Toy gun leads to Florida boy's expulsion - via CNN.com - This is a prime example of why black and white "zero tolerance" policies are a bad idea.  First of all, this kid was seven years old and brought a TOY gun to school.  It is normal for seven year old boys to play with toy guns.  To set back his education by more than a year is ridiculous and this policy needs to be rescinded before any other kids suffer because of it.  From the description given, the toy wasn't even a realistic imitation of a real gun, nor did he brandish or threaten anyone at the school with it.  However "The school board classified the toy gun as a weapon because it fired a projectile device."  That definition could be applied to an eraser and a rubber band!  Now this boy has a record within the educational system that will stay with him through college or university saying he was once expelled for having a "weapon".  How can people expect their children to receive a decent education when the educators are stupid and myopic?
 
Quebec school bans talking at lunch - via CBC.ca - This sets a scary precedent and sounds like a behaviour modification experiment.  Thankfully there are parents speaking out and petitioning against this whackjob idea.  I'm all for demanding attentiveness and good behaviour in the classroom, but kids need time to decompress and they do that by running around, yelling, and interacting with other kids.  The argument that "it's only fifteen minutes" doesn't make sense, either.  Parents who do the whole "time-out" thing with their kids do it as PUNISHMENT.  So why is the entire school being punished every day while they eat their lunch?