Schools and guns don’t mix. Guns simply have no place in a school and that is a matter of common sense. But I can’t help but wonder when guns became so horrifying that the sheer mention of one in a school setting is a punishable offence. Imaginary guns are a part of a child’s creativity. They manifest into drawings, games, sometimes even into stories or poems. This is not unhealthy or threatening but somehow, teachers and principals are going as far as suspending students on something as simple as the suspicion of a gun reference.
In a Maryland elementary school, a seven year old boy was suspended for two days for a “gun-shaped” pop-tart that he claims he was trying to chew into the shape of a mountain. His teacher saw it as a gun and claimed that this student said “bang, bang” and pointed it at a friend. The young boy denies saying this and says that the gun shape was an accident. This incident not only earned the student a suspension, but the school also sent a letter home with all students explaining that “A student used food to make an inappropriate gesture.” This child was an avid drawer, a very creative individual. His only intentions with the pop-tart were to make it look like a mountain from one of his drawings, but his teachers jumped to conclusions and took him right out of school. Not only does this stall his education, but also the boy’s confidence in his creativity. What if your child was suspended from school simply for trying to express themselves in a non-harmful, non-distracting way? The student’s father was equally astounded by the incident and says that he “would call it insanity, with all the potential issues that could be dealt with in school: real threats, bullies... its a pastry…”
As if this gross over reaction wasn’t enough, a five year old girl in Pennsylvania was suspended for a “terrorist threat” made with a Hello Kitty bubble gun. All this poor little girl did was get excited about playing with a new toy. She said one wrong word and now she has the word “terrorist” on her permanent record and she had someone tell her that she could go to jail. Try to imagine how terrifying it must be for a five-year-old to hear that she could go to jail. Not to mention, if her lawyer can’t get the red flag off of her record, it will haunt her for an eternity and take a drastic toll on her opportunities. All over a some bubbles. The school also mandated that the girl have received a psychological evaluation, which of course, came up normal.
It’s ridiculous that children can’t even play like they used to. Cops and robbers has become “shady behavior” and bubble guns are a “gateway.” Before long, schools will be completely sterilized; you would think that schools want to forget that guns exist. And for what? To prevent future gun violence? Maybe if students were encouraged to be safe instead of shamed for showing any mental connections to guns, there would be peace.
7-year-old pop-tart incident:
(also)
Bubble gun “terrorist threat”:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pennsylvania-5-year-old-suspended-bubble-gun-terrorist-threat-article-1.1243635
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