Education

Update: School Officials Deny NC Girl’s Lunchbox Story

School officials in Sanford, NC have broken their silence about a high school senior who claims she was suspended for accidentally bringing a paring knife to school as a result of a lunchbox mix-up. According to the school, the girl’s account is false.

On Tuesday, news station WRAL-TV posted a story focusing on Ashley Smithwick‘s story about her banishment from campus for the rest of the year after she mistakenly brought her father’s lunchbox to school, which contained a small knife for cutting an apple, instead of her own. She and her father have identical lunchboxes.

At the time of the story, Southern Lee High School officials refused to comment on the specific case. But after the story garnered national headlines, it seems the school is now willing to speak. And it’s saying Smithwick is lying.

In a follow-up story posted on WRAL-TV’s website, the news outlet quotes a statement by Lee County Schools Superintendent Jeff Moss saying that the knife was not found in a lunchbox but rather in the teen’s purse. He also said Smithwick was not suspended long term.

“She is currently enrolled as a student at the school,” Moss’s statement reads.

The story is now stuck in a she-said-they-said, and has Moss wondering why Smithwick and her family went to the media.

“Over two months after the event it is a mystery to us that the Smithwick’s concerns were not brought to our attention by the family through normal appeal procedures prior to going to the press,” he said.

WRAL did not post a response from Smithwick or her family.

UPDATE:

An emergency school board meeting has been called in order to address a disciplinary situation, reports WRAL. In a story on Thursday evenning, the news station says the girl’s parents did try numerous times to contact Moss, and a disciplinary contract signed last month does in fact bar Smithwick from setting foot on campus or using school resources:

A disciplinary contract signed last month by Smithwick, her mother, Southern Lee High Principal Bonnie Almond and Moss states, however, that Smithwick cannot “physically access SLHS campus for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year.”

The contract also calls for her to complete her English and pre-calculus classes through an online program offered by Southern Lee High and the rest of her classes at Central Carolina Community College through an agreement between the high school and the college.

“If she was an actual enrolled student, then why is she not allowed to access the school campus or use any of the resources that she would need for classes?” her mother, Heidi Smithwick, asked Thursday.

Heidi Smithwick said she has tried repeatedly to call Moss since her daughter‘s suspension to discuss the situation but hasn’t been able to reach him.

“Two months later, we receive a criminal summons for the paring knife,” she said.

Comments (80)

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  • BurntHills
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 1:21am

    we believe the girl over a school principal who’s suddenly inundated by America.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • confederacyofdunces
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 1:08am

    I live in Sanford NC and would not trust these people in the local Govt to piss in a bucket. I pulled my daughter from the local schools when I saw the decline in standards. As long as we can manage she will attend a Christian school.
    I’d bet that if it was a black or latina girl she would have been treated with kid gloves. Administrations tend to look the other way when disciplining minorities. Why give yourself the headache if you can just engage in social promotion (testing was written to allow morons to pass) or wait for them to drop out or get pregnant (anchor babies, welfare).
    I could tell you stories on how they lied to the people, let the other HS fall into serious disrepair and made it appear to be cheaper to build a new HS (its for our future). Once they got approval they magically found a way to repair the old school. It wouldn’t be so bad if they taxed each new cookie cutter home to pay for this. Here in NC we are known for letting taxpayers give incentives for moving here.
    There is hope! We finally got some conservatives elected!

    Report Post »  
  • Galt wanna be
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 1:05am

    Lunchbox or purse??? Does she have a violent history? Zero tolerance is an excuse so someone in a position of power does not have to use logical steps to explain a decision. This keeps the playing field equal. Bully brings a knife to school is the same as good student brings a knife to school. See, no hard decisions and no need to look at a student’s history. We are all the same under zero tolerance. Why try to lead a good life when your track record gets you as far as a thug in the eyes of the progressives? Hell, the thug gets pitty on it’s side. Maybe it has the excuse of a tough childhood.

    Report Post »  
  • Pilgrimsarbour
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:48am

    School officials found the knife in her purse while going through her locker? Wouldn’t a young woman typically have her purse with her throughout the day? Doesn’t make sense.

    Report Post » Pilgrimsarbour  
  • Tyr
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:34am

    I think we all got punked!

    Report Post » Tyr  
  • muscwuff
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:15am

    When is the last time you taught school SUBHUMAN? Oh… Nevermind…. You are subhuman…. that was a stupid question…..

