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A 10-year-old Hilton Head Island boy has been suspended from school
for having something most students carry in their supply boxes: a
pencil sharpener.
The problem was his sharpener had broken, but he decided to use it
anyway.
A teacher at Hilton Head Island International Baccalaureate
Elementary School noticed the boy had what appeared to be a small
razor blade during class on Tuesday, according to a Beaufort County
sheriff's report.
It was obvious that the blade was the metal insert commonly found
in a child's small, plastic pencil sharpener, the deputy noted.
The boy -- a fourth-grader described as a well-behaved and good
student -- cried during the meeting with his mom, the deputy and
the school's assistant principal.
He had no criminal intent in having the blade at school, the
sheriff's report stated, but was suspended for at least two days
and could face further disciplinary action.
District spokesman Randy Wall said school administrators are stuck
in the precarious position between the district's zero tolerance
policy against having weapons at school and common sense.
"We're always going to do something to make sure the child
understands the seriousness of having something that could
potentially harm another student, but we're going to be
reasonable," he said.
