New York Eagle Scout Suspended From School for 20 Days for Keeping Pocketknife in Car

New York Eagle Scout Suspended From School for 20 Days for Keeping Pocketknife in Car

www.foxnews.com

A 17-year-old Eagle Scout in upstate New York has been barred from stepping foot on school grounds for 20 days — for keeping a 2-inch pocketknife locked in a survival kit in his car.

Matthew Whalen, a senior at Lansingburgh Senior High School, says he follows the Boy Scout motto and is always prepared, stocking his car with a sleeping bag, water, a ready-to-eat meal — and the knife, which was given to him by his grandfather, a police chief in a nearby town.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I saw this story on TV earlier. This doesn't surprise me one bit. However, I believe that the "Zero Tolerance" policy is a bit harsh. I'm not sure what kind of authority the school had to search his vehicle, let alone the locked first aide kit in his vehicle. I can't believe he let them search the vehicle...although, he did not have ill intentions, so he probably thought nothing negative would result from being honest.

Shepard Smith made a good point...that if this young man really intended to hurt someone, then he could have run them over with his vehicle. Vehicles are much more dangerous than a pocket knife with a 2-inch blade.

What are your thoughts on "zero tolerance"?

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

There was also a six year old boy scout suspended for 45 days (it was later dropped) for bringing one of those pocket knives with a spoon and fork to the lunchroom.

Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last month. Now, he could return Wednesday.

Source

[edit on 14-10-2009 by lucentenigma]

See, I read stories like this, and I keep thinking there's something I'm not hearing. Was somebody running their mouth about the knife? Was somebody actually carrying the knife on them inside the school at one time?

Not that I have anything against this kid, personally I think this situation is ridiculous as reported, but again, I feel there's more to the story.

Peace

reply to post by Dr Love



Scouts are taught from an early age, never to bring their knives to or on school grounds. An Eagle Scout should have known better.

Granted, in a locked box in his car is pretty extreme zero tolerance, but Scouts know better than to bring a knife near a school.

Originally posted by Dr Love
See, I read stories like this, and I keep thinking there's something I'm not hearing. Was somebody running their mouth about the knife? Was somebody actually carrying the knife on them inside the school at one time?

Not that I have anything against this kid, personally I think this situation is ridiculous as reported, but again, I feel there's more to the story.

Peace

A student in the school reported to the Principal that this guy had a knife on his person...

He said his school's assistant principal, Frank Macri, approached him on Sept. 21 and asked him if he was carrying a knife.

"I was taken down to the office, and they told me that a student told them that I was carrying a knife," Whalen said.

He said he told them "they could search me and everything, and they said, 'There's no need for that.'"

Whalen said he doesn't know who might have said he was carrying a knife, but he was open with school officials.

"And they said, 'Do you own a knife?' I said, 'Yes, I'm a soldier and an Eagle Scout — I own a knife.'

"And they were like, 'Well, is it in your car or anything?' And I told them, 'Yeah, it's in my car right now.'

"And they asked me to show it to them. I didn't realize it was going to be a problem. I knew it wasn't illegal — my police chief grandfather gave the knife to me."

my girlfriends sister got a felony for this and is not not allowed to own a gun or any of the other perks us non-felons enjoy.

before you go into thinking that shes some kind of nut, shes an architecture student at a reputable school and is the most unviolent person i have probably ever met (ergo a huge bi*** sometimes lol)

she didnt know she had it with her. she had borrowed the book bag from her older brother, and upon discovering she had it, showed it to a friend who then reported her (good friend huh)

and then she got a felony.

just wow.....

i was a boyscout for 6 years (tiger cub up through to boyscout), and a knife is a very important tool to keep.

too bad we have to make rules for the lowest common denominator.

reply to post by pavil


Agreed. Something happened which led the school officials to inquire about this knife, without that something happening, there's no way they could've known that it was locked up inside his car.

JMHO.

Edit: What I meant to say was that there's no way they could've known that a knife was even an issue if it was locked in his car.

Peace



[edit on 14-10-2009 by Dr Love]

What a joke. They have a rule against bringing anything that can be used as a weapon. I wonder if they'll be outlawing tire irons next?

When they went into his car to retrieve the 'weapon' did they take his tire iron or jack too? If they didnt they just illustrated that their 'zero tolerance' approach is a failure and should concede their own stupidity and defeat.

Originally posted by mahtoosacks
too bad we have to make rules for the lowest common denominator.

That right there almost makes life not worth living. Because of that we're born as slaves destined to die as slaves.

Originally posted by Dr Love
reply to post by pavil

 

Agreed. Something happened which led the school officials to inquire about this knife, without that something happening, there's no way they could've known that it was locked up inside his car.