    Report Post »  
  • SubHuman
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:06am

    So my choices are to believe the student or a school full of leftist unionized scumbag teachers? Hmmm…

    I say we expel the school not the student. Get rid of all these parasites. Why are they living off our tax dollars? Let them all get real work. A dead chimp could do a better job of teaching our kids than 99% of the teachers out there now.

    Report Post » SubHuman  
  • muscwuff
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:05am

    You people are CRAZY. You are quick to believe a teen, with a knife in her PURSE not her dad’s LUNCHBOX. They waited 2 months to complain about her punishment. Sounds like the rumors are true that the father has had hatred towards the school system there for a matter of years. Now he is getting the publicity he and his daughter want. Think about this people…. What would have been said IF the school did not search (and find) a knife, and the seemingly innocent girl stabbed another girl (over a guy for example), and that other student died from injuries. Would you all be changing your tune now and be asking why the school didn’t do something to stop this??? Sure the girl looks normal, but who decides what ‘NORMAL’ looks like? There is just no pleasing you people, and you would never understand the ZERO TOLERANCE until something happens like Columbine…. You know, that guy looked normal too…..

    Report Post »  
    • BBlaze2
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 2:17am

      Oh oh I love word games like this let me give it a try. Ok you posted “What would have been said IF the school did not search (and find) a knife, and the seemingly innocent girl stabbed another girl (over a guy for example), and that other student died from injuries” now I’ll continue. What if the student that died was going to go on and discover a new green fuel (since you leftys love that) and what if that new green fuel would have save the planet from Global warming/cooling/whatever. Then what if all mankind was wiped out because of Global warming/cooling/.whatever. And then what if with out humans the planet exploded. OMG the girl who brought the knife could have destroyed the whole planet, oh your so right she needs to be punished big time hang her I say.

      What a moron you are, what if what if…what BS. Ignoring the fact you got the story all wrong, your outlook on life is horrible. If you spend all your life looking at the negitive side of life you’ll be miserable.

      Heres another what if tale and I’d bet money its closer to the truth then yours will ever be. What if the family is telling the truth. What if the girl and the dad took the wrong lunches. What if when the school wouldn’t let her back the family took legal action. What if when the family turned to the media the school got mad and wanted to get even. What if the school is trying to cover its a** and discredit the girl and family.

      I’ll bet ya $50 this is close to the truth, and I’ll tell you why. Unlike you apparently I believe in the personal integrity of the individual and not the integrity of a official. More often then not when a official school, political or whatever’s a** is in trouble they’ll lie and cover it up. I don’t know the family but I am willing to trust them more, sorry but people in power can NEVER be trusted to tell the truth.

      The school is lying to save its rear end of story, move on child your not old enough to participate in this discussion.

      Have a nice day

      Report Post »  
    • CYCLONE
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 3:32am

      Muscwuff…. you just got OWNED !!! ….ROTHFLMFAO !!!… now pay the man his 50 dollars ….

      Report Post »  
  • dtully
    Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:04am

    All this over a paring knife to cut an apple?
    Unbelievable.
    Have we lost all of our common sense?
    Do they play baseball any more at schools?
    A baseball bat is much deadlier than a stupid little paring knife.
    In a fight I’ll take the bat.

    Report Post »  
  • UpstateNYConservative
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:57pm

    Much of the school district‘s defense doesn’t quite seem to fit. First the bag looks like a purse, going by the original article. A mistake in terms is letting the superintendent gain a point and transparent credibility.

    Second, after the ten-day suspension, the girl didn’t return to school. Obviously, her parents didn’t remove her because Dr. Moss says Ashley is still listed as enrolled. Wouldn‘t she be considered a truant after this long if she wasn’t still on suspension, with legal ramifications for the family for Ashley’s truancy?

    According to the original piece, the criminal charges were filed this month, not back in October when the incident occurred. Shouldn’t Ashley have been arrested back then, too, with charges filed immediately? Really–why did it take almost two months to ‘investigate’ the matter to result in charges?

    So much doesn’t seem right that I still believe the Smithwicks are telling the truth, not members of the school district. I’m also wondering if the parents did fight this mess, and the criminal charges were filed in revenge. Yesterday everyone said they couldn’t comment on the specifics of the case, but today they are. Why did the rules suddenly change so administrators can now discuss details?

    The only real change is that the story went national, so I see this as a classic case of CYA by the school district. Time will tell, of course, but the district‘s statement doesn’t quite seem to fit with what is largely obvious with a little thought.

