Rise and Shine --- Blanket policy

Good Morning and welcome to the start of a very, very long two weeks!

There was a big story over the last couple of days about a Delaware first-grader who was suspended after bringing a pocket knife to school.
Originally, he received a 45-day suspension and was going to have to go to a reform school (is that what they're still called?) during that time.
Well, of course, the parents raised a stink. Got their story covered by the media and it all forced the school board to rescind the suspension.
The Daily Times editorial board (?) checked in with an opinion.
There was talk all over the radio and TV yesterday about the case. Most were saying it was time to end zero-tolerance policies and decide these things on a case-by-case business.
Well, that's fine and dandy, if we were still living in the 1960s.
The bottom line is children have no reason to bring a knife (be it a Cub Scout pocket knife or a butter knife) to school. They have no need to take a gun to school. They have no need to take any weapon to school.
Bottom line, if parents made sure what their children have in the backpack, none of this would matter.
Now, believe me, I know how crazy a school morning can get. Our house is a frenzy of running, yelling, jumping, packing, fighting and playing. That's all in the first five minutes of waking everybody up.
Still, there is time right before we head out to the car where we make sure nobody is taking something to school they shouldn't.
Last year, Brendan wanted to take a fake pirate pistol to school to show his friends. It was purchased at a pirate festival in Maryland. It's flat, made of foam and makes a funny sound.
There was no way he was getting that in the bag, although he eventually tried to hide it in his shirt.
There have been incidents of Star Wars figures trying to be snuck through. There was even a matchbox car shooter (it makes them go really fast around those plastic tracks). Nothing gets in there except books, homework and a lunchbox.
Would I be upset if something did slip past and the school suspended one of them.
Sure, but I hope I would understand.
It's like the old argument about guns not killing people. Then again, if nobody had guns, nobody would be shot.