A six-year-old American boy has been ordered to spend 45 days at a school for troublemakers after he brought his favourite camping cutlery to school.
Zachary Christie took out the combination knife, fork and spoon at lunch, in violation of the school policy of not bringing in knives.
Zachary agreed that knives should not be in school but said the punishment was "not fair", he told CBS News.
Hundreds of people are expected at a school board meeting about the issue.
Downes Elementary School, in Newark, Delaware, operates a zero tolerance policy on knives, banning them as dangerous instruments.
Officials said they were forced to act regardless of Zachary's age or what he planned to do with the knife, the Associated Press reported.
School board member John Mackenzie said the board could change its policy.
"The policy, of course, needs some additional flexibility," he told AP.
"Politically, zero tolerance is what everybody clamours for, until we start to realise how harsh zero tolerance can be."
Suspension appeal
In other cases school officials have ignored the policy and Mr Mackenzie said he was surprised this had not happened in Zachary's case.
Zachary and his mother supported the policy but were unhappy with its implementation.
He said: "I agree that they shouldn't bring dangerous weapons to school but I don't think the punishment should be this bad.
"It's not fair."
His mother, Debbie Christie, is home-schooling him and is to appeal her son's suspension.
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