Are Knives Becoming a Problem at D59 Schools?

Since the beginning of the school year, eight students in Community Consolidated School District 59 have brought knives to school, and officials could be considering computer bag inspections to combat the problem, the Daily Herald reports.

Only one of the eight incidents was considered intentional. That incident happened April 8 when a Clearmont Elementary School student threatened classmates with a knife before school in the building's gym, the Herald reports, adding that no one was injured.

Get Patched In

• Get News Alerts, Join Facebook Pages and Learn About Patch
• Learn how to create a Patch user account
• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Live Traffic and Transit Updates

District Superintendent Art Fessler characterized the other instances as simple mistakes when he discussed the issue at school board's meeting Thursday, April 14, according to the Herald.

Board member Tim Burns suggested instituting spot inspections of school-provided computer bags given as a way to show students that the district takes bringing knives to school—purposely or not—seriously.

While officials agreed that the district could search the bags because they were school property, some board members were uncertain if they would be allowed to conduct other searches, such as checking students' pants and jackets, the Herald reports.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are knives becoming a problem at District 59 schools? Do you think spot checks are the answer?

More via the Daily Herald