N.J. 6th Grader Suspended After Finding Lighter

Father Livid School District Called Object A 'Weapon'

September 23, 2010 11:30 PM

A Lighter – File Photo

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JAMESBURG, N.J. (1010 WINS/ CBS 2) - A head-scratching act of discipline has perplexed a New Jersey town. A sixth grade student was suspended from school amidst a very serious accusation.

But as CBS 2’s Scott Rapoport reports, the boy’s family said the school’s accusations are overzealous.

“I’m not happy about this, no,” Pat Halpin said.

Halpin said he still can’t believe his 11-year-old son Owen, a Boy Scout, was suspended from his middle school in Jamesburg for carrying what administrators called “a weapon.”

“Why is he being suspended for a lighter?” Halpin said.

That’s right. The weapon they said was a lighter. Owen said he found it on his way to school Wednesday on school property and brought it to the bleachers. Another student saw it and told a teacher who then confiscated it and alerted administrators.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg speaks with Patrick Halpin, the student’s father

“We take our security here very seriously,” said Jamesburg School District superintendent Gail Verona.

Verona said she stands behind the suspension.

“We have a zero tolerance for anybody bringing in anything that could cause potential harm to our students,” Verona said.

But Owen’s dad said his son never even flicked it and is still burned about the term “weapon.”

“My son’s a Boy Scout. He will pick something up and throw it in the garbage. This is what his intent was,” Halpin told 1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg.

“Well, I consider anything that can cause potential harm a weapon,” Verona responded.

But the story doesn’t end there. Oh no, not by a long shot.

Halpin called local police, alerting them there were more weapons in the school. He said some teachers there probably carry lighters. The cops came, talked to school officials and that was that.

Owen was suspended for one day. He was back in school Thursday.

When asked if he made a mistake, Owen said, “Yeah, definitely. Really stupid mistake to bring a lighter into school.”

Where many are hoping the lighter story will flame out and go away.

Jamesburg Police said they support the school’s decision to suspend the student for a day.

N.J. 6th Grader Suspended After Finding Lighter

Amanda McKnight

I’m sorry, but what a sad state of affairs. Not only is the school administration at fault here, but the Sheriff department is just pleased as punch with the school’s decision to suspend the child. Sounds like the parents in that area need to vote in a new school board and a new Sheriff… Then petition that the Superintendent be removed from her position.
Alex

Scouts know how to handle fire. They also have a set a morals. Its like a kid who hunts ith his father finding a gun, he would know how to safely use it. If i had to trust a lighter to a boy scout or some kid off the street, I`d trust the scout.
db44

The boy Scouts at least have been exposed to camp fires and taught fire safety, and like the father said teachers have lighters if they smoke.

Liberals need to just stop the hissy fits because “some one could get hurt”, we are raising a nation of wimps and leaches.

Don

You can say that again!
Rick A Hyatt

Worse than that” Since our corrupt and infiltrated Congress long ago allowed food manufacturers to use corn syrup instead of sugar, our now currently VERY OBESE youth couldn’t fit into a sub, a Humvee, a tank, or even pass Basic Training, should a war require them to be drafted.
70% of all modern youth, I have read, are not qualified for military service, so I have read. And all of them were indoctrinated in school to “Not carry (BIC) weapons,” less even contemplate using them.
“OH! Don’t shoot the enemy, it might hurt them!”

Rick A Hyatt

BUT! Not to worry, we have HILLARY CLINTON!! (True feminist) and NANCY PELOSI! And Reid! To protect us from War, Pestilence , famine, droughts, and floods and other Acts of God!
They will solve it all by having Obama mandate MORE Stimulus payments!
(Who’s gonna pay? I’m sure our grandchildren won’t mind, they just need to get the permission – And subsequent control – of the CHICOMS to loans us even more Hope they don’t foreclose on the White House….)

