Student Suspended For Doodling a "Gun"

God, I'm glad I'm not a school-kid these days. What is the deal with these thoughtless drones running the schools? Unbelievable.

www.kpho.com...#

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. -- A 13-year-old student who drew a picture of a gun on his homework at Payne Junior High School in Queen Creek was initially suspended for at least five days

[edit on 23-8-2007 by IAttackPeople]

I agree with your premise but why was he doodling a gun on his momework anyway? I think the mindlessness of kids are just as bad as the mindlessness of the drones in some instances.

I agree too. But then again if this child goes shooting up a place they are going to go back to this drawing and ask why nothing was done. Tough spot.

Hindsite is always 20/20. A catch 22 to be sure. [sarcasm]
What would Jesus do? [/sarcasm]

I'm in a strange mood today.

yeah thats going a bit far, I am glad to I am not in school. I use to be that kid in class that doodled all class long! I use to draw comic books, doodles alot in school, they would have locked me up and lost the key..
So glad Im not there.. Honestly I really didnt like school.. But this isnt a thread about why I hated school.. Good thread tho. Thanks for sharing

Please, I used to draw war scenes and mishapen weapons as a kid and I'm an extremely peaceful person. This decision is both wrong and an indication of how much our society is now based on fear (the terrorists won, btw).

Originally posted by lightworker12
This decision is both wrong and an indication of how much our society is now based on fear (the terrorists won, btw).

No kidding.

Absent any other factors to be concerned about, I don't get this 'strict liability' approach to issues like this one.

What a pathetic environment we have created for ourselves and our children. I wonder what kind of adults we're raising for the future?

That's just pathetic. Lots of boys (myself included) drew guns, planes, war scenes, etc. in class. Yet 20 years later, I can barely bring myself to kill a spider (and I HATE spiders!).

Rather than suspend the kid for five days, why not keep him in school and schedule some education aimed at defusing issues, explaining the reason he is being disciplined and maybe even having some two-way dialog with the school counselor?

Sending him home to stew and to form a grudge against the school administrators doesn't seem very productive.

This kind of treatment only alienates the kids, imo, especially when the message they're getting at home is that it was unfair.

When the kid gets back is he going to be teased, ostracized or bullied? This could lead to more problems, which in-school counseling could prevent.

2 cents.

I haven't been out of school for that long, but I have drawn much worst things on my homework including guns to people. How can't you? It's all over the television.. and all over the news! If these kids role models are our president then what do you expect?

I don't understand this concept of doodling on homework.

We never did that.

Notebooks, yes, but not stuff you turn in to the teacher.


[edit on 23-8-2007 by Badge01]

I'm real glad I'm not in school these days. They would have put me in jail and thrown away the key. I had a set of blueprints for my high school that I had copied from drafting class. We used to amuse our selves by figuring out where we would put the explosive charges to blow up the school.

Badge01 makes some excellent points.

My question is, how did anybody know it was a gun?



[edit on 23-8-2007 by Jbird]

Another example of the society we are headed towards. Be sure you don't draw or think and certainly don't say things that might "offend." We wouldn't want to hurt some "poor souls" FEELINGS now would we?

I can't believe what this world is coming to.

Wow...if my early nineties childhood was in our age of paranoia, I'd be in the basement of Guantanamo...althought I'm a pacifist in all but the most extreme of circumstances these days, I drew some pretty disturbing stuff back then.

Originally posted by lightworker12
Please, I used to draw war scenes and mishapen weapons as a kid and I'm an extremely peaceful person. This decision is both wrong and an indication of how much our society is now based on fear (the terrorists won, btw).

Lightworker,I used to draw those things and much worse when I was in grade school. While I did get sent to the school counselor for them, I was never suspended. We are living in some very confused and troubled times indeed. I am just glad I am no longer a student in the public school system.

What we are living in is a society where personal responsibility has been thrown out the window. The rules or laws that were used to suspend this child were not meant to protect the other children in the school, they were meant to protect the school district from lawsuits should another Columbine or VT type incident occur there. There has to be a policy in place and they have to show that they are enforcing it, just in case something were to happen. Don't think for one minute that this was for the children's protection, it was for the protection of the school district from trial lawyers.

I'm not trashing the school over this, I'm trashing the people who after an incident occurs say "You should have seen this coming and done something to prevent it!". People in a position of authority are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they take proactive action they are accused of depriving someone of their rights, if they don't then they are blamed because they didn't take action.

It is all just anothert control mechanism, nothing more. Zero tolerance nonsense is just another way of taking over all control from parents, etc. and institutionalizing it.

In my day, GI Joe and weapons were normal and expected for art and doodling..if a boy did not show cowboys and Indians or cops and robbers or military themes they wondered what was wrong with you for not being ' aggressive ' or masculine enough!! Now it is a sgin that little Johnny is about to go on a rampage if he draws anything even remotely resmbling a weapon..what a sea change!!

My 12 year old son, who ius disabled with serious issues, gave a teacher too much lip one day and got her frustrated and they called in the school cop who charged him with disorderly conduct!! He never touched anyone and never disrupted a class ( he was alone at the time with a teacher ) and he simply would not sit still due to a medicine change, well documented. Anyway, the charges were dropped when I raised hell and wrote a long editorial letter entitled " A Police State School System? " in the local paper and embarrassed them greatly.

I would have sued them all if they had not dropped it, and they knew it. You have to take a stand against this stupidity and let them know they will be held liable for any violations of the law or the intent of the law.This nation is GONE, lost in the maze of madness and political correctness that is ruining this nation. Insane leders and insane laws equal insane policies.

I too drew some pretty nasty stuff all over my homework and even the school books that were supposed to be kept clean.
The only thing I'd do to this kid is increase his art lessons, maybe next time it'll actually look like a gun

I'm still in school and now one must watch everything he/she says and does. Even the smallest of things can be taken the wrong way... poor kid, I used to draw war scenes and whatnot until i realized what we have come to and just how scared some are. Can't wait to see what school will turn into in another 10 years...