Opinion

The Chancellor earns a dunce cap

Schools Chancellor Cathie Black hung a kick-me sign on herself yesterday, foolishly refusing to inject a little common sense into the Department of Education’s ridiculously inflexible “zero-tolerance” bullying policy and doing the right thing by a nine-year-old Upper East Side boy.

The lawyers win another one.

The youngster had written “kick me” on a Post-it note, stuck it on the back of a 4th-grade classmate — and promptly was suspended.

Clear English being something of a novelty among educators these days, PS 158 Principal Darryl Alhadeff said the youngter’s prank was “in violation of the Discipline Code and is classified as ‘infraction A37’ — engaging in bullying behavior — and will result in a Principal’s Suspension for a period of two days.”

Incredibly, Black defended both Alhadeff and the city’s “zero tolerance” approach to bullying:

“We have very clear guidelines. We need to respect our children. We cannot in any way condone bullying. So we have to take a very firm approach to it.

“It’s . . . about bringing people together,” she added.

Which is utter nonsense.

The suspension — and the policy that prompted it — is about catering to lawyers in service to whatever ideologically freighted fad comes rumbling down the pike on a given day.

In this case, that would be bullying.

To be brief, any policy that fails to make a distinction between aggressive, sometimes violent, behavior and a 4th-grade prank is moronic on its face.

It would behoove Black to deal with AlHadeff’s foolish inflexibility, rather than to prattle PC nonsense in defense of it.

Children are children, and lawyers are lawyers. They have different interests — but it is Black’s job to see that the kids come first.

She should go sit in the corner for a while and reflect on that.