School Climate & Safety News in Brief

Del. District Reduces Penalty for 1st Grader

By The Associated Press — October 20, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A Delaware 1st grader who was facing 45 days in an alternative school as punishment for taking a camping utensil to school returned to class after the school board made a hasty change granting him a reprieve.

The seven-member Christina, Del., school board voted unanimously Oct. 13 to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and 1st graders who take weapons to school or commit violent offenses to a suspension ranging from three to five days.

Zachary Christie, 6, had faced the punishment after he took the combination folding knife, fork, and spoon to school to eat lunch last month. His situation made national news and prompted debate over whether schools have gone too far with “zero tolerance” policies.

A spokeswoman for the 17,000-student district said more changes to the code of conduct were possible.

Last year, a 5th grade girl in the district was ordered expelled after she brought a cake to school and a serrated knife for cutting it. The expulsion was overturned, and it led to a state law that gives districts more flexibility on punishments. But that law applies only to conduct that triggers expulsions, not suspensions.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 21, 2009 edition of Education Week as Del. District Reduces Penalty for 1st Grader

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School Climate & Safety Drivers Illegally Pass Buses 42 Million Times a Year. What Schools Can Do
A handful of students are killed each year getting on and off school buses. Schools can take some steps to try to make a difference.
6 min read
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit and run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021.
Crime scene tape cordons off a school bus as police officers from the Indiana State Police, Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department and Columbus Police Department investigate a hit-and-run involving a student and a vehicle at a bus stop on South Gladstone Avenue in Columbus, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2021. About eight students per year are killed boarding or getting off of school buses.
Mike Wolanin/The Republic via AP
School Climate & Safety Uvalde Victim's Mother Perseveres Through Teaching, Connecting With Daughter's Memory
Veronica Mata says she sometimes steps outside her classroom to collect herself or talk out her grief.
6 min read
Veronica Mata visits the gravesite of her daugher, Tess, in Uvalde, Texas, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. For Mata, teaching kindergarten in Uvalde after her daughter was among the 19 students who were fatally shot at Robb Elementary School became a year of grieving for her own child while trying to keep 20 others safe. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
School Climate & Safety Photo Essay Photos: A Year of Grieving and Struggling for Answers After Uvalde School Shooting
A year after a gunman killed 21 people in a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, the community still searches for answers.
3 min read
A mourner stops to pay his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
A mourner stops to pay his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School, created to honor the victims killed in the recent school shooting, June 9, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Eric Gay/AP
School Climate & Safety Opinion How Teachers Can Collectively Push Back Against Gun Violence
A teacher educator proposes concrete ways educators can raise their voices alongside parents and youth.
Rebecca Woodard
5 min read
Image of a shooting target being covered over by many hands with artwork.
melitas, Benjavisa, and CollideOscope/iStock/Getty