No one is more horrified than i am about incidents in Columbine and Red river, but zero tolerance policies in schools take the common sense out of the system and makes criminals out of kids who simply had a bad day.
CSM ran this story of the boy scout who forgot to take his pocket knife out of a jacket pocket and then added the story about a tardy student who was detained long enough not to turn in a homework assignment, then wrote a note that was thrown away, the note was just blowing off steam. both students were charged as if common criminals.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0331/p01s03-ussc.html?s=t5