RE> CB> 1996), the threat was an unfortunate joke, and the tenure 
RE> commission 
RE> CB> decided not to fire the teacher because it weighed his error in 
RE> CB> judgment against a 22-year record of  "effective" teaching.
RE> 
RE> MS>     If a HS senior made the same "joke", would he be allowed
RE> MS> to avoid expulsion from the public schools on the basis of
RE> MS> "weighing" his error against a 12-year record of good
RE> MS> behavior?
RE> 
RE>    I doubt it very much.
    In this state at least, the student would face criminal charges for 
bringing the knife on campus.  Most school districts here also would refer it 
to the police for assault charges, under the current pattern in most 
districts here of referring all fighting or weapons incidents to the cops.
RE> CB> suspended him for two years without pay.
RE> 
RE> MS>     How much of a "punishment" is that?  He can get a
RE> MS> manufacturing job during those two years that will pay more,
RE> MS> and come back to teaching in two years richer than otherwise.
RE> 
RE>    Well, I'd say that the 2 year suspension would've been far more 
RE> punishment than what your mythical student would've gotten.
    I wouldn't.  The student will have a black mark on any possible college 
application, something that the suspended teacher need not worry about.  The 
student would (likely) have a criminal record, something this teacher 
apparently won't.  Those two things would hurt the hypothetical student's 
career long after the two years were over.
    And while he was suspended, the hypothetical student would be unlikely to 
get a high-paying manufacturing job at his age.
RE> fired; then you complain that with the 2 year suspension the guy will 
RE> make 
RE> more money in the 2 years that he isn't teaching.
RE> 
RE>    Following that "line of logic," I guess we should "punish" him by 
RE> not 
RE> suspending him for 2 years and instead force him to teach!  :-)
    No.  How about doing what most schools in this state would do with any 
student caught with a knife on campus (let alone intimidating others with 
it): criminal charges?
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