(This is a new section and will be populated as time permits)
From Ohio...
I thought I would share this one with you.
I have a co-worker who is also a good friend of mine. About 3 weeks ago his brother's son who is in the 3rd grade and attends a public school in Ohio inadvertently brought an air soft pistol (the kind that shoots the plastic bbs) in his backpack to school with him. The kid was getting ready to leave school that day and noticed the pistol was in his backpack. The kid was very proud of this pistol so he called one of his buddies over to take a look at the pistol while it was still in the backpack. Unfortunately for the kid a little girl also walked by and saw the airsoft pistol in the kid's backpack. The little girl told the principal and the boy was immediately suspended.
My co-worker's brother was terrified at what they were going to do to his son. His son had never been in trouble before and from all accounts was a typical little boy. Here is where it gets interesting. The kid was not arrested or ever put into the Juvenile Justice system. The principal called the Dad and told him that he and his son would be required to appear within 3 days at a disciplinary board hearing to determine his son's fate. In Ohio this disciplinary board is made up of three (3) people ~ the head of the school board, a child psychologist, and a neutral 3rd party citizen. My friend's brother said they went in and he and his son told the disciplinary board what had happened. The board deliberated for a few minutes and then required the little boy to stand up and apologize to them for bringing the air soft pistol with him to school. The little boy did as requested. After the kid apologized the school board president called the kid up to the bench and told him to give him a hug. The kid did and that was the end of it. The disciplinary board reinstated the kid back into his school.
No arrest. No boot camp. Just a little common sense. Amazing.
Regards,
Joe P.
Ohio