Rick A Hyatt

“Exposed” to camp fires? Is that like being “Exposed” to pornography,” or something? “Safety?” Like George Washington said, those who give up their freedoms in exchange of security, deserve what they get. (A Police State)
“Trained” would be a better word.
Living in the high Rocky Mountains, and having camped out a lot of my life, there is trained skill in making fires for heat and cooking, and I must remind you that most recently GHW Bush “Teamed” up with the Socialist, Bill Clinton, to advise all Americans to have a two-week supply of food, water, plastic sheeting to cover windows and tape, breathing masks, etc, “In case of a natural disaster.”
Whether that means radioactive fallout blowing over the Pacific coming from Red China, some new “Flu” epidemic, or an electromagnetic pulse from either a nuke sky burst, or solar storm (no electricity), if you don’t know how to BUILD a fire, you’d better learn. It’s not as simple as you thing. Thank God the Boy Scouts do what they can.
But our “Schools” teach our children to fail, not to survive.

rob

Suspension is a bit much…since no one actually knows the childs true intentions.

http://thehealthyarizonan.blogspot.com

Diana

that’s a really “liberal” response.

foedoe

This is so tragic! What has this country become where we have to be afraid of an eleven year old. But the scariest part of this situation is that the police agreed with the school’s actions. Get use to it people, this is a military and police run country and we are all considered potential “killers” and even the courts are no refuge. A sad day indeed. How to turn it around?
leonida t mcintyre

how about high heels, dats a deadly weapon,hELLOOOO
MS VERONA IS WEARING ,fired her….
Fred Johnson

We don’t need no edication by DA^^^^^ LIBERAL INDOCTRINATORS!!!

Time to TAKE YOUR KIDS OUT of GOVERNMENT SCHOOL!

Diana

Once Obama succeeds in ruining EVERY job in America, I don’t see why their parents can’t home school them. That could be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Diana

Can you believe these are the kind of people we have looking over our children?
caro

Perfect way of aggravating parents and not wanting them to work with the schools, cause they’re wasting their time. A little note for the parents would be enough, but suspension is way over the line!
Bruce M.

School officials are too paranoid,and they do not give kids the proper respect
that they will do the right thing according to the rules. Maybe the adults need to take lessons from the kids. It seems as though that they are teaching more about
being grown up than we give them credit for.
Shame on you Grace Breckwedel Middle School and that school system.
SRMc

1985 – 5th grader has a lighter – teacher takes it away
2010 – 5th grader has a lighter – student is suspended, ordered to undergo counseling, school schedules assembly to discuss the danger of fire.

How sad! No wonder we’re falling behind the rest of the world. Our schools are so paranoid about petty things that they forget to EDUCATE.

If I was that student’s father, I would sue the school district for being STUPID.
RB

Most educators are so caught up in their power that they lose sight of common sense. We, as a nation, can take our schools back…but we have to do something.

Diana

I don’t think they had any common sense to begin with. You can’t lose something you never had.
Lorri

Common Sense is not so common anymore.

rich

Then the school should closed down, because the students themselves can cause violence.
John P. Stone

what kind of an idiot is this Police Chief?
If that is the was the school and police chief believe maybe they should replace them for someone with common sense
Henry

Well I guess every teacher or Aide in the school, must leave their lighters home.

RIck A Hyatt

NICHT RAUCHEN!
By orders of the Fuerher!

Patrick

Beware of biowarfare attacks in the schools. Every kid who comes to school sick should be suspended for this act of terrorism.

Gail Verona: All in all, you’re just another brick in the wall.
Nickie

And society gets more rediculous every day…

Rick A Hyatt

That’s what happens the more the Fed’s control everything, like schools…

A Lyon

when i was in school kids used their lighters to give others hot pants and once in awhile someone would catch on fire then there was the occasional wall or poster or desk that would go up in flames probably not a good idea to allow lighters

Rick A Hyatt

I believe as you do: OUTLAW FUN.

alexdarc

Whatever happened to just taking things away? It’s not like he had a machete.
Schools have become ridiculous about having “drugs” (my kid can’t carry their epi-pen at school – it is a drug!) and “weapons” – last I remember our bullies at school didn’t need weapons, so long as they had their fists, and nasty mouths.

Rick A Hyatt

It’s the new Obamathink indoctrination: They must be taught how to obey the bully Brown Shirts and be very obedient.
In the New World Order.

