Knife edge wait for US student

Jeremy Hix was found wearing a sgian-dhu

A student in the United States faces expulsion from his high school for wearing a traditional Scottish knife to a dance.

Jeremy Hix, who plays the bagpipes, wore the sgian-dhu as part of his full Scottish regalia.

But on Wednesday the school board in Holt, in Michigan, was due to decide if Mr Hix will be expelled for violating the state's zero tolerance law against bringing weapons to school.

Mr Hix said he did not think about the knife as a weapon when he attended the school dance in May.

Mr Hix is confident he will be allowed back to school

The knife was more than 3in long.

Mr Hix said: "It's part of the formal wear for a Scottish man.

"It's literally an item, like a piece of clothing. It doesn't stand out when you look at it. It's sort of natural."

He said he had the sgian-dhu tucked into his sock for nearly two hours before a chaperone at the prom noticed it.

Mr Hix was forced to leave the prom and could not attend classes for the rest of the school year.

Under Michigan's law, which went into effect six years ago, students must be expelled for 180 days if they bring a weapon to school.

Weapons include knives with a blade of 3in or more.

Students are exempt if they can prove they have no intention to cause harm and the student said he was confident he will succeed at Wednesday's school board meeting.

'Very harsh consequence'

"If honesty prevails, then I'm more confident than I've ever been before," he said.

If expelled, Mr Hix will not be able to attend another public school in Michigan.

He said he would complete his senior year at a private school.

Holt Superintendent Tom Davis refused to discuss the case, but he said he was uncomfortable with the law because it allows very little leeway in how to punish a student.

"There is no discretion in the consequence, and it's a very harsh consequence," he said.

"Any educator will tell you, one of the fundamental tenets of any punishment is that it ought to fit the crime."