School calls police when 6yo with Down syndrome points finger at teacher

A Pennsylvania elementary school called the police after a kindergartner with Down syndrome made a finger gun at her teacher.

Margot's school in southeast Pennsylvania determined her actions appeared threatening

Administrators concluded that Margot made a "transient threat" and didn't intend to harm anyone, but they still called Tredyffrin police.

Source

I'm posting this because the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District needs to be named and shamed for this ridiculous crap. A 6 year old girl with Down syndrome made a "finger gun" at a teacher, which the school somehow thought was threatening. After investigating the incident, school administrators decided that the 6 year old girl with Down syndrome wasn't trying to or intending to actually harm anyone... And then decided to call the police anyway.
So...
1. 6 year old with Down syndrome points her finger at a teacher
2. School feels there may be a threat and investigates
3. School determines that the 6 year old with Down syndrome isn't trying or planning to shoot up the school
4. School decides they need to call the police anyway

The girl's mother, Maggie Gaines, is now speaking out and asking schools to use a thing called common sense.

I know from my own personal experience that there are teachers and individuals who work with children because they enjoy the feeling of power they get from having authority over others, even if it is just children or teenagers - much in the same way some police officers become police officers because they enjoy that feeling of having power and control over other people. There are teachers who will, at seeing the tiniest little thing, run to the administrators to report their "concerns" and make a huge situation out of nothing - because it makes them feel powerful, or important, or just because it excites them. I had a teacher who would sit next to me and try to antagonize me, even going so far as showing me pictures of her children and asking me if I'd ever hurt them, or asking me if I ever wanted to blow up the school - hoping, of course, that I'd make some snappy comment at her which she could then use to pretend she's in dire fear of her or her children's life.

I think that the school district in this story not only needs to look at their policies for reporting incidents, but also look at the teacher who somehow felt that a 6 year old with a finger was a threat to their life.

a reply to: trollz

Thanks for removing the "Fake News" link.

Obviously, the school overreacted, but they probably have some no tolerance rule, and used this child as an example for others.

originally posted by: Sookiechacha
a reply to: trollz

So this is "Fake News"? Why report on a story with a fake news link?

How is this fake news?

a reply to: Atsbhct

The original link to the story, before the OP edited it, said FAKE NEWS...CNN.

I would be interested to hear all the facts about this story, rather than the cuts and soundbites which are cherry picked by the media to create a story that gets people talking.

*ring ring*

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“A child pointed at me”

*click*

This is what happens when you remove all common sense. Bureaucrats have no ability to think and be held accountable for their decisions.

This is a CYA on the part of the bureaucracy. The goal is to absolve themselves of any future accountability if said kid did harm someone.

I live in one of these bat sh*t crazy liberal towns.

I have a 5 year old who acts like a normal boy. I am constantly trying to keep him from acting like he is shooting for fear that one of these milque toast gun phobes label him as a school shooter.

Did the little girl say pew, pew or pow, pow?

Yea and if something did happen... 'why didn't they know...' 'false flag... They're coming for our guns'... 'actors..'


This is the society we live in. Kids somehow have unmitigated access to guns, and they massacre one another.. Who's to blame; since blaming others is what we do best, who's to blame? Where else do stories like these happen in first world nations?

Yes they overreacted, now imagine all the times school officials didn't overreact and paid little attention.

originally posted by: odzeandennz
This is the society we live in. Kids somehow have unmitigated access to guns, and they massacre one another.

How many guns are legally owned in the US?
How many kids have gone on shooting sprees?
When you compare those numbers, you realize mass school shootings are an astronomically rare event. If you're mad about people killing each other, then go after drunk drivers, which are a significantly more dangerous threat than kids with guns.

Jeezuz

Everyone involved should be fired........out of a f#cking cannon, into a wall.

originally posted by: odzeandennz
Yea and if something did happen... 'why didn't they know...' 'false flag... They're coming for our guns'... 'actors..'


This is the society we live in. Kids somehow have unmitigated access to guns, and they massacre one another.. Who's to blame; since blaming others is what we do best, who's to blame? Where else do stories like these happen in first world nations?

Yes they overreacted, now imagine all the times school officials didn't overreact and paid little attention.

You are out to lunch on this one.

They need to ban ALL assault fingers!

a reply to: odzeandennz

Looks like common sense has been replaced with common core...

originally posted by: trollz

originally posted by: odzeandennz
This is the society we live in. Kids somehow have unmitigated access to guns, and they massacre one another.

How many guns are legally owned in the US?
How many kids have gone on shooting sprees?
When you compare those numbers, you realize mass school shootings are an astronomically rare event. If you're mad about people killing each other, then go after drunk drivers, which are a significantly more dangerous threat than kids with guns.

Exactly. The fact people even consider school shootings to be a big problem only shows how much influence the media has over them. We are talking less than 100 killed in a year.

Here are a few things that kill several thousand but don't get nearly the same media coverage.
Fentanyl
Doctor malpractice
Teen Suicide
gang violence

The truth is reducing the deaths from those four things is far easier than stopping the handful of lone nut kids who attack.

My biggest issue with this event is that now the anti-gun movement is using not only children, but flipping AUTISTIC CHILDREN to push their narrative.

WTH people?

Seriously?

No words........just........no.

The teachers would do that when I was a kid if you gave a good answer to their question. It either symbolized right on target or gotcha I think. But then again I grew up playing cowboys and indians and that was a common hand phrase, some people still use that yet. Now it has changed into meaning transient threat?

I think that our society has gone hulu, especially the people running the schools these days. If those people are not smart enough to know that was just a kids hand jesture, why are they allowed to teach school? Yes, it can mean something bad too, but I would say that ninety nine percent of the time it is not something bad. Especially with a kidergardener. Castapo tactics at play here? The kid must have hurt the teachers fealings pretty bad by pointing at her.

a reply to: trollz

The teacher should have tazed the monster!