should schools be rolling out zero tolerance policies without full consideration of how they might contradict with their "diversity and inclusion" related policies, too?

Is full, complete tolerance and acceptance even possible in schools, if when in the context of making general safety measures, it could lead to contradicting values amongst differing beliefs, ideaologies and faith practices of students and staff?

Is this even achieveable without any form of discrimination?

Is discrimination inherently bad?

And what about the kinds of restrictions to other practicing faiths, where certain symbols and/or expressions of the faith could be deemed inappropriate for a public school setting with other students of varying faiths and value sets?

There are also other ways that Sikhs can express their faith through this specific symbol, without carrying a concealed weapon in public spaces. (ie. decorative, mini versions of the kirpan, kirpans made of wood or plastic instead of metal, focusing on the VALUES that the symbol represents instead of the weapon itself)

school admin learned about a sikh student wearing religious attire - what's kirpan?

• ceremonial dagger in the sikh religion
• symbol that's very important to their religious faith, that represents their commitment to the faith, but ALSO their commitment to PROTECTING and DEFENDING the weak, and upholding justice
• it's a SYMBOL, not meant to be used in the traditional sense
• only to be used for defense in the case of injustice (but who decides what is just and what is not, and how do you measure when and how those injustices are to be handled in response to them? Does this practice of taking matters of justice and injustice into anyone's hands align with the practices of the school measures in dealing with escalations of injustice? And what about simple matters of religious freedom in schools? Is that enough to protect and defend the entire ownership of the weapon altogether, nevermind it's implications? should this be an opportunity for the school administrator to learn more about the religion to be better informed about how they make their policies, especially if within those policies, freedom of religion is included?

school board's goal seemed to be that they wanted safer schools - prioritizing students' safety against violence - seems fair enough