sc.us
Assistant Principals:
Beth Bournias Email: beth.bournias@beaufort.k12.sc.us
Kim Bratt Email: kim.bratt@beaufort.k12.sc.us
IB Coordinator:
Beth Fox 843-342-4100 Email: beth.fox@beaufort.k12.sc.us
Student Intervention Team:
Marianne Wright Email: Marianne.wright@beaufort.k12.sc.us
Posted by Carolina_Politics on September 11, 2008 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Additionally, Randy Wall can be reached at Randy.Wall@beaufort.k12.sc.us or 843-322-2308
Posted by Charleston_21 on September 11, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So he got suspended because the pencil sharpner broke and there was a loose blade? Well here are some other things to "worry" about:
*What about kids who have sharpened pencils... shouldn't they be considered as weapons?
*What about the sharpies that are used in class... didn't they have an incident where this kid had some markings on his shirt by one and they had to have him leave school because they considered that a way to get high? But it's okay to have those sharpies in class?
*What about the scissors they have in class, those "safety" ones can hurt someone if you use it right...
*what about lunches that are brought from home, someone can taint those (you know how children love to trade lunches...).
*What about slipping a razor in a text book? If you remove all types of books, this can be avoided!
*How about banning bookbags because they can smuggle a gun in that way?
I'm sure someone can think of so many other things, so why not suspend and expel every single student and teacher because technicially it would be with the same motive with this pencil sharpener blade.
Just insanely stupid!
Posted by Lovely_One on September 11, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Charleston_21, you forgot about the hand sanitizer. That contains alcohol and kids could ingest it and become ill. And the ever dangerous glue. There is a lot of glue sniffing going on. Or what about the wire in those spiral notebooks? They have sharp ends and can be unwound and used as weapons. Same thing goes for the paper clips. And don't get me started on the dangers of loose leaf paper. Kids could receive paper cuts from them. Man oh man, the dangers that lie in the schools and these are things they are required to bring.
Posted by Charleston_21 on September 11, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ahahahaha... yeah how could I forget those SIMPLE things there?
So, maybe the mother of that 10 year old needs to bring this to the school boards attention, and then what's the point in even going to school- everything is a weapon these days!
Posted by Tulane75 on September 11, 2008 at 4:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Charleston paper must have made a mistake in its reporting. I would never believe that school officials would act so irresponsibly as to suspend a 10 year old for a broken pencil sharpener or for not disposing of the blade component.
Even with a "Zero" tolerance policy, one has to use his or her analytical skills to make certain that you are accomplishing what is intended by the rule. Unless you believe that the child intended to keep that part as a weapon, the suspension defies logic. Then again, my expectations of school administrators is fairly low, based on incidents just like this.
Posted by coolfreaknbeans on September 11, 2008 at 7:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks guys!I just sent my e mail to Randy Wall.These idiots better pray the national media doesn't get this story.
Posted by orpheus on September 11, 2008 at 10:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
of course i am being sarcastic lovely one.
this has to be one of the most utterly ridiculous lapses in good judgement i have heard of in quite a while.must have some total idiots making decisions down there in HH
Posted by 4213n47atgmail_com on September 11, 2008 at 10:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Reference: Dr. Valerie Truesdale, Superintendent of Beaufort County School District, and her suspension of a student who had a broken pencil sharpener.
It is my opinion that Dr. Valerie Truesdale, Superintendent of Beaufort County School District, Beaufort, South Carolina should be removed from her position, by the Board of Education, and terminated, because she suspended a student who had a broken pencil sharpener, based on news reports, and information presented by Mark Levin on 9/11/08 http://marklevinshow.com/
Harold Eugene Johnson
421n47@gmail.com
Post Office Box 9852
Kansas City, Missouri 64134-9998