Thirteen-year-old Benjamin A. Ratner was suspended from the Blue Ridge Middle School in Purcellville, Virginia, because he had a knife in his locker. A girl in his class had brought a kitchen paring knife to school, tucked inside a notebook binder, and later passed Benjamin a note suggesting that she might use it to kill herself. Benjamin says he persuaded the girl to give him the binder with the knife, which he never actually saw. He said he then planned to bring the knife home to his mother so she could take it to the girl's parents and talk with them about seeking help for their daughter. Benjamin put the notebook in his locker, which he concluded was a safe place because no one else had his combination. But the girl told two friends, and they told school officials. Both he and the girl were suspended immediately for ten days, and Benjamin's suspension was later extended for over three months because he failed to turn the knife in immediately. One of the school's disciplinary panel members said, "We have to send a message to all of the students that we're serious about their safety."

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