A Pennsylvania father is outraged after his son was suspended from school for three days after admitting he accidentally brought a pocket knife to school. 
 
 When 13-year-old Thomas Ross Jr. went to school on Sept. 11, he realized he had accidentally brought a pocket knife with him, WTAE reported. Thomas was helping his father open a cardboard box to set up a futon the previous night. 
 
 Thomas said he put the knife back in his pocket and wore the same shorts to school the following day. He didn't realize until second period that he still had the knife on him. 
 
 The teenager said he immediately asked to go to the principal's office, where he told the principal and the secretary he had accidentally brought the pocket knife to school. 
 
 The boy's father then received a phone call from the school informing him that his son was suspended for three days and would also be receiving a citation. He was not pleased. 
 
 "There's a first-degree murder and a third-degree murder. There's no such thing as zero tolerance in the world," Thomas Ross Sr. told WTAE. "Why is there zero tolerance on a child bringing a weapon by accident to school and then doing the right thing and turning it in?" 
 
 According to Ross Sr., his son had never been in trouble before at school. He was never suspended or given any citations. He believes his son should get some credit for doing the right thing. 
 
 “When he realized he had it, he turned it in," Ross Sr. said. "He's a typical kid. Don’t discipline a child for doing the right thing." 
 
 "I was scared that if I were to get it caught with it on me, it would have been worse than me turning it in," Ross Jr. added. 
 
 Despite the father's claims, he was told that a longer 10-day suspension would be considered at an informal hearing scheduled for Sept. 14 with school administrators. 
 
 "The safety and well-being of our students and staff is paramount," Superintendent Keith Hartbauer said in a statement. "We will follow our district's policy, procedures, and solicitor's recommendation regarding this discipline incident." 
 
 Hartbauer added that district policy calls for an automatic three-day suspension whenever a student brings a weapon onto the school campus. He said more information would be given at the hearing with administrators, and that he would be speaking with the district solicitor. 
 
 Several social media users appeared to agree with Ross Sr. 
 
 "Sorry, but a pocket knife is not a weapon. It's a tool," wrote one user. "A switchblade is a weapon. These people are morons." 
 
 "No good deed goes unpunished," wrote another. 
 
 "The lesson here is put your kids in private schools where the staff have discretion and common sense," concluded another user. ||||| Father says son shouldn't be punished for turning himself in 
 
 8th-grader suspended after doing 'the right thing' with knife brought to Brownsville Area Middle School 
 
 A student received a three-day suspension and a citation after he said he accidentally brought a pocket knife to Brownsville Area Middle School on Monday. 
 
 Thomas Ross Jr., 13, told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that he used the knife to help his father open a cardboard box and set up a futon Sunday night before putting it back in his pocket. 
 
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 Ross said he wore the same shorts to school Monday, then realized during second period that the knife was still with him. 
 
 Ross said he immediately asked to go to the office, where he told the secretary and principal that he had accidentally brought a pocket knife to school. 
 
 (EDITOR'S NOTE: The knife pictured in this story is similar to the one in question, which was confiscated by the school.) 
 
 Ross' father said he got a phone call from the school and was told that Thomas had been suspended for three days and would also be receiving a citation. 
 
 "There's a first-degree murder and a third-degree murder. There's no such thing as zero tolerance in the world," Thomas Ross Sr. said. "Why is there zero tolerance on a child bringing a weapon by accident to school and then doing the right thing and turning it in?" 
 
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 Ross Sr. said his son had never been in trouble before at school and had not been suspended or cited previously. 
 
 He said he was told that a longer 10-day suspension would be considered at an informal hearing on the matter to be held Thursday with school administrators. 
 
 “When he realized he had it, he turned it in," Ross Sr. said. "He's a typical kid. Don’t discipline a child for doing the right thing." 
 
 "I was scared that if I were to get it caught with it on me, it would have been worse than me turning it in," Ross Jr. said. 
 
 Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Beau Berman contacted the Brownsville Area School District to request an interview and ask for comment. 
 
 "The safety and well-being of our students and staff is paramount," Superintendent Keith Hartbauer said. "We will follow our district's policy, procedures, and solicitor's recommendation regarding this discipline incident." 
 
 By phone, Hartbauer said that district policy mandates an automatic three-day suspension when a student brings a weapon onto the school campus. He stressed that more information would be gathered at the hearing later this week, and said he would be in contact with the district solicitor.
– A 13-year-old boy was suspended from his Pennsylvania school after discovering a knife in his pocket and immediately telling the principal. Thomas Ross Jr. had used the pocket knife to help his father open a cardboard box on Sunday before putting it in the pocket of his shorts, reports WTAE. Thomas wore the same shorts to Brownsville Area Middle School on Monday and, during his second period, realized the knife (Opposing Views has a photo) was still in his pocket. Thomas tells WTAE he immediately alerted the principal, only to receive a three-day suspension and a citation. Asks Thomas' father: "Why is there zero tolerance on a child bringing a weapon by accident to school and then doing the right thing and turning it in?" "The safety and well-being of our students and staff is paramount," says Superintendent Keith Hartbauer. "We will follow our district's policy, procedures, and solicitor's recommendation regarding this discipline incident." According to Hartbauer, district policy includes an automatic three-day suspension for students who bring a weapon to school. But Thomas' father says he was told a possible 10-day suspension will be considered at a hearing on Thursday, despite the fact that his son has never been in trouble at school before. "He's a typical kid. Don't discipline a child for doing the right thing," he says. Hartbauer says the hearing will allow school administrators to gather more information.