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Student Suspended for Multi-Tool Calculator That Includes Knife
The Associated Press
Published: Mar 12, 2003
BRANDON, Fla. (AP) - A 13-year-old middle school student has been suspended for 10 days because his gadget-laden calculator includes a knife, violating the school district's zero-tolerance policy on weapons.
Cortez Curtis was suspended after another student noticed the 2-inch knife blade hidden in the calculator and told a teacher. The calculator also includes a screwdriver and a magnifying glass.
Curtis was not brandishing the weapon or threatening a classmate, but when he brought the calculator to Burns Middle School on Friday, he dropped it in class, exposing the blade.
After she was informed, the teacher asked Cortez for the calculator but could not find the knife until he showed it to her.
She reported him to administrators, triggering the suspension, arrest and a trip to juvenile detention.
Cortez's mother, Angela Saffold, said she bought the calculator for $5 at a road stand and that her son borrowed it for homework the night before his suspension. She didn't give him permission to take it to school, but said that the punishment is too severe.
"He didn't do anything wrong," Saffold said. "He didn't threaten anybody."
District policy is clear: Weapons are weapons. Whether butter knife or machete, 2 inches or 2 feet, policy dictates an automatic 10-day suspension. Cortez also might be permanently banished from Burns, as the policy also suggests placement in an alternative school or possible expulsion.
"That's what zero-tolerance means," district spokesman Mark Hart said.
The severity of the offense means Cortez cannot keep up with his schoolwork at an Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension Center and could lose credit for two weeks of absences.
Hillsborough is not alone in its zero-tolerance policy - two years ago Lee County's superintendent banned a high school honor student from graduation ceremonies after a sheriff's deputy spotted a kitchen knife on the floor of her car while it was parked in a school lot. The knife had fallen out of a box days earlier while she was moving.
"I understand the law and the rules," Saffold said of her son's suspension. "I clearly feel they're wrong this time. They took it too far."
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGARZQDI7DD.html
The Associated Press
Published: Mar 12, 2003
BRANDON, Fla. (AP) - A 13-year-old middle school student has been suspended for 10 days because his gadget-laden calculator includes a knife, violating the school district's zero-tolerance policy on weapons.
Cortez Curtis was suspended after another student noticed the 2-inch knife blade hidden in the calculator and told a teacher. The calculator also includes a screwdriver and a magnifying glass.
Curtis was not brandishing the weapon or threatening a classmate, but when he brought the calculator to Burns Middle School on Friday, he dropped it in class, exposing the blade.
After she was informed, the teacher asked Cortez for the calculator but could not find the knife until he showed it to her.
She reported him to administrators, triggering the suspension, arrest and a trip to juvenile detention.
Cortez's mother, Angela Saffold, said she bought the calculator for $5 at a road stand and that her son borrowed it for homework the night before his suspension. She didn't give him permission to take it to school, but said that the punishment is too severe.
"He didn't do anything wrong," Saffold said. "He didn't threaten anybody."
District policy is clear: Weapons are weapons. Whether butter knife or machete, 2 inches or 2 feet, policy dictates an automatic 10-day suspension. Cortez also might be permanently banished from Burns, as the policy also suggests placement in an alternative school or possible expulsion.
"That's what zero-tolerance means," district spokesman Mark Hart said.
The severity of the offense means Cortez cannot keep up with his schoolwork at an Alternative to Out-of-School Suspension Center and could lose credit for two weeks of absences.
Hillsborough is not alone in its zero-tolerance policy - two years ago Lee County's superintendent banned a high school honor student from graduation ceremonies after a sheriff's deputy spotted a kitchen knife on the floor of her car while it was parked in a school lot. The knife had fallen out of a box days earlier while she was moving.
"I understand the law and the rules," Saffold said of her son's suspension. "I clearly feel they're wrong this time. They took it too far."
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGARZQDI7DD.html
