School makes deaf boy change his name sign, because it looks too much like a gun

This is what folks are whining about, while bombs explode, drones attack overseas, and people starve. THIS is how rules are enforced, and how problems are solved.

This is, apparently, more important than people dying, or the NDAA being brought back to life, or the radioactive water leaking into the ocean from Japan. This is how rational and smart our school systems are.

Enforcing petty, useless little rules like this against a deaf boy.

You can’t make this stuff up. The good news: 3-year-old Hunter Spanjer, who is deaf, knows how to sign his name. The bad news: His school says his hand sign looks too much like a gun and has asked him to change it.

The school, in Grand Island, Nebraska, is forcing Hunter to change the way he signs his name, because they say his gestures violate their weapons policy. Lunacy reigns supreme, America.

Hunter’s personalized name sign is a registered sign with Signing Exact English – a modified form of American Sign Language – and involves extended index fingers that the district says resembles a gun. “We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child,” said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson. Really, Jack? I have a suggestion: Take your heads out of your butts and allow him to use the registered sign for his name. Problem solved.

As reported by 1011now.com, Grand Island’s “Weapons in Schools” Board Policy 8470 forbids “any instrument…that looks like a weapon.” But a three year-old’s hands? Here’s Hunter’s dad, Brian:

“He’s deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy. It’s a symbol. It’s an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.”

Hunter’s parents say that by Monday, lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf are likely to weigh in for Hunter’s right to sign his own name.

Despite whatever rules and regulations may exist, some Grand Islanders said they don’t think it’s right to make a three year-old change the way he says his name.

“It’s his name. It’s not like he’s going to bring a gun to school when he’s three years old,” commented Dana Schwieger.

“I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child’s mind,” said Fredda Bartenbach.

First, an 8-year-old boy in Baltimore is suspended from school for allegedly chewing his Pop-Tart into the shape of a handgun. Then, a 6-year-old Massachusetts boy is forced to apologize for “traumatizing” his schoolmates on the bus by brandishing a tiny – the size of a quarter – Lego-figure gun. And now, a 3-year-old deaf child may be forced to change the only sign he knows for his name.

Article

At least we're safe.

At least the schools saved us from the scary kid with a gun for a hand, right?

This is pathetic.

If kids are being harassed over this now, what's gonna happen in the next generation?

Bunch of cultist conformist idiots... that's what makes up a school system.

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


Man, Being from Nebraska, where wholesome old school family values always felt inherent, this is just sad. "Oh hey you're deaf? You've overcome a HUGE challenge, you're parents are probably so proud of you, but your NAME, you're identity, is inappropriate because it doesn't even vaguely resemble a gun, must be changed."

Man, what an awesome country we live in nowadays!

Very old news, here is the already existing thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

It even comes up with a search too

Public School is no place for a child.

The power-trippers enjoy oppressing minorities---something they always vehemently deny; but there it is. They don't do this to the mainstream kid. They do it to the deaf kid, the special needs kid, or the ethnic minority.

The long-term affect on your child is to teach them to mindlessly obey.

Objecting to senseless rules makes you a terrorist.

They break individual sticks because if the sticks were united, they couldn't be broken. So they peel off one or two loners from the herd, and then run them down. Just like predators on the plains of Africa.

Is there a parent who would willingly subject their child, their dearest treasure, to this sort of mental bludgeoning?

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
Very old news, here is the already existing thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...

It even comes up with a search too

edit on 8-8-2013 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

I searched, didn't find it. My bad.

That's not really the point though, is it?

What words did you search? Because the search function gave me squat.

a reporter needs to ask the school if they actually object to the child's actual name: "Hunter"

I mean, that's violent, and anti-environment and anti-fragile-earth.

I'm surprised they don't rule out names like Hunter, Rebel or Christian.

I mean, the real problem is the underlying name; not just how you sign it. The whole tale reminds me of the "Indian Schools" of a hundred years ago, where indian children were stripped of their indigenous names, and were given Anglo or Hispanic names instead.

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


Talk about severe gun-phobia !!

What are people that work with the deaf supposed to do, alter their signing so nothing appears to look like a gun?
This is getting crazy....:shk:

Poor kid...thinking that his name is bad.
I hope his parents find another school for him to go to.

reply to post by tovenar


I feels ya.

Its illegal for teachers to use the term "Indian style" anymore. They gotta say "criss-cross applesauce." or something else now.