    Report Post » UpstateNYConservative  
  • Republic
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:47pm

    Let’s get the lawyers involved in this. I have never heard of any lawyers lying so that will clear this right up. And, while you’re at it, pass over some more of that free trade weed.

    Report Post »  
  • Deutscher
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:44pm

    I must be missing why this is news. Seems like another small local story. What am I missing that makes this important to the nation at large?

    Report Post »  
    • Follower
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 5:23pm

      On the ‘About TheBlaze’ link….”The Blaze is a news, information and opinion site brought to you by Glenn Beck and a dedicated team of writers, journalists & video producers.

      Our goal is to post, report and analyze stories of interest on a wide range of topics from politics and culture to faith and family.”

      Report Post »  
    • markdido
      Posted on December 31, 2010 at 9:25pm

      Because draconian punishment for the smallest infractions, real or perceived, are happening all over the country, proving that there is no common sense left in the public school system

      Report Post »  
  • pwatkins
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:27pm

    Not so sure this paring knife would be as dangerous as candy canes sucked into weapons like from the Christmas cheer boys….lol. The lunch box the girl had in the picture of previous article looked kind of like a purse to me and it made me wonder why her dad would want to carry one like it, but the fashions these days are as ridiculous as the school system, soooooo explained. I believe the girl and her family btw.
    Has the Blaze heard anymore from the Muslim poet, song writer or whatever he claimed to be in college writing about jihad. Has he received any honors on his writing yet or been jailed like he should be?

    Report Post »  
  • TheRealElvis
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:18pm

    Let‘s just thank God that it wasn’t fingernail clippers or hairspray. She could be rotting away in prison by now.

    Report Post »  
  • brenthair
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:54pm

    15 minutes of fame …….. times up …… next

    Report Post »  
  • varptr
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:41pm

    “Promise not to do this again. Yep.”, end of story. Or you might ask how my jock strap ended up on the floor of my English class in 12th grade 50 years ago. When I slammed the locker door it fell into my briefcase and by way of obscene serendipity, into my English book. I wish it had been a paring knife, have you ever seen such a sight in your life, three blind mice!

    varptr  
  • TJexcite
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:30pm

    Trust, but verify

    Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame and the money that it come with it, if they have to lie to get
    it they will.

    Report Post » TJexcite  
  • SHASTADIANE1
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:27pm

    Hummm…I think this zero policy is carried a bit to far. This is from someone who has several family members in the educational process. My sister-in-law with a Master’s in Special Ed and school Admin. says that when she is acting Principal, she has little choice in these matters. The zero policy is carried way to far. Plastic soldiers with bayonets are banned…and Lego swords are banned…this is about as stupid as a pair of fingernail clippers being banned on airlines. Mind you, no fingernail file, just clippers, which I carry in my pocket all the time. They searched my entire purse, because I had a tube of lipstick in it…with a brush on it. Zero policy…come on people, give us some common sense here. Like the girl kicked out for having IB in her possession!!! This stuff is just stupid. Guess we all have to walk around with a hang nail, because we can’t carry clippers with us if we are flying somewhere??? Just plain stupid.

    Report Post »  
    • beekeeper
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:26pm

      Earlier reports attempted to throw the principal under the bus, the superintendent said the principal has discretion with regard to punishment…

      Report Post » beekeeper  
  • garyganu
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:18pm

    The cover-up is worse than the crime. The girl and her father value grades and soccer over honesty. This is very disappointing but it is all too common these days.

    Report Post »  
    • HEARDENOUGHCRAP
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:40am

      “The cover-up is worse than the crime. The girl and her father value grades and soccer over honesty. This is very disappointing but it is all too common these days.”

      Please explain why you think that an athletic Honor student has to lie for attention. Could it be that you were not athletic or attractive, and your grades were so-so at best? So, it soothes your hackles when you think that “Miss Goody” got her “just rewards”.

      I was taught, as a child, that those in authority are to be respected and trusted, but that is all water under the bridge now. We can no longer afford to be trusting when it comes to those in authority. We must evaluate authority on a individual basis, and not just take for granted that they have our best interests at heart. The public school system is a mess. There are very few schools that actually teach the Constitution, Founding Fathers, ACTUAL history, or even plain reading, writing, and arithmetic. An earlier poster was lamenting that they had an aquaintance that was a teacher but not in union. Years ago unions were needed and they HELPED workers. Today unions are just a few more hands in our pockets. I have belonged to three different unions, and NONE of them have done anything to help me when I needed it. The one time I asked for help I was told they couldn’t help me unless I performed an illegal act to get them copies of confidential papers. Listen up: THIS COUNTRY WILL CRUMBLE IF THE UNIONS ARE NOT CRUSHED!!

