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Boy Suspended For 'Thinking' About Knife
5-Year-Old Kicked Out, Then Let Back In
Pat McReynolds
Reporter, KPHO.com
POSTED: 8:54 pm MST May 20, 2010
UPDATED: 8:46 am MST May 21, 2010
QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. -- A kindergartner was suspended for intending to bring a knife to school. But before the day was done, and after CBS 5 News called, the principal had a change of heart.
Josh Bejerano, 5, showed CBS 5 News the bush where he and his friends found a pocket knife Thursday morning on their way to school.
"It was in that bush right by that house," said Josh.
The kindergartner briefly put the knife in his backpack, but thought better of it and put it down.
"It was a bad idea bringing the knife. It could hurt somebody," said Josh.
The small knife remained in the park, well off of school grounds.
But when the other boys started talking about it at Harmon Elementary, Josh was called into the principal's office, and ultimately suspended.
"The principal told me that he was suspended for his intent to bring the knife to school. He didn't actually bring it to school," said Marc Bejerano, Josh's Father.
"I was angry. I couldn't understand why he was suspended. He didn't do anything wrong," said Brandi Pack, Josh's mother.
Josh said he felt "bad 'cause I got suspended."
CBS 5 News called Principal Chris Lineberry, who referred the station to the superintendent. But shortly after CBS 5 News started to investigate, the principal reversed his decision, and told Josh's parents he would be allowed back to school on Friday, the last day of the year. It was also his kindergarten graduation.
But Josh's parents still weren't satisfied.
"He said he refused to apologize. He would not apologize at all," said Bejerano.
But while CBS 5 News was in the middle of an interview with Pack, another phone call came from the school to Pack's phone. It was the principal again.
"He said he wanted to apologize. He said if he knew that tomorrow was Josh's kindergarten graduation, he wouldn't have suspended him from school," said Pack.
It appears on this day, both the principal and the student learned a lesson.
Josh said next time he finds a knife, he will simply, "Leave it alone."
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