HOPKINTON, MASS. (WHDH) - An updated weapons policy for Hopkinton Public Schools now includes specific instructions for students of Sikh faith who want to carry a kirpan to class.
Hopkinton parent Harpreet Singh explained the kirpan the students would like to carry are one of five articles of faith worn as part of their religious identity. The small blade, he says, is not a weapon but a symbol of faith.
“What it really represents is the Sikh is reminded continually to stand up for the oppressed,” he said.
He says he believes the kirpan is no more dangerous than any other object found in a classroom.
“The argument is that in a school context you can have scissors, box cutters, dividers for geometry that could do more damage than a kirpan,” he said.
According to the guidelines published by Hopkinton Public Schools, the kirpan must have a dull blade, be no longer than three inches long, and any student wanting to carry one must be initiated into the Sikh faith, have a record of appropriate school behavior, and keep the kirpan sheathed, secured, and out of sight at all times.
But some parents aren’t on board.
Heather Kramer, another Hopkinton parent, said she doesn’t think “it should be allowed.”
“With all the issues we have in schools, I think we just really need to minimize any type of article of clothing, weapon, anything like that and get them out of the schools as much as we can. We need to make them safe,” she said.
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