Posted on 11/15/2007 7:48:38 AM PST by scottdeus12
EAGLE POINT — A first-grader was suspended Tuesday for drawing a stick figure shooting another in the head with a gun and allegedly threatening students.
Little Butte School officials sent 6-year-old Ryan Weathers home after receiving complaints from parents saying he threatened their children, said Douglas Weathers, the boy's father.
"He's not a violent kid," Weathers said. "He did not mean any harm."
School district officials declined to comment. State law bars them from discussing disciplinary actions against specific students.
The disciplinary report given to Weathers stated the reason for the suspension was the boy "threatened to shoot two girls in the head."
The drawing was inspired by an episode of "The Simpsons," Weathers said. In the television cartoon, a character displays a drawing of a student being shot by a gun.
Weathers said he understands the concerns other parents may have, but felt the school went too far in suspending his son for one day.
"You can't blame the parents," he said. "I told the principal that I agreed that he shouldn't have done the drawing, but suspending him seems like a policy with no intelligence behind it.
"They didn't seem to care that he's only in the first grade."
(Excerpt) Read more at mailtribune.com ...
Here in Southern Oregon, folks are pretty conservative....but this crap still happens....unreal.
If it were just a drawing I would say this is ridiculous, but if he threatened to shoot two girls in the head then that raises concerns. Six year olds have been known to bring loaded guns to school. However, the incident could have been quickly resolved if the principal had introduced him to the board of education. Oh, no! You just can’t do that now days.
With a drawing of a gun? Was it loaded?
He didn’t use a No. 2 pencil.
These zero tolerance stories always amaze me. Little kids are cut zero slack, yet in the adult world, judges have vast discretion to vary punishment contingent on the facts of the case. They also have the authority to throw out cases.
Story says it was more than just a drawing that got the kid suspended. I don’t doubt it could have been handled better, but I don’t think you ignore a kid saying he wants to kill two people no matter what his age.
WHAT!
Using violence is no way to stop violence.
Sarcasm off
Judges don’t risk being personally sued when the perp goes out and kills someone else after the judge rules that “punishment is not appropriate”.
It is not really a Liberal/Conservative thing. This sort of thing is the result of Politicians of every stripe knee-jerking to a Columbine event, and passing law/rules/policies that are so broad, if you bring in a butter knife to school, you would be very lucky if you left in cuffs (Don’t Taze me, Bro!!).
These broad-brush policies tie the hands of Administrators to the point where they have no discretion when an event occurs. Every symptom has the same treatment. Bad in medicine, bad in policy.
These policies are an example of the Politicians doing something. Something stupid, something worthless, something embarrassing, but something.
I'm confused. Was the boy suspended for drawing a gun that was drawing a gun? Talk about drawing out a headline.
Guess most of us old folks should be put in prison for playing cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers when we were kids! Guess all our cap guns should have been confiscated! This is so much crap and the schools don’t have enough to do so they actually look for things to pick on the kids. Get those parents that are complaining a good job. They have too much time on their hands.
My Son and his whole kindergarten class I think have been getting an anti-meat lesson from the teacher. The other night he asked me, “Dad, If I were a chicken would you eat me?” I asked him where he got that, and where did he here that question?, and he said his teacher.
Later while he was happily gnawing on a BBQ Rib at dinner, I turned the question back on him and said, If I was a pig would you eat me?, in which he replied, “YEP!”.
I said “Good Answer.”
Dad 1 - Teacher 0
It’s okay,the kid drew the wrong size ammo. No one was ever in any danger.
Idiots thinking that a drawing of a gun is a gun.
The drawing was inspired by an episode of “The Simpsons,”
Someone had to pick up where Seinfeld left off....what would those in to Crime Reality shows watch otherwise! Seinfeld remains the siccom crime leader tho’.
Dear Government,
I will never allow any of my children to attend public schools. Can I please have my tax money back that would have gone towards their education?
Thanks,
Boris
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