Knife fight.

• Author: Soave, Robby
• Position: Zero tolerance strikes again - Punishment for bringing knife in school - Brief article

When a school official discovered a pocketknife in Atiya Haynes' purse, the 17-year-old gave two very good reasons for why she had violated the district's zero tolerance weapons policy: necessity and negligence.

The first explanation was that she needed the knife for protection. Haynes, a native of southwest Detroit, had to bike halfway across the city to get to her summer job. Her grandfather had wanted her to feel safe, and gave here the pocketknife to help. The second explanation: It had been months since Haynes had received the present and she had completely forgotten it was in her purse.

But zero tolerance means zero tolerance. A school principal performed a random search of Haynes as she was leaving the restroom at an Annapolis High School football game. The knife was found, and Haynes was expelled from school.

Her case eventually reached the district's board of...