Does the Punishment fit the Crime?

When I came across this article, I have chosen to critique, it completely blew my mind how impeded our school systems are in dealing with punishment for the children, of our nation. The article, I have found in the Austin American Statesman, explains informs the reader of a situation involving a Delaware first-grader, by the name of Zachary Christie. He is a six year-old who attended Downes Elementary School and had “wanted to eat lunch at school with is favorite camping utensil, a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon.” Now, because of Zachary minor poor decision he “now faces forty-five days in the district’s alternative school for troublemakers.” In this school, the Douglass School, the children are to participate in behavior modification programs and receive counseling. Now, in my opinion, really don’t feel like a six year old child, who decided to bring his favorite camping tool to school in order to show his friends, during lunch, really deserves to the sentenced to attend a school, in which he has to partake in behavior modification programs. I mean this situation is completely insane. How can you punish a child for bringing something to lunch that the school provides for the children during lunch, in the first place? I don’t feel a child that ages mind completely understands the concept that they cannot bring such instrument from home. I completely understand that the child should get some sort of minor punishment for bringing the tool to school, but nothing as drastic as sending the child to an alternative school. Even Terry Schooley, State Democratic Rep. and former Christina school board member, stated this about the Douglass School, “If it were my child, I would do everything not to send my child there.” So why have they decided to send Zachary Christie there for this petty crime. http://www.statesman.com/search/content/shared-gen/ap/National/US_Zero_Tolerance_Boy.html