      Report Post »  
  • MAULEMALL
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:11pm

    I may have to issue an appology to some that I emailed.

    Keep us posted.

    Report Post » MAULEMALL  
  • DagneyT
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:11pm

    Is anyone wondering why we pay any attention to media anymore? I wondered why our emails to the principal kept coming back with “no such” messages. There’s more to this story that the media is not reporting. Is anyone surprised? Who is manipulating us? We need to find out, or the whole thing is going to blow up in our faces!

    Report Post » DagneyT  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:08pm

    No doubt about it, I am going to have to get another lunch box.

    Report Post »  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:07pm

    Not only is she a terrorist by bringing a paring knife to school. But now she is also a liar? Seems to me that she has crapped in someone’s post toasties. How would they know which lunch box is hers? For the long period since this happened. The father and daughter were trying to figure out which lunch box was which. Seemed like a pretty good story to give to the media, because it sure seems silly to me that someone would be kicked out of school for a paring knife.

    Report Post »  
    • beekeeper
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:24pm

      The original story said it was a random search of students as they entered the cafeteria, think TSA at airport, only random…

      They knew of the knife when they found it, they didn’t know about it before-hand, if earlier reports are to be believed…

      Report Post » beekeeper  
    • calijohn
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 12:45am

      family went public, school district said “game on. we kept quiet in the interest of confidentiality, but you didn’t”.

      Report Post »  
  • GEW
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:06pm

    Looks like another someone wanting fast money…I am so tired of these people.

    Report Post » GEW  
  • balrog
    Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:06pm

    i would trust the girl b4 i trusted the teachers union

    Report Post » balrog  
    • walkwithme1966
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:08pm

      Me too – the girl really has no reason to make up such an elaborate lie – I think she took the wrong lunchbox like she said. http://maboulette.wordpress.com

      Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:21pm

      I guess when the story went national, the school was forced into a very uncomfortable position and is working on serious damage control.

      Even if the knife was in her purse (let’s just say when she opened her lunch bag and saw the knife she put it in her purse) how did the school administrators know it was there?

      The other interesting point is that her parents are backing her up. Having the kinds of charges that she was being accused of put on her permanent record would indeed damage her potential recruitment. Just ask any of the Duke LaCross players or the coach, all of whom were smeared and suffered serious libel based on the word of a shady witness and a prosecutor who wanted to be re-elected.

      I would imagine the 10 day suspension and the subsequent refusal to let her back on campus would be recorded somewhere in a legal document. As a matter of fact, it would have to be. While student records are not open to the public, I would imagine that the school’s decision to suspend her would be.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • necpa57
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 10:30pm

      What does the Teachers’ Union have to do with this story? School administration or elected school officals would be the ones to make these types of decisions.

      Report Post »  
    • Frank Lee Trickey
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:03pm

      The question shouldn’t be who is lying, it should be why is a paring knife a crime to have in your purse or lunch box. A person can do just as much damage with a pen or pencil as they can with a paring knife. This is the foothold we gave the government that has led to them now telling us what an adult can carry. First it was for our childrens own safety now it is for ours. It has led to the TSA and us having to apply for the right to carry a gun in our cars and on our own person. We don’t need to apply for a consitutional right.
      Are butterknifes illegal in school; because someone can take people out much faster with a dull 6 inch blade than they can a sharp 1 1/2 inch blade.

      Report Post » Frank Lee Trickey  
    • CatB
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:14pm

      I suspect the family went to the press because the school would not work with them regarding the suspension … .looks like it worked .. now the school is playing catch up– trying to make plausable deniability since “it” hit the fan.

      Report Post »  
    • beekeeper
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:22pm

      BALROG – Not all school districts in NC are union, some are non-union, and treat the teachers pretty poorly (I have a relative that works at one such district in NC, and she make no where near what teachers in NC union district make)…

      I have no idea if this district is union or not.

