No matter what the newspaper headlines say, our children have not turned into savages from "Lord of the Flies''.

Yes, two Aliso Niguel (California) High School students allegedly made threats that were real enough for most of their classmates to skip school. A 9-year-old brought a .45-caliber handgun -- complete with ammunition -- to his Norwalk elementary school (near Los Angeles). And, of course, the shootings across the nation over the past two weeks have everyone concerned and on edge.

But, fortunately, these aren't the norm. They are indeed horrible acts -- some of tremendous violence -- that need to serve as reminders that society is not perfect.

Shootings and threats should never occur, let alone in the nation's schools.

With this said, however, the headlines may be getting the best of the school districts. They are obviously on full alert and, as a result, may be a bit hasty in their decisions.

For example, Corona del Mar (California) High School administrators last week suspended a seventh-grader for five days after drawing a picture of a teacher with an arrow through the teacher.

In the midst of this wave of violence, the Newport-Mesa Unified school board (in a nearby area) added to its zero-tolerance policy ... Just like drugs, alcohol and weapons before them, bullying, intimidation and violence will no longer be tolerated. The revision would include drawings such as the seventh-grader's, but it also allows district administrators to use their discretion when such instances arise.

If that same seventh-grader was to have shown the same artistic expression before the Santee shooting, would there have been a five-day suspension? Highly unlikely.

School districts everywhere obviously should not ignore such threatening drawings, but they should still be rational and allow cooler heads to prevail.