Sorry... but I don't think the Colonials who founded this country gave a damn about the feelings of Indians that much. Juuuust saying.

Originally posted by tovenar
a reporter needs to ask the school if they actually object to the child's actual name: "Hunter"

I mean, that's violent, and anti-environment and anti-fragile-earth.

I'm surprised they don't rule out names like Hunter, Rebel or Christian.

I mean, the real problem is the underlying name; not just how you sign it. The whole tale reminds me of the "Indian Schools" of a hundred years ago, where indian children were stripped of their indigenous names, and were given Anglo or Hispanic names instead.

edit on 8-8-2013 by tovenar because: (no reason given)

Go to Louisiana......'Hunter' is a very common name and it has nothing to do with violence.

People are getting so paranoid.

Originally posted by snarky412

Originally posted by tovenar
a reporter needs to ask the school if they actually object to the child's actual name: "Hunter"

I mean, that's violent, and anti-environment and anti-fragile-earth.

I'm surprised they don't rule out names like Hunter, Rebel or Christian.

I mean, the real problem is the underlying name; not just how you sign it. The whole tale reminds me of the "Indian Schools" of a hundred years ago, where indian children were stripped of their indigenous names, and were given Anglo or Hispanic names instead.

edit on 8-8-2013 by tovenar because: (no reason given)

Go to Louisiana......'Hunter' is a very common name and it has nothing to do with violence.

People are getting so paranoid.

I think Tovenar might have been being sarcastic.

Sorry... but its one of my fields of expertise.

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX

I searched, didn't find it. My bad. That's not really the point though, is it? What words did you search? Because the search function gave me squat.

I hate that search function......
It's happened to me several times, especially if it's not worded just right.
I even copied/pasted the search results before to show that nothing came up for me.
Very frustrating at times

Originally posted by XxNightAngelusxX

Originally posted by snarky412

Originally posted by tovenar
a reporter needs to ask the school if they actually object to the child's actual name: "Hunter"

I mean, that's violent, and anti-environment and anti-fragile-earth.

I'm surprised they don't rule out names like Hunter, Rebel or Christian.

I mean, the real problem is the underlying name; not just how you sign it. The whole tale reminds me of the "Indian Schools" of a hundred years ago, where indian children were stripped of their indigenous names, and were given Anglo or Hispanic names instead.

edit on 8-8-2013 by tovenar because: (no reason given)

Go to Louisiana......'Hunter' is a very common name and it has nothing to do with violence.

People are getting so paranoid.

I think Tovenar might have been being sarcastic.

Sorry... but its one of my fields of expertise.

Oh I figured as much, but the name is very common there.
But he made a good point.....the name being 'Hunter'

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX


Its been a long while since people in control of everything in the US became insane, they see the word "rule" and they immediately get nasty and power hungry, they have a "sir yes sir" mentality, even if no one asked them to have it, they just want to get petted and be told they did good.

reply to post by XxNightAngelusxX

Things like this are so surreal for a South African to read-in our collective mind,when we hear the word "America" we think of;your flag,hotdogs+cheeseburgers,Hollywood movies,so many options of choice in every sphere of life-and war and guns+weapons,the meddling self-appointed policeman of the world.As much as we see your flag in our mind's eye first,we see Superior Firepower.The epitome of combat superiority.

Yet within your nation,there is lately so much of this phobic reaction to guns+anything gun-related.Very strange to see this.In this particular case,the word "pathetic" don't even come close to describing the feeblemindedness behind the story this thread is based on.

Its like there are 2 Americas,inhabited by 2 vastly different species of people.

Imo war that is not fought with your back to the wall against an invading force is a senseless waste of life,and if you are the invading force,outright murder-when it seems to be for nothing but territory+resources-which is greed and avarice-but this pc hogwash is as bad.
Ridiculous bloody nonsense.

reply to post by Raxoxane


In a sense there are two different Americas. We are a police state now. Those responsible for our illegal wars want to be the only ones with guns, so they're running a fear campaign that recruits the weak-minded to brainwash the weak-willed to see guns as fearsome objects.

They're patient. They've pretty much given up on the older generations, figuring they'll die off soon enough. Meanwhile they've vested authority in the schools to institute obsessive (and ridiculous) zero-tolerance policies for all sorts of things. They don't intend to give the younger generations a chance or any choice....

Existing thread.

Closed.