by denise e
Member since:
August 27, 2007

2nd grader suspended for drawing a gun.

October 21, 2007 09:26 PM EDT (Updated: October 21, 2007 09:28 PM EDT)
views: 86 | comments: 32

A 2nd grader in NJ was suspended for drawing stick figure with gun.  He drew the picture and then he gave picture to another student on the bus.  The students mother was upset and complained.  The child who drew the picture says it was a water gun.

I understand there needs to be no tolerance, but come on.  We allow children to play with guns (plastic, water.....) and then they draw what they know and get suspended.  There needs to be some common sense applied to the rules. 

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Comments: 32

Marci M. Oct 21, 2007, 9:30pm EDT
I agree Denise. Unless there were dead people with blood laying around the person holding the water gun there is no reason to go this far. Some of the rules are too extreme in my opinion.
LEЯA © Politcally Incorrect M. Oct 21, 2007, 9:31pm EDT
Ridiculous
Ghostly Ghoul Oct 21, 2007, 9:31pm EDT
This is going too far - if i were the mother of the child i'd be raising hell. My kid isn't getting suspend for something stupid like this, i'll tell you what!
Julia *loves my baby girl chloe* M. Oct 21, 2007, 9:31pm EDT
i agree its so dumb and a 2nd grader?? that stupid hes so young and soesnt really know any better
Mary M. Oct 21, 2007, 9:35pm EDT
That is the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. At my kids school they play on ABC Arcade and I found out there is a game where you throw a stick figure down the stairs and all this red blood comes out of the figure. That is certainly worse than a drawing by a 2nd grader! Maybe he was shooting a bad guy!
B F. Oct 21, 2007, 9:35pm EDT
Everyone is so afraid these days... It is a shame that they punish children for simple drawings with no intent of harming anyone... I remember the boys from my elementary school were constantly drawing planes, cars, jets, boats, and people with weapons of all kinds... Some of those boys grew up having fine tuned their artistic skills with those daily exercises of drawing gore...
JoAnn C. Oct 21, 2007, 9:37pm EDT
that's going a little too far.
shayne trout Oct 21, 2007, 9:38pm EDT
Everyone is so afraid these days. I bet that the child of the mother who complained plays with guns,,,,in my experience every child manages to play with guns even if they have to make them out of lego, sticks or their fingers.
Steve *I'd Rather Be Geocaching!* S. Oct 21, 2007, 9:38pm EDT
A stupid rule and a very stupid ruling. If the kid was threatening to shoot the other kid, ok - maybe. Other then that, come on, let these kids be kids. It looks like the Mother is as much to blame as the Principal, too.
Shaunee C. Oct 21, 2007, 9:38pm EDT
That goes to far. I am sure that little boy only meant it as a fun picture nothing harmful. I mean all little boys play with toy guns and water guns ever my 2 year old nephew has some.
Stacie N. Oct 21, 2007, 9:42pm EDT
I don't let kids play with toy guns. Why "pretend" shoot people? I'd rather have them play with other stuff. I haven't seen the picture he drew, so it might have been threatening, or maybe not. Either way, it does bring up the question of what is and isn't acceptable.
Carrie O. Oct 21, 2007, 9:45pm EDT
I think this was excessive. I grew up playing with toy guns and even pellet and BB guns and I am perfectly fine so I don't think we need to worry about children with waterguns when there are real criminals on the streets.
Dena A. Oct 21, 2007, 9:47pm EDT
insane!
We don't all allow kids to play with water guns, actually. A lot of parents I know don't allow it.
Col. George W. Oct 21, 2007, 9:50pm EDT
That mother that got all upset is not only stupid as a rock she is harming her son. The son will grow up thinking guns are bad. Then someday he might decide to join the Army or something just to get a hand up on college. They will hand him a rifle.

Along comes a skermish or war and he gets sent into combat. He will get killed or will be a basket case with PTSS or whatever they are calling it by then. That very thing is one of the reasons so many are coming back from Iraq all messed up.

