Posted on 08/29/2012 4:37:42 PM PDT by Renfield
Hunter Spanjer says his name with a certain special hand gesture, but at just three and a half years old, he may have to change it.
"He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy," explained Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer.
Grand Island's "Weapons in Schools" Board Policy 8470 forbids "any instrument...that looks like a weapon," But a three year-old's hands?
"Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way," said Hunter's grandmother Janet Logue.
"It's a symbol. It's an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.," Brian Spanjer said.
S.E.E. stands for Signing Exact English, Hunter's sign language. Hunter's name gesture is modified with crossed-fingers to show it is uniquely his own.
"We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child," said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson.
That's just about all GIPS officials will say for now.
Meantime, Hunter's parents say that by Monday, lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf are likely to weigh in for Hunter's right to sign his own name.
Despite whatever rules and regulations may exist, some Grand Islanders we spoke with said they don't think it's right to make a three year-old change the way he says his name.
"It's his name. It's not like he's going to bring a gun to school when he's three years old," commented Dana Schwieger.
"I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child's mind," Grand Island resident Fredda Bartenbach reflected.
But for now, that's a discussion between the Spanjers and Grand Island Public Schools officials.
Idiot, asswipe, liberals. That’s all I have to say right there.
They are going to pay to send him to private school?
Wonder if there is a different school available. Nothing like making a kid hate his name because others are so PC that they have no common sense.
Related:
Yesterday: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2924156/posts
Day before: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2923977/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2923914/posts
I have a sign for the Grand Island Public Schools officials. It’s between the index and ring finger.
Of course, this prohibition might make education a bit difficult, once it is noticed that a sharpened pencil or crayon looks like a weapon (a thrusting spear), as do blackboard erasers (blocks of C4), pieces of chalk (the Chinese martial arts bang), or for that matter the little star-shaped stickers grade-school teachers use are rewards (the hira shuriken). Okay, well, I'm stretching the notion of "looks like" a bit on some of those, but by less than one needs to stretch the notion of "looks like" (or the concept of instrument, for that matter) to apply the rule to the hand-gesture for the little boy's name.
They should agree to change his name at school. I suggest he be called Ferdinand Ulysses. There’s also an official sign for his new initials, so I hear.
The wussification of America continues.
Me too.
This was the mid-70’s and kids took their rifles to schools in the fall for their buddies who took metal shop to tap for sights.
From the article:
“ “We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child,” said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson. “
And, therein lies the crux of the problem...the “public school system” positing itself as an entity that has a viable, appropriate place in determining what is best solution for the child.
That statement presupposes that this issue is a problem for the child...one that requires solution.
The simple truth is that the child already has a solution, and it has to do ONLY with identifying himself to those around him.
No muss. No fuss.
Home schooling...the only proper answer to federal intrusion into the education of our young people.
Sometimes one ‘problem’ can prove to be a solution to others.
Why doesn’t someone go on the net and make up a dictionary saying words like Shaminafacaly is actually African for gun.
Jocolincinia is actually African for pistol
etc etc etc.
“We” can tell them that if it is on the net it must be as true as H Reid saying someone called me and said.
I think I will petition my daughter (well granddaughter) to name her first “Heynonnydingdang”
Time to switch schools or go to a private school or home school. Don’t bother with these idiots by playing their game.
You are right, a six-pointed star is a much more common shape for a hari shiruken than a five-pointed star, but I’ve seen examples with any number of blades between three and seven. I’m charmed by the idea of a TruTV show devoted to “World’s Dumbest School Administrators”.
If “could be mistaken for” were the criterion in the regulation, the little boy wouldn’t be being hassled. The regulation reads “looks like a weapon”, so miniaturization, being made of flesh and blood rather than steel, and the like don’t make enough of a distinction as they would in your proposed “could be mistaken for” criterion. (The folks who wrote the regulation also get a feature in your proposed show, as well as the ones applying it.)
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