Hundreds of people flooded an Escondido Union High School District board meeting Tuesday night, urging the district not to expel two San Pasqual High School students who were suspended in separate incidents after authorities found knives in their trucks parked in the campus lot.

The students — 18-year-old Brandon Cappelletti and 16-year-old Sam Serrato — are acquaintances who ran afoul of school officials on the same day and under similar circumstances.

Cappelletti — who has already enlisted in the Marine Corps, hoping to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps — had been on a family fishing trip to Dixon Lake in early January and had brought along three knives to cut line and filet any fish he might catch. When it was time to head home, he tossed two of the knives into the console of his Ford Ranger and one in the tool box pushed behind his seat.

The knives were forgotten until a few weeks later, on Jan. 27, when security officials with drug-sniffing dogs were scanning the parking lot and the dog alerted on Cappelletti’s truck. He was summoned from class to unlock the vehicle, where officials discovered the knives and a bottle of Advil.


Cappelletti now faces expulsion, as does Serrato, an honor student and football standout, who had also brought Advil to school that day. When the dogs alerted to his GMC Yukon, officials found a pocketknife that his dad had tossed into the glove compartment.

The boys have each been charged with a misdemeanor under a state law that forbids anyone from bringing onto school campus a knife with a blade longer than two-and-a-half inches. A conviction could mean a maximum one-year prison sentence, an outcome that’s unlikely for students without prior offenses. But even an expulsion would have serious consequences.

“Sometimes I can’t sleep and I wake up in the middle of the night,” said Serrato, who as a junior had begun to think about universities where he might play football. “If I end up getting expelled, I’d have to go to a community college. It’s not what I really want to do. My whole life would change.”

Cappelletti’s mom said an expulsion is a stiff sentence that she never dreamed could happen to her son.


“This has been very disheartening,” said Amy Cappelletti. “He’s the most patriotic student. He never gets into trouble. These weren’t Crocodile Dundee knives.”

About 200 San Pasqual students, parents and teachers attended the Escondido Union High School District board meeting on Tuesday night urging the district to show leniency. Among them was San Pasqual football coach Tony Corley, who said he believes the zero-tolerance policy needs to be revisited.

“There are rules and laws that the district has to follow, but this (situation) is unfortunate,” Corley said.

“I’m willing to stick my neck out for these kids because they are the kind we want representing us in society,” he said. “They made an honest mistake. They will learn from it and I hope their lives won’t change because of an innocent mistake.”


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The school district contracts with a private security company that conducts the drug searches at district high schools perhaps a couple times a year. It’s unclear why the dogs alerted on the two trucks; no drugs were found in either vehicle, but both boys brought Advil to school that day.

After the dogs alerted, the teens were taken out of class and asked to unlock their trucks. They did as requested.

Police were called after the three knives were found in Cappelletti’s truck. In the driver’s side door, they also found a multi-tool that had a screwdriver, pliers and a tiny blade.

In Serrato’s truck, officials found the pocketknife that his father, Sal Serrato, had tossed into the glove compartment after buying the knife at Kobey’s Swap Meet a few weeks before.


The boys were immediately suspended. An administrative hearing on whether they will be expelled has been set for Feb. 25.

“It’s sad. I’m very confused that they are doing this to my son. He’s a three-sport athlete,” the elder Serrato said. “I coached him and pushed him since he started walking. He’s an honor student kid who has certificates after certificates.”

School district spokeswoman Karyl O’Brien said Tuesday she couldn’t comment on the specifics of each case but that “providing for the education of all students in a safe environment is a top priority...”

“While the district does not have an across-the-board zero-tolerance policy, we, along with all public education institutions in the state, are governed by the California education code,” O’Brien said.


While awaiting the hearing, Cappelletti has enrolled in Calvin Christian, an Escondido private school. He’s working part-time at the Sky Zone Trampoline Park in San Marcos.

A misdemeanor conviction could prevent him from following in the footsteps of his brother, father and grandfather — all of whom were Marines. He enlisted last summer and planned to report to boot camp at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego on June 20.

“I love our freedom, and want to be a contributing member of society,” he said.

Serrato is also trying to stay active. His mom bought him a gym membership, hoping that working out would keep the worry at bay.


Both families say they hope common sense prevails.

“I feel it’s good to have rules set in a school system, but you have to consider them on a case-by-case basis,” Sal Serrato said. “I couldn’t fill his shoes. This man makes me proud.”