Thanks a lot Mom.
Sandra T. Oct 21, 2007, 9:55pm EDT
When I read the title of your article I read in the other way... as in drawing the gun from a holster... so I was shocked. But now that I've read it, I understand better. This is just sad.
Midnite Writer -- Kim Oct 21, 2007, 9:59pm EDT
It is ridiculous. My son was in a similar situation, we ended up leaving after much pressure of being asked to get evals, etc. We feel it was a good decision, and our son has never harmed anyone or anything.

It is a scary world we live in and there are shootings to deal with, but why look for trouble where there isn't any.

Thanks for your article, I don't feel so alone.
Jerri H. Oct 21, 2007, 10:10pm EDT
Well....I don't even know what to say....we live in a strange world.
J W. Oct 21, 2007, 11:01pm EDT
that is so stupid
CyberGwen ! Oct 21, 2007, 11:57pm EDT
That is going way too far!!!!!!!!!11
Joe W. Oct 22, 2007, 12:03am EDT
Wait - did you say no tolerance? Doesn't that go against all the garbage of inclusion (i.e. God is against the law & homosexuality is a good thing) that they're trying to teach my children?
Kay M. Oct 22, 2007, 12:17am EDT
That is completely ludicrous. I hope the parents file grievances.
Kieran W. Oct 22, 2007, 8:10am EDT
Denise ~ Thanks for adding comment sense to a subject that is obviously lacking.
PAY IT FORWARD
Jaime R. Oct 22, 2007, 8:55am EDT
Poor kid - probably had no idea what he did wrong!
L S. Oct 22, 2007, 8:55am EDT
People who get faint at the sight of legal firearms have a right to be accommodated (unlike people who get offended by illegal aliens).

Now, if the kid had drawn a scene from the Star Spangled Banner ("our country's ode to war", as Bart Simpson described it), you know with rockets and bombs, then he should have been suspended.

Political Correctness now, Political Correctness tomorrow, and Political Correctness forever.

H.L. Mencken: Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.
j - Frugal Mom - r. Oct 22, 2007, 10:44am EDT
It seems to me that they have a lot of problems with children's drawings in NJ. Not too long ago another kid was suspended for drawing a violent drawing.
Carole S. Oct 22, 2007, 11:06am EDT
Well, where is the parent? Why would a parent send their child to school with a water gun? She should be suspended from work for a week. Also there are water guns and water guns....we are all visualizing the bright colored ones but some water guns can be very realistic. Which was it?
Heather W. Oct 22, 2007, 12:17pm EDT
That's ridiculous.
brenda c. Oct 22, 2007, 3:57pm EDT
We say a lot of things until it happens to our own child/ren. With all that is going on in the schools today every parent has the right to be concerned. I don't think the child should have been suspended,but reprimanded for the content of the picture and told why he shouldn't have drawn it.
Last year in my old school a 4th grader brought a real gun to school and told the kids they better not tell. Someone did. Did this child get suspended? NO! He should have. First of all the gun was a threat and he intimidated the kids. This could have been a situation where some parent could have been grieving. I think everyone is on edge when it comes to guns and our children.
Risa G. Oct 22, 2007, 5:07pm EDT
You would never believe some of the stories I have. My son has been suspended for the stupidest things. Put on detention for making a noise like a tv chimp from the 50's! They said he spit and that is why he was detained. He said that he made a noise like he was spitting. I've seen him do Bingo the Chimp at home and it does sound like he is spitting but COME ON...ridiculous. I've got tons of stories.

So far, so good this year.

I really think that that school went overboard I think. I can see if he put dead people around the one with the gun, but just drawing someone with a gun is no reason to suspend. Maybe detain, but not suspend, and in 2nd grade... They really are too careful these days.
Elsie Duggan Oct 23, 2007, 3:06am EDT
I think this mother that complained about the picture was a little out there, if the kid had a water gun and squirted her kid with it, well if that upset him he should have had the watergun taken away from him, but hey, a picture he drew, this is very sad.

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