It’s a Fork, It’s a Spoon, It’s a Weapon is an article written by Ian Urbina about the numerous cases of expulsion via zero policy on anything that could be a weapon, like utensils and pocket knives. The article mainly focuses on the different arguments that each person in the article has on the zero-policy on “weapons”.
Some of the arguments presented in the article are from Ronnie Casella, an associate professor of education at Central Connecticut State University who has written about school violence. He said, “The result of those studies is that more school districts have removed discretion in applying the disciplinary policies to avoid criticism of being biased.”
Casella added that there is no evidence that zero-tolerance policies make schools safer. Prof. Charles P. Ewing, a professor of law and psychology at the University at Buffalo Law School, (“There are still serious threats every day in schools,” Dr. Ewing said, adding that giving school officials discretion holds the potential for discrimination and requires the kind of threat assessments that only law enforcement is equipped to make.”
The zero-policy policy on “weapons” has raised some arguments about its use. It has affected multiple students across the country who have sometimes, unknowingly, brought “weapons” to school. And while officials are still working out whether or not they should ban the zero policy on “weapons’ ‘, students are getting expelled for bringing utensils to school.
There are a lot of strengths in the article “It’s a Fork, It’s a Spoon, It’s a Weapon. For one, the author gets many quotes from different people, showing their side of the story and their different ideas. The author did an excellent job with the ton of information that really makes the article stand out. It shows even the tiny steps minor characters take to reach their goal. It allows the reader to grasp what exactly the characters are doing in the article.
“Zachary wears a suit and ties some days to school by his own choice because he takes school so seriously,” said Debbie Christie, Zachary’s mother. She started a website, helpzachary.com, in hopes of recruiting supporters to pressure the local school board at its next open meeting on Tuesday. “He is not some sort of threat to his classmates.”
As I wrote this feature, I realized the problems I saw in the article were necessary for a good article. For example, I thought the spacing between the paragraphs was weird. Still, I realized its purpose was to retain the reader’s interest in the article. Shorter paragraphs trick the brain into thinking that the article is short, which helps keep focus. Because of this, I don’t see any grammatical problems with this article.
From all I can tell, the wording and writing are precise for clarity. For relevancy, this article has hit the mark. Although I have never heard of a critical injury taking place in school, I think it’s a good thing to learn about, given that not knowing could possibly get you expelled from your school. For accuracy, I think things need a bit of tweaking. There seem to be too many example stories, which, to me, do not seem necessary.
Example.
“”The law was introduced after a third-grade girl was expelled for a year because her grandmother had sent a birthday cake to school, along with a knife to cut it. The teacher called the principal but not before using the knife to cut and serve the cake.””
“”Something has to change,” said Dodi Herbert, whose 13-year-old son, Kyle, was suspended in May and ordered to attend the Christina district’s reform school for 45 days after another student dropped a pocket knife in his lap. School officials declined to comment on the case for reasons of privacy.“
In the end, the article is pretty good. It has its flaws, but what article doesn’t? The article warns the reader about the dangers of bringing utensils or any sharp objects from outside to school. For whatever reason you bring those things, for show or a project, you might just get expelled. It’s a good article, but it probably needs a little less information. But in the end, I respect the effort the author put into his research to have this much information.
About the Author
Luis Joaquin Arbon is an incoming Grade 6 student and he has been homeschooled since 2019. He is enrolled in Ben Button Online Tutorial Services (BUBOTS) from January 2022 to improve his writing skills.
He loves to read and especially enjoyed the Horrible Histories books and The Hobbit. He also likes to play board games (popular and DIY) with his sisters. His favorite is Clue.