Education Only $1.76 Billion Could Buy

Yesterday, a second-grade boy was removed from PS 63 in Ozone Park by cops after his teacher discovered he was [packing an unloaded .38-caliber pistol]. It seems many of Christopher Clarke’s classmates were already aware of the gun, as he had done a little show and tell earlier that day. Christopher and his mom, Andrea Clarke, were taken to the 106th Precinct station house for questioning, where they played a game of pass the blame. Officers eventually determined that Christopher’s 14-year-old brother had given him the gun, allegedly with his mother’s knowledge; she says that it [belonged to her boyfriend](http://www.nysun.com/article/55208). Clarke, 35, and her elder son were hit with endangerment charges. As for Christopher, the Department of Education's discipline code calls for a one-year suspension for any student found with a gun at school.

Also yesterday, at a high school in Queens, two Pakistani students were arrested after [cutting the hair of a Sikh student] during a brawl. The kid who provided the weapon did not take part in the attack, but was arrested as well for scissor-packing. Nobody was hurt. According to police, the 15-year-old victim and the Pakistani teens began insulting each other's mothers—Oh no they didn’t!—until they became so enraged that someone had to get a haircut. The Pakistani boys, Umair Ahmed, 17, and a 15-year-old, allegedly tore off the victim’s headdress and came at him with the scissors. They face charges of unlawful imprisonment, coercion, menacing and aggravated harassment. A DOE spokeswoman said Newtown High School would seek to [suspend the two students](http://www.nysun.com/article/55269) for at least 30 days.

All this and U.S. Census figures released yesterday show that New York is at the head of the country’s class in per-pupil spending. Still, the state will be devoting [another $1.76 billion] to its schools over the next fiscal year.