Newburgh Free Academy? I Might Have Heard of That

This one's for my old pal Johnny Red, who knows a little something about the town of Newburgh and its schools...

Michael Boone says he was just trying to be a good brother.

When his sister, Heavenly, realized she'd inadvertently brought a 2-inch pocketknife to school last week, they both knew she'd never get through the metal detector at Newburgh Free Academy. So Michael says he tried to help his sister out by stashing it under some bushes outside.

But a security guard spotted the 10th-grader ditching the knife. Next thing Michael knew, he was suspended for five days.

At a hearing earlier this week, it got worse: His suspension was continued for a full calendar year.

Deidre Boone, Michael's mom, is outraged. She says the punishment is way too harsh and Michael is being treated like a troublemaker.

"My son is an honor roll student who gives them no problems," she said.

The Newburgh School District issued a statement yesterday that, while not addressing Boone's case specifically, cited state and federal laws that require the district to suspend any student who brings a weapon to school. The district has a zero-tolerance policy on weapons.

"We're taking a strong stand on this kind of thing," Superintendent Annette Saturnelli said in the statement. "When a student brings a weapon to school, he or she is breaking both a serious rule and the law."

Deidre Boone insists neither Michael, 15, nor Heavenly, 16, meant to bring a knife to school. The knife was in the pocket of a coat belonging to her 27-year-old daughter, Valicia, who left both behind during a recent visit. Heavenly just happened to wear the jacket that day.

Now Michael's in an after-school program for suspended students. His teachers send down packets of the latest work, and he's trying to keep up with his classes. There's a teacher there, but Deidre Boone said it's not the same as being able to interact with all your regular teachers.

"How is he supposed to get through French?" she asked.

So Deidre Boone isn't taking the district's position as the final word. She's calling lawyers and asking for another hearing.

Good -- this is one time when I can't wait to see my fellow legal eagles in action against bureacratic stupidity.

In the meantime, I want to see the "federal laws" requiring suspension. Whatever they are, I tend to doubt they require a one-year suspension. And I also need to understand why we need federal legislation on the issue; maybe it's just me, but this seems to be the perfect place for state action in our federal system.