JMHO.

Peace

I agree. Maybe he threatened someone. Maybe he was in health class and the topic was first aide kits and he mentioned what he kept in his. Maybe it was an acquaintance who knew of his first aide kit and told on him out of vengeance. Certainly, there is more to the story. BUT, what harm was he causing by being a prepared Scout AND Soldier and responsible enough to keep the knife in a locked box inside his locked vehicle.

[edit on 14-10-2009 by Aggie Man]

Originally posted by Aggie Man
Certainly, there is more to the story. BUT, what harm was he causing by being a prepared Scout AND Soldier.

None at all, unless I know what that something was.

Peace

It's a funny thing to me that there are certain places and institutions where we say we should be completely unarmed...and we all agree and accept this. Yet we use the same breath to speak about being prepared against rape, gangs, terrorists, corrupt officers...2nd amendment, etc.

If you need to be armed, then you should be armed. Your reason for being prepared doesn't all of a sudden become noll when you are in places that are socially taboo to be so..

Yes, I am saying kids should have knives at school (if they have reason to be armed outside of school).

reply to post by silver tongue devil


Generally speaking those who 'agree' to the mythical gun-free zone are not in favor of me or you being able to protect ourselves anywhere.

If there is someone out there who honestly is in favor of both labeling zones to be gun-free and in favor of personal defense with a firearm I doubt that person fully grasps the fact that their little manufactured oasis is by no means gun-free in the real world and quite possibly more open to the phenomenon of 'massacre' than other zones not purported to be gun-free.

I can understand why these zero tolerance policies exist nowadays in the wake of all of the tragic school shootings. However, there should really be a cause to examine each situation on a case by case basis. This whopping 2 inch blade was locked up in a car in a survival kit. From what I read, I don't believe that he brandished or threatened anyone.

It's a shame that our schools have had to resort to such policies in the first place. I carried the same Swiss Army knife on my key chain all through high school and college with never a doubt. I also kept a tire knocker under my front seat.

How about rewarding the kid for being prepared. I bet he even had a set of those dreaded jumper cables in his trunk, a fire extinguisher and some potentially deadly road flares.

I'd want this Eagle Scout on my side any day of the week.

I used to carry a 3 inch lock blade with me on my campus. Nobody ever had an issue with it. And I do live in a liberal area. I don't carry it anymore since the locking mechanism snapped.

This is stupid. It was in his car, and a 2 inch blade knife isn't going to cause a massacre.

It looks to me like some ass was trying to make a point and an example out of him. Why else would they escalate the situation by involving the Police?

Art class and wood shop have far more dangerous and accessible implements than a 2" pocket knife knife, locked in the trunk of the car.

Schools are fast becoming the indoctrination grounds for an entirely new level of intolerance. That intolerance, being a normal human being.
If the cops wouldn't do anything about it, why should the school?
Does a school have more Authority?

What Also strikes me as sad, is that no one taught this kid about his rights.
They have absolutely no right whatsoever to search the vehicle, especially if he's not in it. I wish he would have known that.
I see infringement here and I hope he follows through accordingly.

Interesting* arnt boy scouts supposed to have small knives? last i recall, you can walk around with any knife in your pocket, as long as the blade is under 3 or 4 inches. Being in his car, lcoked up, makes me think and feel this was kinda personal for whatever the reason...
Its funny how the law works.. about 5 or 6 years ago, an ex g/f one day, had a problem with her new man..dude stalked her mad crazy, so one day, she went to go file a restraining order agianst him..i went along with her. This was in the bronx, NY. I had given her a butterfly knife, a friend sold me many years ago. She had forgotten she left it in her bag. I gave her the knife, to help protect hersefl agianst this guy..he was a nutcase, broke into her home while she was sleeping, folowed her ALL over NY, to her job, crazy stuff like that.
SO! iw ent withher, when we left, the gurad made her put her bag through an x ray machine..they found the knife. HE lokoed moreso at her, and said this is illegal to won, and confescated it. We both walked moderatly fast out of the building, and Not one officer stopped us or came running after us.
Funny how the law works..

What gets me, is that the school's policy says "weapon" yet doesn't define what one is. I heard on the local news that State law doesn't consider a knife a weapon in this circumstance, so there should never have been an issue in the first place. That being said, since this is a military bound student (the news said he attended basic training last summer, ROTC?) that the liberal State of NY is punishing him for his "political" beliefs and actions.

After seeing how the 1st grader case ended up (over 20,000 signatures, phone calls, etc to the Board of Edu.), I'm sure this one will have a similar conclusion.