Hey, get your finger off of that fake trigger!
Posted on 12/22/2005 4:02:58 AM PST by Hadean
A seven year old Suffolk student is in big trouble for brandishing a toy gun while on his school bus.
According to Suffolk police, the seven year old was riding bus 194 down Shoulders Hill Road, on his way to Florence Bowser Elementary, when the other students noticed he had a gun.
The bus driver pulled the bus over and took the first graders backpack which had the gun inside. Police identified it as a toy gun, but the penalties for having a toy weapon, can be as severe as having the real thing.
Like most schools, Suffolk has a zero tolerance policy. Kristine Stewart's daughter attends Florence Bowser and she agrees with the policy."I don't think they should tolerate that. It's well put out that the kids shouldn't bring guns to school any kind of gun. Last year a note did come home saying that they're not going to tolerate not toy guns not water guns, nothing, cause there are too many toy guns that look real." she added.
Over the past few years, the number of students bring "look-alike" weapons to school in Suffolk has been on the rise. In 2000, just five look-alike weapons were confiscated, but last year, the number escalated to 24. "Often a toy gun can look like a real gun and threaten people and scare people so we have included that in our zero tolerance, but zero tolerance means that every student in every case is treated the same," said school spokesperson Bethanne Bradshaw.
In most cases the child is suspended, as in this case. But age also plays a factor. And school administrators offer advice to keep other children from ending up in a similar situation in 2006.
In this case school administrators suspended the first grader. However, because he's under ten years old he will have an administrative hearing to determine what the final disciplinary action will be. Had he been 11 years old, he'd now be facing an expulsion hearing.
In hopes of preventing situations like this from happening in the future, Suffolk schools offers this advice.
"Its Christmastime and we know some children might be getting toy guns or toys tat look like knives. We hope that they will keep those home and not bring them for show and tell, because we do have a zero tolerance policy," Bradshaw said.
School officials say children under ten could also face an expulsion hearing "if" they threaten someone with the look-alike weapon or if it's their second offense.
Sad.
Sad that we, as adults, have let things degenerate to the point that a seven year old who dreams of cowboys and cops and robbers can't enjoy his imagination.
They'd probably execute my 3 year old considering what he does with toy guns and swords--he's always trying to kill a bad guy/monster.
I pray you and your family are well for Christmas.
I grew up in the 60's and 70's, and was still able to make bombs with my chemistry set!
I wouldn't want to be a kid these days. And even though I often regret that I never had one, considering that the general opinion now is that everybody is guilty, I'm glad I didn't.
djf wrote:
Sad.
"Sad that we, as adults, have let things degenerate to the point that a seven year old who dreams of cowboys and cops and robbers can't enjoy his imagination. "
---He can still enjoy his imagination, send'm to Ghetto Louisiana! He can carry a gun and pretend to be either a robber, victim, or a cop, maybe corrupt his way up to Mayor.
As far as cowpoke dreams, keep'm away from Brokeback Mountain the movie!!!!
//my post is full of Sarcasm!
OMG!!! When are the adults going to start acting like adults instead of acting younger than these children??
This is absolutely disgraceful. Little boys play with toy guns, they beat each other up, they play cowboys and indians, they play rough, they play cops and they play dead.
Trying to push PC, effeminate, wussified behaviors onto them at a young age only confuses them and creates behavioral problems down the road.
STOP THE IDIOCY!! Let the children drive the buses and make the adults sit in the back and be quiet.
What imbeciles. They had to call the police to figure out if it was a toy...
I sure as heck wasn't talkin about THEM cowboys...
Bizarre.....what's next? Imitation slingshots?
Hehehehehehahahahabwahahahahahahaha.....
but zero tolerance means thatEdited for accuracy.every student in every case is treated the samewe can look like we are "doing something" without ever having to demonstrate any semblance of judgement or even common sense.
-Eric
I wish we had editors like you at our nation's newspapers.
[Police identified it as a toy gun, but the penalties for having a toy weapon, can be as severe as having the real thing. Like most schools, Suffolk has a zero tolerance policy.]
The children are being prepared for zero tolerance government; sad day for boys in todays godless school systems.
They are being conditioned for the time when police will search every home for real weapons, banned books, etc. and people will recite the correct slogans to avoid being sent to re-education camps.
Hey, get your finger off of that fake trigger!
This is nothing more then the standard attempt to demonize firearms and brainwash our children into thinking guns are inherently evil!
They will love it!
If they can become "deadly" (hit what they shoot at) and learn to respect a BB gun, they will be well on their way to mastering firearms.
Oh I'd love to see a picture of your liberal sister-in-law's face when they open their presents from you.
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