Nothing in the article sttates that. Although I don't know about the school crime in the area or the discipline problems the school encounters. On the surface is sounds dumb, but there may be more than meets the eys as you suggested.
Actually, it sounds dumb more than on the surface. I live in the area, and there is a whole lot more wrong here than meets the eye.
For instance, I didn't catch it when I skimmed the article, but the first grader was made to sign the school's disciplinary form in the space reserved for the parent - before the mother arrived at school.
This whole situation reeks of idiotism on the part of the school district. The schools are "failing" in this district, meaning that they cannot meet their required metrics for actually teaching. So, ban all squirt guns! That should help the students learn better, right?
Sorry if I'm too sarcastic. I am simply fed up with idiots running the educational institutions across this country (and may God bless those few exceptions to that generalized comment).