Texas schools have become a little funny about bringing weapons to school, and probably considerably more so in urban districts. I remember my brother's taking a knife to school one day 'way back in the '70s, because he feared being attacked by an ethnic gang, and I warned him the consequences of getting caught. Fortunately, he was neither attacked nor exposed as having a weapon.
In Fort Worth ISD, carrying a weapon, even a gun-shaped object, is an automatic suspension, regardless whether kindergartener or senior. I remember being fingerprinted by security as part of my being approved for teacher employment. I took out my small pocket knife to ask whether it would be allowed on campus. The security officer pulled out his own pocket knife and said, "It looks like mine. Just don't be cleaning your nails in front of the students." We have noted the absence of students who ignored or forgot the weapon rule.
Apparently, this is not the case at Rift Valley Academy. One of Tammy's favorite photos is at RVA's weekly flag-raising ceremony, during which a student was using his hunting knife to peel fruit, giving some to a friend. No one indicated anything unusual.
This was confirmed during our evening at the Peifers' home with some sophomore students. You may recall from previous blogs that RVA is surrounded by tall fencing topped by barbed and razor wire. One night, a burglar somehow crossed the fence and entered one of the boys' dorms. A small group of students opened the door to a room and found the person going through their belongings. They commented very simply, "A student had a knife in his desk. We held the burglar at knifepoint until the police arrived." No surprise, no loss of property, no consequence to the students; suspect apprehended.
Try that at school in Fort Worth.
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