Pa. kindergartner suspended for bubble gun remark, and other stupid 'zero tolerance' stories

reply to post by HomerinNC

And this is 4 year old terorist? (That is me from 1969 in Yugoslavia)

reply to post by HomerinNC


I guess some people dont under ZERO TOLERANCE. It means they will not tolerate any guns of any sort. Plastic or metal big or small, ZERO means zero. Mom and Dad had to be inconvenienced and go to school. Oh poor parents and this child is being bullied right? NO. Change the rules if you need but until then zero means zero.

reply to post by dragnik


I raised three boys and none of them ever had a toy gun. NEVER. Not even a water gun. I didnt raise soldiers in training. I even kept the violent video games out of the house.

Originally posted by karen61560
reply to post by dragnik

 

I raised three boys and none of them ever had a toy gun. NEVER. Not even a water gun. I didnt raise soldiers in training. I even kept the violent video games out of the house.

Funny you should say that because I had cap guns and water guns and BB guns all through my childhood starting when I was old enough to hold something in my hand. And guess what? I've never fired a gun at another human being and in fact, I don't even own a gun and haven't for most of my adult life.

I wasn't a soldier in training. I was a kid playing with toys. I'm not a pilot or a boat captain either. I had plenty of toy planes and boats but they were just toys.

Originally posted by bastet11

Originally posted by BrianFlanders

I have had this on the back of my mind lately. Especially since Aurora. I am also noticing a huge increase in locally and nationally reported stories of people committing bizarre acts (eg. A homeless man punched and threw a woman on to some train tracks. Unlike the other cases in which people were killed, this woman managed to get off the tracks, thank heavens..) In each case, the news has been careful to report that these people are mentally ill.

Exactly the same thing I noticed. I also noticed someone in another forum I visit made a comment about the need for "cracking down on mental health" (or something to that effect) in America that I found very odd at least several months ago. This was a comment from someone I thought I knew (have been posting alongside this person for years). I didn't think much more about it until recently. The way this person said it. They talked as though there were so many millions of "mentally ill" people who belong in some kind of institutions. Both for their own good and "for the public good" (as these types are fond of saying).

reply to post by HomerinNC

Thank you Comrade Obama and your liberal left for this beyond ridiculous crap going on in schools. This 'zero tolerance' crap has gone WAY too far.

How the heck do you blame Obama for the decisions made by an elementary school staff?

Where do you get that kind of logic? That's like calling you a bad parent because the kids down the street behave poorly.

Your statement has got to be the most ignorant, idiotic thing I've read all week.

I suppose it's Obama's fault that you fail too.

ETA:

The girl made a threatening statement to another student. She said "I'm going to shoot you". She didn't need to have any toy at all. What she said is enough to deserve some kind of punishment by the school staff.

I don't think kids should be allowed to bring any kinds of toys to school. It does nothing but create problems. The toys can be stolen. They can cause fights. They create a distraction. They can be used to embarrass or bully other kids. They can be used to show off or as a status symbol (the rich kid brings expensive toys).

School policies are set by local administrations - city, county, state. They start from the bottom up. There is very little that comes from the federal level. Standard testing, the curriculum and a few others come from the top down.

Originally posted by aero56
reply to post by AwakeinNM

 

These children should rightfully be suspended. Try to understand the feelings of the other person to whom they were pointing their "gun". Clearly these kids mimic what they see and hear. There generally is only one meaning behind pointing a gun at someone.

So, you never played "cops and robbers" or "cowboys and indians" when you were a kid? All I can say is that you really need to think on this one a little harder. Guess what? Most of us here played those games as kids, with toy guns. How many of us here has ever killed somebody? I know I haven't, I haven't ever wanted to either.

reply to post by HomerinNC

I read all three articles and honestly didn't go on a further research before posting my reply to these situations. I do believe these children really should not have been punished the way they were. Especially the little 3 year old that has to use his sign language as his voice is just wrong on all levels. That's sign language, and he's 3 for crying out loud.
Making him feel like his name is bad. I could not imagine the anguish his parents are feeling.

Okay I've been pondering wether or not to reply to this thread...I have a little story about what happened to my son. It doesnt involve a gun type gesture or any gesture at that, but it has to do with a weapon and a pure accident at that.

I would like to share my story here, I wanted to make a thread but I am nervous to do so.

My son brought a pocket knife to school by accident. His dad had given it to him the night before as a little gift I guess because he's a boy and what little boy wouldn't want a pocket knife.

He's only 7 so I objected at first but then my husband sat down and showed him and taught him the dangers of it, like how he could cut himself and such, and also you only use it when you absolutely need it.

So here goes, My son put the pocket knife in his jacket pocket the night my husband gave it to him.
The next day, I had no idea it was in his jacket pocket and I put his jacket on him.
My son had forgotten as well, and dint put his hands in his pockets for any reason....so there it stayed.

I got a call from the school that my son had brought a pocket knife to school, and I needed to come get the knife and have a conference with the principle and my son.

The principle told me that he cried and cried when he was sent to the office, and kept repeating I didn't mean to.
I kinda freaked out. I almost hyperventilated because I don't know I have anxieties anyway and this was a huge thing to happen. Well not huge but pretty big.

He got a home suspension. Which in this district means I had a conference with my son alone in an office type room, with an oval table in all. It was a little creepy in there and I had a feeling I was being recorded.

So the reason he didn't get a real suspension is because they pulled up his history at that school and has never once been in trouble.
The principle even told me that she was just going through the motions because that was the rule for weapons.