      Also, even if it is union, the principals are not part of the teacher’s union, neither are the superintendents – they may have their own unions, but that are typically not part of the teacher’s union…

      Report Post » beekeeper  
    • hifi74
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:32pm

      Ya know thats kind of what i was thinking too, one the one hand you have an honor roll student active in sports and a seemingly all around good kid and on the other hand the educational system that is rife with inconsistencies, teachers actively caught in lies and questionable situations, and unions that are obviously in the pocket of dishonest politicians. Hmmm let me think real hard about this one and who i would trust, my money is on Ashley telling the truth.

      Report Post » hifi74  
    • nptden
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:37pm

      This is a ‘Civil Rights Issue”….white girl targeted. Her civil rights have been violated and these school officials should be prosecuted…or are those charges only for blacks and hispanics to use??? Let‘s play their ’game’.

      Report Post » nptden  
    • calijohn
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:47pm

      zero tolerance causes good people to be caught up with bad people.
      school boards make these policies.
      want to complain?
      go see the school board that YOU ELECTED.

      Report Post »  
    • calijohn
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:53pm

      you know, the kid and her dad were the ones saying it was in her lunch bag. the school and district never made those statements.
      the teachers’ union had nothing to do with it, and i think the kid and her dad are lying.

      Report Post »  
    • CultureWarriors
      Posted on December 29, 2010 at 11:56pm

      I smell a rat and it’s not the girl. This should easy to tell of the school is lying. Just check the class room, her friends etc …. If the school is found to be lying, this is a huge story. Sounds like some seriously not well thought out CYA.

      Report Post » CultureWarriors  
    • slade37
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 1:09am

      @Frank

      I agree that students already have objects that could be used as a weapon. Years ago, I remember reading about a Japanese student who stabbed another student with a math compass. A book can be thrown at someone. Recently didn’t we have a girl punch a teacher? or something like that. If someone wants to commit a violent act, they will grab what they can. It doesn’t have to be a traditional weapon.

      Report Post » slade37  
    • Xcori8r
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 2:39am

      Zero tolerance is liberal speak for subjugation. TSA is zero tolerance. Red Light traffic cameras are zero tolerance. Iran is zero tolerance. I’d want my little girl to have more than a paring knife in her purse in if she went to a government school today and she wouldn’t be a threat to anyone but an agressor. Government schools have evolved successive generations of delinquents and now they are using the only device a socialist system knows to address problems; rigid control and suppression.

      Report Post » Xcori8r  
    • prage2001
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 4:15am

      Too bad she isn’t an illegal alien or Muslim. Then this story would never have seen the light of day.

      Report Post »  
    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 8:49am

      The school offical that expelled her for the rest of the year needs to be dismissed she needs to be reenstated and given credit for all the class time she missed.

      Report Post »  
    • taskmaster78
      Posted on December 30, 2010 at 9:03am

      Absolutely; note the quote from Mr. Moss “Over two months after the event it is a mystery to us that the Smithwick’s concerns were not brought to our attention by the family through normal appeal procedures prior to going to the press” based on this statement it show‘s she’s been out of school and unable to attend for 2 months, I think this is a long term dismissal. You think? And secondly, I don’t trust many who begin by accusing someone of lying, if this was the case they’d had broken their silence much earlier.

      Report Post »  
    • john8_32
      Posted on December 31, 2010 at 12:54pm

      As a loyal Blaze reader…I’m a little disappointed at this site and WRAL for being what Rush calls “Drive-By’s”. In my mind – this is a glaring conviction of today’s media for taking a “hot button” story and running with hardly any fact-checking.

      Being from the Sanford area – I’m quite close to a few of the involved parties and I will tell you this – IT’S ALL A BIG FAT LIE. The school was actually trying to save the girl’s rep because she was a star athlete, but now that she went to the press with these lies, I have a feeling the truth will come to light very soon. Scratch what is being said about her not having a reason to lie – VERY reliable sources tell me she has been a trouble-maker all year and was using this pairing knife to cut pills and other drugs in the bathroom. Once her friend got caught with the drugs – she ratted out Ashley and upon the search for drugs – they found the knife. The girl’s lawyer wants her to be painted as a victim, but everyone I know that knows her, knows what kind of person she is.

      The knife was found in a different lunch sack, the set of boxes being presented by the family seem to be ones purchased later to try and back their claims. (besides, what father-daughter duo over the age of 7 has matching lunch pails?)

      I am the first to criticize public schools – in fact I doubt I‘ll send mine to one once she’s old enough – but there has to be some accountability in the media. I am ashamed of many of my once-trusted sources of news. I will also be VERY careful the assumptions I jump to when I read new stories in the future.

      Report Post »  
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