Story Archive

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

“G.B.”, 7 and a second-grader at Hershey Elementary School in Dauphin County, Pa., got a “novelty pen” from a carnival that, when the button is pressed on the end, gives the user a mild shock. The boy took the pen on the school bus, and the driver confiscated it. End of story, right? Not on your life. “A sharpened pencil is probably a more dangerous item than this pen was,” says the boy’s lawyer, Aaron Martin. Wait — a 7-year-old has a lawyer? He has to: school officials suspended the boy for four days, and noted in his permanent file that he is a “weapons offender.” In response, Martin has filed a federal lawsuit against school officials on behalf of the child. The suit alleges the district’s zero tolerance weapons policy is unconstitutional, and notes the school’s actions means the boy has been “relegated to the same category as violent criminals who bring knives, guns, and explosives onto school property for the purpose of assault, murder, and even terrorism.” The boy’s lawsuit demands his record be cleared. (RC/Philadelphia Daily News) ...Or to put it another way, the 7-year-old has more wisdom than school officials.