Uncle
Banned
Schoolboy suspended over lunch cutleryZachary Christie was ordered to spend 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers because he wanted to eat lunch with his favorite camping tool — a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon.
"It's not fair," Zachary told the NBC's Today Show.
"I took it to eat lunch with … I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen.
"The teacher said 'Can I have that I am going to hand it to your teacher' and she gave it to the principal. When they called my name out I thought 'Uh oh'."
Zachary had recently been given the pocket knife after joining Cub Scouts.
His mother Debbie immediately appealed the ruling and says she will have to home school her son if it is not overturned.
"I understand why they have the policy but I do not agree with the implementation of it," Ms Christie said.
"I think they need to look at the age, maturity and intent and bring in the teacher and principal and allow them to make the first call in these circumstances."
While the Christina School District has a zero-tolerance policy for weapons in school, board member John Mackenzie conceded "the policy, of course, needs some additional flexibility."
Mr Mackenzie said teachers and administrators need the freedom to use their common sense when it's obvious that a child presents no danger.
He says the board will likely amend the policy this week and that any change would be retroactive to the beginning of the school year.
Rules like this were pointless and this is why school sucked so hard I skipped school often.