Candy Contraband

Did a Texas elementary school go too far?  A 3rd grader got in trouble for having dangerous illicit contraband candy at school.  The 10-year-old girl was given five days of detention for having a Jolly Rancher at lunch.  The Houston Chronicle had this explanation from the school:

"To Jack Ellis, superintendent of the Brazos Independent School District, the story is simple: The district prohibits students from having candy and gum on campus, and the third-graders broke the rules."

Is this another instance of Zero Tolerance policies painting administrators into an unrealistic corner?  Or is the school simply doing its job by making rules and sticking to them?