When sixth-grader Adrionna Harris noticed a classmate cutting his arm with a razor blade, she convinced him that his behavior wasn’t a good idea and managed to get the blade from him — and she threw it away.
Image source: WAVY-TV
Image source: WAVY-TV
Apparently no teachers were around during the incident last Thursday, and Harris viewed the circumstances as an emergency.
Turns out her actions were officially recognized by Bayside Middle School in Virginia Beach, Va. — but Harris won’t be tucking any certificates into a scrapbook.
She got a notice of a 10-day suspension and threat of expulsion after telling the administration last Friday what happened — and it’s apparently due to the school’s zero-tolerance policy regarding weapons on campus,WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads, Va. reported.
“I took the razor blade, and then I threw it away immediately…I didn’t carry it around the school…I didn’t use it against anyone…I threw it away,” she told WAVY.
The razor blade Harris took from her classmate was about this size. (Image source: WAVY-TV)
The razor blade Harris took from her classmate was about this size. (Image source: WAVY-TV)
Rachael Harris, Adrionna’s mother, told WAVY she was “shocked and surprised…that a student would get suspended for saving another child.”
“The school system overreached absolutely.”
“I felt she did the right thing,” Harris’ mother told WAVY. “Under the circumstances, she thought he would bleed out, as he was cutting himself, and there was no teacher in sight. It was a 911 situation, and there wasn’t time to find a teacher.”
After it began questioning school officials about Harris’ situation, WAVY reported that the school began responding to the Harris’ family’s requests for clarification and a reasonable response to their daughter’s actions.
“It is amazing,” Harris’ mother told WAVY on Wednesday. “They are listening to us now…she should be back in school tomorrow and that would be fair.”
Harris’ suspension hearing was originally planned to occur in 10 days, but WAVY reported that it was moved to Thursday.
Harris told WAVY she’d do it all over again: “Even if I got in trouble, it didn’t matter because I was helping him…I would do it again even if I got suspended, yes.”