Sorry Susan, as a parent of two school-age children I have talked with teachers in my school district and they deal with threats differently than they would a case like this. A policy is a policy is a policy is not an answer. Each situation is dealt with on a case by case basis. Everything is not black and white, even in this day and age.

Zero Tolerance usually translates to Zero Intelligence and many people are fighting the lack of due process in cases like this. The punishment often has more negative effects than the "crime". Suspending a kid because they had a coughdrop in their possession? A student suspended because during a discussion on Columbine he asked the question of his classmates if they would bring a gun to school? How about a school that does random drug searches on students cars and suspends a student because they find a scraper blade (used for removing glue from a window) that was left in a car? Suspending a student who had a small knife in his lunch - used to cut an apple? The most tragic story I heard was of a student in Tennessee who committed suicide after being suspended for his senior year after a knife, belonging to a friend, was found in this students car.

Sure, people can say "a policy is a policy is a policy" and site Columbine as an example of what could be prevented. Zero tolerance policies will not stop violence. This is nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to a tragic situation. The result is that more people are being hurt and the people that truly need help are ignored.

Again, it is very important to stress that we do not know all the facts, but based on the information given there appears to be a case for over reaction.