That was the boy who threatened to shoot everyone at his school, starting in the office and then moving to a ramada. The others received probation or their cases have not been resolved. Most were ordered to attend counseling, do community service, write letters of apology or attend prison tours in Florence. A Chandler girl who distributed fliers about a bomb had to write a five-page paper on the effects on the community of school shootings. All four students who made bomb threats said they weren't serious.
Prosecutors vow to continue their get-tough approach.
But such parents as Shelly Baird, Josh's mother, question whether it's really the best option, at least for some kids. Zero tolerance doesn't work. You're taking kids' lives. Literally, you're changing their lives forever. You ought to do that very carefully.