Was Suspended from School for Having Leatherman Micra. Seriously?

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Your still young,wait until you Graduate High School.That is when you will have all the answers to lifes problems.If I remember correctly I knew more then than i do now.I Graduated in 1984.
Eddie
 
Well it's been a long time since I've been in school but rule #1 don't draw attention to yourself and keep your knife in your pocket. ;)
 
Yeah, we could take knives to school back in the 70's, but you can't do it now.
You should know the rules and follow them.

And I kinda doubt your new school is letting you carry a Manix 2.
 
out of sight out of mind. next time keep it hidden. let me guess you need it to pull staples or clean your finger nails?
 
People and their definition of what constitutes a weapon and what does not are often ridiculous. So many people try to control everything. As someone said earlier, as you grow older, you will find that things generally worsen.
 
I think the best action for now is to shake your head and just turn the page over, what's done is done and nothing will be changed in short term. If you are indeed an honor roll student with excellent record, and do plan to make something of yourself someday--I definitely encourage you to change the scene when you are in the position to do so, but for now just leave everything pointy at home and play by the rule. This fight does not worth your future.
 
marcinek said:
Is it unfortunate that you can't carry a knife to school? Sure.

It's unfortunate I cant wear sweatpants to work, too.

Welcome to "grownupland." Prepare for even more of not getting your way.
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My thoughts exactly.

[video=youtube;5aAWlwKyavU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aAWlwKyavU[/video]
 
maverick3981 said:
Stab someone with a pen/pencil and get all writing material banned from your school. Happy days!
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That reminds me of the scene from G. Gordon Liddy's book.

"Oh, it was just a fleeting thought, now one of those sweet memories that one loves to treasure. God knows, he would have been no loss. What happened, actually, was that in October of 1974, Federal marshals escorted me to the offices of Watergate special prosecutor James Neal for an interview and told me to wait in Neal's office, as he was expected shortly. I went in and shut the door behind me and, lo and behold, there was Dean sitting behind the desk. He looked up and I could have sworn he was about to wet himself. His eyes darted all around the room, but I was between him and the door and I could see that he was absolutely terror-stricken. My first thought was that here was the ideal opportunity to kill the bastard. I saw a pencil on the desk and all it would take was a quick thrust through the underside of his jaw, up through the soft palate and deep inside the brain. And simultaneously, I wondered if this were a setup, if someone had arranged for me to be alone with Dean, anticipating exactly such a denouement."

TedP
 
C'mon fellow bladeforums posters, we sound like a bunch of ancient, hyper-authoritarian rule-bound fossils: "welcome to the real world! zero tolerance! know the rules and follow them!"

Wrong. This school's "weapons" policy and arbitrary enforcement procedures are fundamentally unreasonable. The blade of a Leatherman micra is no more dangerous than the common pencil, a chair raised as a "weapon," or any blunt object commonly found in a classroom. In this situation, the teacher was obscenely ignorant of a basic tool and construed it as a weapon given her sheltered, sad station in life.

We should not be criticizing this young man for behaving in a reasonable manner. It is the absurd, ridiculous policies of the school that deserve scorn, and I commend this young man for standing up for reasonable, safe behavior that multi-tool carriers practice on a daily basis.

There are many ways to slay absurd rules and regulations. One way is to defy them with impunity. But, as this thread evidences, defiance has a heavy price at times. Another way, and one for the young man to consider, is to find ways to beat the rules. Deep pockets and two glances, my friend, deep pockets and two glances.
 
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Oakengroves said:
C'mon fellow bladeforums posters, we sound like a bunch of ancient, hyper-authoritarian rule-bound fossils: "welcome to the real world! zero tolerance! know the rules and follow them!"

Wrong. This school's "weapons" policy and arbitrary enforcement procedures are fundamentally unreasonable. The blade of a Leatherman micra is no more dangerous than the common pencil, a chair raised as a "weapon," or any blunt object commonly found in a classroom. In this situation, the teacher was obscenely ignorant of a basic tool and construed it as a weapon given her sheltered, sad station in life.

We should not be criticizing this young man for behaving in a reasonable manner. It is the absurd, ridiculous policies of the school that deserve scorn, and I commend this young man for standing up for reasonable, safe behavior that multi-tool carriers practice on a daily basis.

There are many ways to slay absurd rules and regulations. One way is to defy them with impunity. But, as this thread evidences, defiance has a heavy price at times. Another way, and one for the young man to consider, is to find ways to beat the rules. Deep pockets and two glances, my friend, deep pockets and two glances.
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I do not consider this reasonable manner at all, it is reckless behavior. I am sure this "cool kid" reads news, and is sensible enough to understand the general paranoia surrounding *any* weapon in school zone? With tools, should come the knowledge of how/when to use them (right tool for the job). A pair of scissors is the most common tool you can find in any school, or the string could wait. Secondly, how does the other person know his intentions? It like airport screening - well, do all bf members' carry guns and bombs? No. Are all put through the same drill? Definitely, yes.

This incident should also make him wise enough to handle a tool. Hard lesson, but will help him immensely in the future.
 
Zero Tolerance rules are absurd. There are already hundreds of "dangerous objects" that can be used as weapons by students on students in a school. If the teachers really believe in "Zero Tolerance", the children should be forced to wear bright colored jumpsuits to school, use the inside quill of a pen when writing, and sit in chairs bolted to the floor. See where this is going...

Naturally, our progress-focused friends, the teachers, should be made to abide by these same rules too for equality's sake. If you want true Zero Tolerance, visit any maximum security prison. I'm sure these "liberal" teachers would just love teaching in that setting.

