Zero Tolerance
Asks For Trouble

I can’t believe this is the second letter in so many weeks. This time it is the paranoid people we apparently have running our school system and "zero tolerance."

Once upon a time there were school teachers who taught for the love of teaching, not the exercise of unrighteous dominion over others. Ahhhh, such a long time ago.

So you want to ban tools of the building trades department, such as the Leatherman tool. The sharp end of a pencil is also a potential tool. And what about shoe laces? Another potential hazard—you can garrote or hang someone with those. Pointing a finger is another dangerous weapon…just think what you can do with that!

It is legal to carry a knife with a blade less than 3". Thus far I have not heard of anyone being chopped up around here with a 3" knife. Capitalizing on the hysteria of a (very) few tragedies within our hundreds of thousands of schools, certain of our school leaders more interested in furthering the "dumbing down of America" in accordance with the NEA aims to control through education, have brought their agenda to Vermont.

Am I paranoid? You betcha’. Are they paranoid? You betcha’.

The teen-age years of any youth are the most important of their lives. They are in turmoil thanks to the natural process of growing up, and need a certain amount of "space" to develop their personalities. Those of us who have raised children from "the ground up" and sacrificed much to do so have learned a lot about youth. You pressure them too much, suppress them too much, dictate too much and they will do the very thing you are trying to avoid.

Want trouble in RUHS? Want government intervention for the most minor of incidents? Allow those teachers and well meaning school board members to invoke a zero tolerance program.

Daniel Boone

Randolph