Discipline in Our Schools: Where to Draw the Line?

WBAL writes an article about three disciplinary incidents at Maryland schools:

• At Western High School in Baltimore, school official canceled the school’s Senior Banquet and Senior Farewell and a series of pranks escalated to poisoning the drinking water with unknown medication and substances. ( Poisoning is probably hyperbole but you get the idea.)
• Northwestern High School in Germantown would not allow a girl to bring her friend to the senior prom because that friend dropped out of school.
• Two Easton High School boys were suspended for carrying a pen knife and a lighter. Their defense? They were trying to repair their lacrosse sticks.

“Is this Overkill?” is the question WBAL is raising. I have no idea. I think “get tough” is good. Obviously, there is a point where get tough’s victim becomes reason and fairness. I can’t defend the school prom thing. It is silly and it is not discipline it is just being spiteful against someone who exercised his rights under Maryland law (I’m assuming the boy was 16 or older). But the other two? I have no idea.