Clipped Her Wings

Despite Tawana Dawson’s good grades and no record of discipline problems, Pensacola (Fla.) High School Principal Norm Ross wants the 15-year-old student expelled for a year. Why? A teacher saw her lend her fingernail clippers to another student to trim her nails. Fingernail clippers are banned “weapons” under the district’s zero tolerance policy, the principal said. His decision has been backed by a district oversight panel. Dawson’s father, Darryl Beaton, plans to appeal the ruling. “You are going to need to take the pencils out of the school,” he told administrators. (AP) ...Next week: school officials discover the pen is mightier than the sword.