(Oct. 12) -- Zachary Christie, 6, was happy about joining the Cub Scouts and was excited about a new camping utensil that functions as a spoon, fork and knife -- so excited that he took the tool to school to use it at lunch.
But the Newark, Del., boy's enthusiasm got him kicked out of school for violating a zero-tolerance policy on weapons, The New York Times reported.
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Mustafah Abdulaziz, The New York Times / Redux
Six-year-old Zachary Christie unfolds the combination knife, fork and spoon that led to his recent suspension from school. He had faced 45 days in an alternative school as punishment, but a Delaware school board granted the first-grader a reprieve Tuesday.
The first-grader faces 45 days in reform school after officials determined the camping utensil violated the Christina School District's ban on knives. His mother is home-schooling him while his family appeals the punishment.
"It just seems unfair," Zachary told The Times. Debbie Christie has started a Web site, helpzachary.com, to draw attention to her son's situation.
Some people say school officials should be able to exercise discretion in such cases, but others argue that zero-tolerance policies are necessary to prevent discrimination. Delaware lawmakers gave school officials more flexibility on weapons last year after a third-grader was kicked out of school for a year because her grandmother sent her to class with a birthday cake and a knife to cut it. But the change dealt only with expulsions, not suspensions like Zachary's.
"We didn't want our son becoming the poster child for this, but this is out of control," Debbie Christie told The Times.
The Christina school board president defended Zachary's suspension but said the rules may need to be changed for younger children.
Read the full story in The Times.
