Does anyone here remember when you could do something in school without getting arrested/fired/incarcerated?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/us/pennsy … index.html

"Soon after, she was sent home after being issued a 10-day suspension for a "terroristic threat," as indicated on the suspension form signed by Mount Carmel Area Elementary School Principal Susan Nestico."

As the NRA would say: the only person that can stop a five-year old with a Hello Kitty bubble gun, is a good five-year old with a Hello Kitty bubble gun.

and not to be outdone:

http://gma.yahoo.com/teacher-posted-fac … ories.html

"Why was there duct tape in the classroom? How did they [the students] come to have access to it," said Haas. "We'll have these answers to these questions later."

Clearly, those are VERY important questions. Other questions that come to mind as well are:

How can I protect myself or loved ones from duct tape?
If I see duct tape, what should I do?
How can I talk to my family about duct tape?
Is there a number I can call to speak to someone in person about duct tape?
Should I ask my doctor about duct tape?
How do I know when I've had enough duct tape?
What should I do if someone offers me duct tape?
How many people are actually killed or maimed every year in the US because of duct tape?

When I was in 3rd grade, my friend and classmate, Carlos Rivas, hated Chrissy Soots. I never did figure out why. He often drew pictures of a "Nazi" that was stabbing Chrissy and one day he rammed her in the stomach with the top of his head during recess. My teacher found one of his drawings and didn't do anything. Nothing ever happened to him.

When I was in 7th grade, the punishment for fighting in school was 2 hours of detention. In 8th grade, my district implemented a 10 day suspension for fighting. I believe the "vacation-style" punishment encouraged more fighting. What a great deal for a punk. It's a win-win situation for them, since they increase their popularity and notoriety.

We're making a world that prohibits normal violent and antagonistic behavior. If people can't even play with fake guns or make fake threats, then there are going to be adverse psychological consequences that may lead to real violent behavior. When I was a kid, there were no "safety" toy guns with bright coloration. My toy guns looked real and it felt awesome to stalk each other. In grade school, we could fight each other without being kicked out of school.

I remember when teachers used to have common sense.