Zero tolerance means never having to say you thought it through.
Aqueisance to zero tolerance means giving up the right to think for yourself.
I’ll take your word for it, wring. It wasn’t like this when my daughters were in elementary school, but that was 23 years ago.
I still think the rule is unfortunate, and not really the key to providing security. 
I was born and raised in MadCity (an affectionate term when I lived there). I was educated in the Madison public school system. I still have family and friends there.
The pragmatic and progressive spirit of MadCity I grew up in and carry with me today is no longer there. Something has happened to my hometown. I feel the War on Terrorism is also about the War at Home. Whether we “win” the war abroad is one thing, but we are losing the War at Home.
When a city such as Madison, Wisconsin, with its very long history of progressivism, tolerance and acceptance, succumbs to such stupidity and ignorance, resurrecting the spirit of Jefferson no longer is an academic exercise. It is time to put thoughts into action.