My son won't wear that jacket to school anymore. And he it is marked on his record that he brought a knife to school by accident.

So i guess it depends on the school and the principle on what displinary action shall be taken.

We live in Northern MS ...

Originally posted by karen61560
reply to post by dragnik

 

I raised three boys and none of them ever had a toy gun. NEVER. Not even a water gun. I didnt raise soldiers in training. I even kept the violent video games out of the house.

So, I imagine they were allowed to play with toy racecars and play racing video games. Does that mean that they'll be potential street racers and potentially kill people in an accident? Guess you shouldn't have let them do that either, right?

reply to post by natalia


When I was in High school, I always had a pocket knife. Never used it as a weapon, as far as I was concerned it was a tool. Used it once to cut a shoe lace that had gotten knotted up, and couldn't get my boot off to change into tennis shoes for track practice, and somebody reported me. Went to the office, and the Principle asked me if I had a knife. I told him I did, and he said we aren't supposed to have weapons at school. I said, I don't have a weapon, it's a tool (it was a swiss army knife), He said, okay, but asked me to leave it at home. That was it, nothing more than that. I didn't bring it anymore, and nothing else happened. So, I ask, why don't they take that approach anymore?

suspension, are you serious? wth is wrong with this society. kid should be in juvi hall.

this is how terrorist train the kids, it starts with pizza and bannanas then ak-47's.

dontcha know?

People scared of a damn bubble gun, or a sign language that looks like a gun, the list goes on. Welcome to the pussy state, I can't imagine how bad these school facility and administration must be trembling around any firearm.

Edit. When I was in Kindergarten we we're playing Cops and robbers, cow boys and Indians, and army. I can't imagine how badly these teachers would flip # if the kids played those games now.

reply to post by dave_welch


The principle told me that this is a different error we live in now.

Can't be too careful...especially with what happend at sandy hook in all... Is exactly what she said.

She even told me that ten years ago they would have called me to just come get the knife and even fifteen years ago...they would have put it back in his bag and told him no to bring it again.

My sons pocket knife is just a knife, not swiss army type, but it's his tool as well.

The times they are a changing .... good ole bobby d

reply to post by HomerinNC


I personally think that the way this situation was handled is way over the top; and all parties involved are over-reacting; that means the parents and the school employee's.

However...I do think the child is acting out on what she has heard about; and she should be taught that threatening someone is not right and why it isn't. Her parents should be teaching her this. This life lesson should be taught with patience, love and tolerance.

The school suspending her; I don't agree with; I think this action is extreme. Also I think the parents getting a lawyer is extreme too.

I really think that many, many people in society are supper stressed out about all the violence of late; and some of their common sense has gone out the window.

Updated ABC story Jan 20, 2013

Kindergartner Suspended Over Bubble Gun Threat
abcnews.go.com...

Who Is the crazy one here?

Misleading headline she didn't threaten anything. She suggested to her friend that they should shoot each other with bubbles. She didn't even have the toy at school. The school labels this a "terrorist threat" gives her a suspension and made her undergo a PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION -5 YEARS OLD! The mom can't get her into another school because of they won't take this mark off her record.

This hysteria makes me think the school administrators need psychiatric evaluations. I suspect Paranoid Narcissists (Control Freaks) would be an appropriate label for them.

The MSM dragged this Sandy Hook event on for days with non-stop inaccurate coverage. I would be surprised if any kid watching TV or listening to adults talk didn't have shooting on their mind.

Zero tolerance for bubbles guns. We have become a wussified nation - some people, not all.

When was the exact year that common sense flew out the window. Teachers these days dont have an ounce of common sense and they are teaching our kids. A whole bunch of stupid pills were handed out.Young people these days dont know jack about the past because they are not taught it. Welcome to the new world young people on drugs and docile and Old farts have to work until they die. I want to move to africa where 50cents a day keeps a kid going to school and fed. If I save enough from my walmart job I think I can do it and live large.

Here's another article here:

During her two-day suspension – reduced from 10 days – the girl was made to undergo a psychological evaluation, Mr Flicker said.

The evaluation confirmed she was “normal” and did not pose a threat to her classmates.

Kindergarten girl suspended for bubble gun 'threat'

So why didn't the school principal have to undergo a psychological evaluation?

glad i live far away from america. This is just ridicules.. How on earth can people tolerate this.

No matter how I try I cannot think of a reply that would fit the way I feel about these teachers without breaking at least 10 rules of civility for posting on this board not to mention loads of colorful expletives.

I think back on my own childhood and wonder how far in school I would have made it, probably not very. All kids played with G.I Joe's, little plastic army men, toy guns, cap guns, water guns, had snowball fights behind the cover of snow bank forts etc, etc.

Hell, me and my sisters, and my best friend and his sisters and brothers used to go on our lawn and have "acorn fights" where we would throw acorns at each other (and those things could sting if whipped hard enough), but it was all in good fun and nobody ever got hurt.

Welcome to the New World Order, one where un-common sense rules the day. I weep for the way children have to grow up these days, what a sad, sad world we have to watch them grow up in, where persons of authority can beat someone with a nightstick and curbstomp the hell outta them and it is self defense, but bubbles in the eyes is assault

reply to post by Darkphoenix77

where persons of authority can beat someone with a nightstick and curbstomp the hell outta them and it is self defense, but bubbles in the eyes is assault

If we let them pass any more unconstitutional laws, we may be reduced to throwing acorns at them.

I did the acorns fights as a child also. It was great fun for my cousins and I.