LP Politics: Boy turns in knife but may still be expelled
Yet another example of stupid, inane, backwards (how many
adjectives can I use?), moronic zero tolerance school policies. The
thing here is, the principal here had discretion to not recommend the kid
for expulsion, but did anyway!
Family
says Warren Township eighth-grader is being punished too harshly for doing
the right thingBy William J. Booher
A Far-Eastside couple say they are stunned that a Warren
Township Schools principal suspended their son and recommended his expulsion
for possession of a pocketknife even though he turned the knife in to the
office as soon as he arrived at school.After turning in the knife, the eighth-grader was suspended
from Stonybrook Middle School for 10 days and may be expelled.Elizabeth Voge-Wehrheim and Frank Wehrheim, the boy’s
mother and stepfather, have hired Indianapolis attorney Lawrence T. Newman
to represent them.“This young man made the most responsible choice
under any policy possible,” Newman said of the boy, Elliot Voge. “They
are treating him as the most irresponsible student under the circumstances.”Elliot, 14, said he was walking to the school entrance
in the brisk weather March 3 and had placed his hands in his coat pocket
when he felt the Swiss army pocketknife in the pocket.“I went straight to the office right inside (the
front door),” he said.He said he handed the knife to Teri Donahue, the school’s
treasurer, and told her he had brought it to school by mistake.As a result of Elliot’s actions, the school’s principal,
Jimmy Meadows, suspended Elliot for the maximum 10 school days as allowed
by law and recommended Elliot be expelled. A confidential expulsion hearing
is scheduled for April 10.Suspending and seeking to expel Elliot until June 6 under
the circumstances have so stunned Elliot, his mother and stepfather that
they agreed to go public with his situation.“When Mr. Meadows said he was referring Elliot for
expulsion, I was in shock,” said Voge-Wehrheim.Jeff Swensson, Warren Township Schools’ associate superintendent,
said a principal in Indiana has the discretion to suspend a student for
virtually any reason for up to 10 school days by state law but can only
recommend expulsion.A “very well-documented” hearing is held before
a student is expelled, and there’s no foregone conclusion, Swensson said.On March 21, Superintendent Peggy Hinckley appointed an
external hearing examiner. She wrote “there’s reasonable grounds for
investigation” after she reviewed the charges.In his expulsion recommendation summary dated March 6,
Meadows wrote that “Elliot informed me that he had a knife in his
coat pocket because he was working outside on some wooden objects the day
before.“Elliot put the knife into his pocket after he completed
the tasks,” Meadows’ summary continued, “and forgot to remove
the knife from his coat.”Elliot said he was stunned to feel the knife in his pocket
just seconds after he left a van about 7:20 a.m. March 3 that was driven
by a classmate’s mother. She had dropped him off near the school’s entrance.Elliot said in an interview that he was on the front porch
at his home on Thursday, March 2 — a day off because it was a professional
day for teachers — with his brother Tristan, 10, using Tristan’s Swiss
army knife to whittle wood.Swiss army pocketknives are actually multipurpose tools,
which may include a screwdriver, pliers and a bottle cap opener.Meadows, in his expulsion-recommendation summary, wrote:
“Realizing that the knife was an item he should not have on school
property, Elliot immediately went into the main office and handed the knife
to our school treasurer.”Meadows noted in his summary that “throughout the
entire investigation and student due-process, Elliott (sic) was a model
student.”The principal pointed out he asked Elliot “if he
knew of another situation at Stonybrook where a knife was involved and
the consequences given. Elliot acknowledged he knew first-hand of the situation
and outcome.”Elliot later explained in an interview that a knife fell
out of a pocket of a classmate in February in a fourth-period class, and
the boy was suspended and later expelled.In recommending Elliot’s expulsion, Meadows, who could
not be reached for comment last week, noted, “I personally wrote to
Stonybrook parents twice this year concerning weapons, the school’s actions,
protocols and procedures. I also reiterated the importance in communication
with our students concerning this serious matter.”Besides being notified by letter on March 21 of the expulsion
effort against Elliot, the boy’s mother received a letter dated March 20
from Michael J. Wallpe, Warren Township Schools’ associate superintendent
of school improvement.Ironically, the letter states that Elliot is recommended
for advanced placement courses in English, science and social studies for
his freshman year at Warren Central High School.Voge-Wehrheim said her son’s suspension already has damaged
grades on his latest report card.She and Elliot note he has always had good grades, has
participated in a variety of school activities and has never had any other
disciplinary matter arise against him in his school years.The family’s attorney said school officials’ actions send
students the wrong message.“Their message is to be dishonest, take more chances,”
Newman said.He said Elliot could not be worse off at this point in
school discipline than if he had taken the knife to school intentionally,
kept it with him in school where it could pose a risk and just happened
to get caught.“What’s the incentive?” Newman said of students
who want to do the right thing.School policy requires students “to report knowledge
of deadly or dangerous weapons or threats of violence to the school administration.”Elliot “didn’t want to keep it (the knife) on his
person,” Newman said. “The school is saying, ‘Don’t make this
responsible choice.’ “