I read your link article, Jed, and noticed this: "H-E-B district administrators said district policy and the Texas Education Code prohibit a student from possessing an illegal knife, one with a blade longer than 5 and a half inches that is "designed to cut or stab another by being thrown," according to the Texas Penal Code. " The description obviously doesn't apply to a breadknife--so the policy has been deliberately mis-interpreted, probably in order to create a public backlash against the state imposed rule--

I think that this is even worse than stupid enforcement of ill-considered laws, because, in order to draw attention to their cause, which is to get meddling state legislators out of the business of dictating local school policies, the superindendant and his administrators have basically sacrificed this kid, in a "look what the meddling legislature made me do!" move--We live in a country that is obsessed with creating headlines and sound bites--no matter what the cost--