Having graduation with an Elementary Education degree and teaching for 2 years in a public school, when I read about 6 year old Zachary Christie being suspended and nearly placed in an alternative school for bring a camping utensil to school I was apalled.  I do understand a zero tolerance policy when it comes to middle and high school students who should know better, but a 6 year old child who merely wanted to eat lunch with his camping utensil is a bit extreme.  I think that we, as parents, need to become more aware and involved in the decisions and policy making of our school districts.  This site helps to match you to apporpriate commitees and has a lot of other great resources for becoming more involved in your child's schooling.  An excellent resource with lots of great info if you refer to the Home Page!