That being said, if you knew you were bending/breaking their rules and you got caught, than that was your mistake. Next time take the good advice given here and remove the blade from your Leatherman (Yes, I know it's stupid). Having a police record at age 14 for carrying "a weapon" is far worse than waiting until you get home to carry your knives.
 
Depending on where you live, you may be able to get away with it. I know that in the state of Missouri, if the blade is less than 4" it is not even considered a knife.

That's the law of the land here, anyway.
 
I grew up in the Chicago area, which is basically the worst of the worst when it comes to tolerance for guns/knives/weapons and anything else liberal idiocy doesn't understand or is scared of. I graduated HS in 1997, and at that time any and all "weapons" were most certainly forbidden.

I carried my Benchmade CQC7 (the Emerson collaboration) every day for part of my Junior and all of my senior years clipped to my front pocket. I was well aware of the rules and I chose to ignore them because (in HS kid logic) the knife was just too freakin COOL to leave at home, LOL! I carried the knife openly clipped to my pocket, which wasn't quite the visual giveaway it is today because pocket clips on knives were still fairly "new" back then, but I was ALWAYS careful to have a T-shirt, flannel or jacket covering the clip so I didn't have to answer questions about what I was carrying or why I was carrying it! I was most certainly NOT opening the knife and showing it off (or even using it) around school! I guess the biggest reason I was so careful was because I had saved up forever to come up with the $90 or so to buy that knife (about 1-2 months pay for a HS kid back then) and I didn't want to risk having it confiscated! If I had been caught with it- I would have lost the knife, probably would have been suspended and it would have been 100% MY FAULT. I knew the rules, I chose to break them and I was smart enough to not get caught. If I had been caught, I was also prepared to accept responsibility for my actions.

I'm not saying what you did was exactly wrong - but you did willfully choose to ignore the rules and you got caught! Man up and accept the consequences. You can't whine about the consequences of your actions when you knowingly break the rules. That's the difference between being a kid and an adult! No matter how stupid the rules are there will always be consequences for breaking them!
 
Sure a Micra isn't a big deal, but I'd say the suspension was fair.
You've already admitted you were in the wrong and I have no idea why you had to cut a thread on your jeans in the middle of class.
 
Man you guys sure are being dicks to this poor guy... Yeah he probably should have used scissors in class, but he made a mistake... not every one of you has to rub it in his face and make him feel bad! Jeez people... And you all are acting as if we should all just accept it... its that attitude EXACTLY that has allowed for knife paranoia to attain its current level! You fools are just as much sheep as the "sheeple" you always make fun of, because you always just go along with the rules and play nice...like SHEEP.
 
Oakengroves said:
C'mon fellow bladeforums posters, we sound like a bunch of ancient, hyper-authoritarian rule-bound fossils: "welcome to the real world! zero tolerance! know the rules and follow them!"

Wrong. This school's "weapons" policy and arbitrary enforcement procedures are fundamentally unreasonable. The blade of a Leatherman micra is no more dangerous than the common pencil, a chair raised as a "weapon," or any blunt object commonly found in a classroom. In this situation, the teacher was obscenely ignorant of a basic tool and construed it as a weapon given her sheltered, sad station in life.

We should not be criticizing this young man for behaving in a reasonable manner. It is the absurd, ridiculous policies of the school that deserve scorn, and I commend this young man for standing up for reasonable, safe behavior that multi-tool carriers practice on a daily basis.

There are many ways to slay absurd rules and regulations. One way is to defy them with impunity. But, as this thread evidences, defiance has a heavy price at times. Another way, and one for the young man to consider, is to find ways to beat the rules. Deep pockets and two glances, my friend, deep pockets and two glances.
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Now hear this!
I agree whole heartedly.
 
The kid knew the rules (or should have if he didn't) yet he still uses his multi-tool's blade in class where the teacher can see. And for what purpose? To cut a string off his jeans. Discretion is the lesson to be learned here not the stupidity of the rules.
 
Oakengroves said:
This school's "weapons" policy and arbitrary enforcement procedures are fundamentally unreasonable. The blade of a Leatherman micra is no more dangerous than the common pencil, a chair raised as a "weapon," or any blunt object commonly found in a classroom.
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Agreed on the matter of weapons but the rule is very reasonable by the measure of being in line with the standards of the TSA and courthouses. Once the issue has been raised with a school board or principal, its not very reasonable to expect them to be more lax in terms of knife policies that either the TSA or courts.

Just to be clear, I think the TSA regs are nuts and I think the TSA should adopt the international standards. But they haven't and that's a reality.

In this situation, the teacher was obscenely ignorant of a basic tool and construed it as a weapon given her sheltered, sad station in life.
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Why deploy a knife blade in front of a teacher in a zero tolerance setting? Sort of like driving through the radar trap at 80mph. Might as well tape a "kick me" sign on your back.

More to the point, why deploy a knife blade to cut an errant thread when you're already holding one of the worlds nicest pairs of folding scissors? Two minutes with a dremmel tool and any Micra will conform to the policy. I mean really...

There are many ways to slay absurd rules and regulations. One way is to defy them with impunity. But, as this thread evidences, defiance has a heavy price at times.
Click to expand...

Yes, and the price often gets paid by those of us with enough social awareness not to wave our knives under the noses of "sheeple". Just what I don't need in my work place is some knife rights zealot getting all flashy and pushy with his knife. Next thing you know, a new policy gets handed down.

Another way, and one for the young man to consider, is to find ways to beat the rules. Deep pockets and two glances, my friend, deep pockets and two glances.
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Yes, yes, yes. It's a matter of judgment.
 
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