Paul Carroll

He was trying to say that because his son is a Boy Scout he is a good kid, and in no way hurt anyone.

Elena

Being a Boy Scout doesn’t preclude anti-social behavior.

Rick A Hyatt

Don’t you mean “Anti-Socialist behavior?”
I admire your National Socialist propaganda!

Ellen

And these are the idiots TEACHING our children-scary

Leboure

They went too far in suspending the kid. The right thing to do was to just take lighter away from him and inform his parents. No more action was needed. Anyway, he hurt NOBODY!

kris

OMG you better remove pencil’s and pens from school , someone might stab someone , there weapons lmao you people are jokes !

david

hey you forgot about baseball bats and what about knives in the kitchen

sandra mcfarland

i think the school jumped the gun. so the boy found a lighter, did the teachers even stop to consider the fact that the boy was trying to give it to them??? come on people not all kids are KILLERS. the boy is a BOY SCOUT for GODs sake take a little time to ask before jumping to conclusions. if i was the boy,s parents i would take this to court.

RAMS

ok first of all the article is incorrect, it was a sixth grader, old enough to know not to touch lighters. All this nonsense is just stupid attention for the parents. This is telling their kids and other kids that it is okay to bring lighters to school; that could of caused harm to others. Where is the discipline? Why would this child even pick up the lighter? This should be people’s concerns, instead people immediately accused the school and officials, people who are trying to protect the students. Would you have wanted them to not care, or would you accuse them of not doing anything. What would have happened if this was at your child’s school, i think you all would have different opinions then, well i hope so. The only thing that gets me was that the student would only be suspended for a day and a half, thats less punishment then what they deserve. The parents are exaggerating and making nothing into something…

OH, and too bad he was giving it to the school, instead he was showing it off to other students. And being a boy scout doesn’t mean he is an angel. Taking this to court would only make it worse, and tell other students that it is okay to bring in objects like this…. Comments like this make me wonder about people.

J

“Old enough to know not to touch lighters?” Since when is touching a lighter a crime? If I’m a sixth grader, I know better than to go around setting things on fire. Possessing a lighter is not and never has been a crime.

If this was my child’s school, I’d be terrified of the teacher’s outrageous stupidity and overreaction. I plan on teaching my child to use every conceivable weapon she can get her hands on, improvised or not, so that she will be prepared for life in an unpleasant world. These teachers are not teaching our children to behave like adults, they are teaching them to be overly dependent cowards.
James

Comments like yours makes me worried about all the drama queens in this world. You all take something very minor, and blow it way out of proportion. When I was in school kids had lighters all the time, and funny…NO ONE ever got hurt. You are nothing more than a common fear monger!!! This country is being pushed to the edge of insanity because of people like you. Guess what? There are STILL tons of kids in schools with lighters….and STILL, NOT a single person is being harmed.
bill

you must be a dumb ass. pull your head out of your ass and get some common sense
Rick A Hyatt

One must remember that we no longer Obamathink in terms of law: what the kid did was a potential MIND CRIME in that he POTENTIALLY possessed the possibility of a future use of such lighter in TERRORISTIC manner, thusly trangressing the APA’s DSM-IV-TR BIBLE of “Correct mental thinking.”
It’s so convenient for the Police State to not only put away those with UN-PC thinking, but also to indoctrinate the young as well.
Heil Pelosi! Heil Reid! Heil Obama!
(Where’s the birth certificate?)

hell yeah

the school jumped the gun yes, but it doesn’t say he was trying to turn it in. to say “he’s a boy scout for god sakes is the same as he’s a cop he couldn’t commit a crime. just saying.

Chris

what?!? are they going to ban pencils next?

becca

They can’t even afford pencils..

Joe Mama

They better take away all of the pens and pencils because they could definitely be used to put someone’s eye out! And rulers should be banned since someone could shove it down someone’s throat! And paper should be eliminated because it could be held over someone’s mouth until they stop breathing! And no more computers or monitors – they could be smashed over someone’s head! We better just close down all of the schools since they’re death traps!

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N.J. 6th Grader Suspended After Finding Lighter

Father Livid School District Called Object A 'Weapon'

September 23, 2010 11:30 PM

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