THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 4, 1997 TAG: 9702040222
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 50 lines
School officials have sent a kindergarten student home after the 5-year-old boy brought a Swiss army knife to First Flight Elementary.
The boy, whose name was not released, could have been suspended for the rest of the school year for violating the Dare County school board's weapons policy.
But First Flight Elementary Assistant Principal Carol Weaver said that since the boy ``had no clue'' that having the knife was wrong - and didn't threaten anyone with it - she called his mother, sent the student home at lunch on Thursday and allowed him to return to class Friday morning.
``We have to help children understand what's appropriate to bring to school,'' Weaver said Monday from her Kill Devil Hills office. ``We convinced the child that he was not a Ninja turtle and sent him home. He's a nice little boy. He's so young. The level of understanding just wasn't there.''
The kindergartner was talking about his knife in class when a teacher's assistant overheard him. The instructor brought the boy to the principal's office, where he readily displayed the weapon.
``I never heard that the knife left his pocket,'' Weaver said. ``It was a little Swiss army knife, about 2 1/2 inches long - the kind with scissors and a toothpick that pop out. We just can't have that at school.''
The Dare County schools'weapons policy, which was adopted in March 1993, says students or school employees who are caught with ``dangerous instruments'' on school property, at school functions or on school buses ``will be immediately suspended and recommended to the superintendent for suspension from school for the remainder of the school year and reported to law enforcement authorities for investigation.''
According to the policy, ``No student (or school employee) shall knowingly possess or carry, whether openly or concealed, any gun, rifle, pistol, ammunition, dynamite cartridge, bomb, grenade, mine, or powerful explosive. . blackjack, metallic knuckles, razor, shirikin, stun gun, knife, ice pick, num chucks, chains, loaded cane, sword cane, facsimile of a gun, pellet gun, box cutter knife, or other deadly weapon of like kind; or other object that can reasonably be considered a weapon or dangerous object; not used solely for instructional or school-sanctioned ceremonial purposes, or other job related duties.''
At least one Dare County student already has been suspended this school year for violating the weapons policy, said School Board spokesman Tom Skinner. ``That was an older child who did know better,'' Skinner said Monday. ``I don't know anything more about that incident, though.''
KEYWORDS: DARE COUNTY SCHOOLS KNIFE WEAPON KINDERGARTNER
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