5th grader is suspended for drawing WTC towers

KMOV St. Louis Website ^ | 10/5/01 | Anne Steffens, Education Reporter

[angry beaver norbert]

Who wouldn't be disturbed after that?

[Arthur McGowan]

Bring on vouchers...

Why? A voucher is a welfare check. And vouchers will turn ALL schools into government schools.

[Always Right]

I can't wait for this mess to get behind us, so public school children can get back to the task of drawing the various ways two men can engage in sex.

[F.J. Mitchell]

# 4: Is that a serious question? In this case PITA isn't pocket bread but abreviation for "Pain In The A$$."

[stainlessbanner]

I'm sure this "angel" was not quietly drawing a picture for himself. I'll be willing to bet he was doing it to get a rise out of the teacher and/or other students. Would be interesting to hear another perspective before we make this kid into a martyr for free speech.

[Teacher317]

I would make the assumption that he was merely proud of his work. Not proud of the towers being attacked. These morons need to get a grip and quit punishing kids for thinking.

I'm incredibly anti-NEA and anti-stupid-teachers-and-administrators... but... Smith288 has brought up the most salient point, here. We are assuming. (My initial reaction was "WTF?!?!") We weren't there to see whether the kid was happy about his work, or gloating over 6500 deaths. I'll put a small amount of trust in the teacher in this case, and not in some sensation-building headline.

(If I'm wrong, PLEASE fire the short-sighted dolts!)

[wjcsux]

It is actually PETA. People Eating Tasty Animals.

[angry beaver norbert]

LOL! I bet they would.

[Elenya]

Had a girl drew the picture, she would have been rushed off in an ambulance to see a grief counselor.

You're right!

GandtheD

[pubmom]

I can agree. (BTW, I like your screenname)

Voltz admits his son has been in trouble before
It just sounds like this boy may have had others problems prior, by his own father's admission.

I'm not excusing the drastic measures that the idiot principal took.
As I said in another reply, this was for the teacher to handle.

[homeschool mama]

** A voucher is a welfare check. And vouchers will turn ALL schools into government schools. **

Agreed.

[F.J. Mitchell]

# 40: I'll bet he smiled because of his creativity in using a stick em note pad to make his drawing into 3-d. Pure innocence.

[verity]

Cane both the kid and the principal and get on with life!

[Teacher317]

Great find! FReepers are THE best resource of information!

Certainly the photo itself couldn't be the cause of the suspension. (I hope) It must have been the child's behavior. Since we aren't getting details regarding that behavior, I still want to give the benefit of the doubt to the faculty...

unless they actually admit that the penalty was simply for the drawing.

[Gasshog]

5th Grade - Reinhardt Elementary, Dallas Tx.

Tremendous memories of full-scale food fights in the cafeteria and then the faculty cracked-down so hard after that you couldnt even talk in the lunchroom.

Also will never forget Ovie Ray Wagner bought & drank 20 cartons of chocolate milk, upchucked it all and then they stopped selling chocolate milk altogether that year

He was the most hated kid in school after that.

[NoCurrentFreeperByThatName]

You ain't gonna believe this one.

[Elenya]

This is just more feminization of America through the schools.

Yes. And kids have been doing similar drawings all over America, and yes, many kids use laughter when they can't deal with a situation. This story is absolutely crazy.

This screams a good Freeping.

GandtheD

[Bob Evans]

This was my reply to the Reporter:

Ms.Anne Steffens,

You must be kidding ... right?

This is some kind of early April Fools gag ... right?

This kid draws what everyone around the world has seen on the television and in print for almost a month and gets suspended from school for three days?

If anyone here is at fault ... it's the teacher for not teaching this little kid to draw a little better!

If I was that kid's parents I'd sue the teacher and the school!

And I thought things were bad here in San Francisco!

-- Thank You.

Bob Evans
SF, CA

[World'sGoneInsane]

This is ridiculous. Did you notice the notation on the picture, "paper airplane was here." The key to this story, at face value, is that his father said that he was in trouble before. You know how that goes, they're just sitting there and waiting to pounce on him.

If there is nothing more to this, and they really did just suspend him for such a picture, then you should round some people up and get to a school board meeting. If not just for this boy, for the next child that will be the target of their pettiness.

[riley1992]

Unfortunately, I totally believe it.