It was a squirt gun painted black and brown
On April 5th, a young Pittsburgh area boy was walking down the hall when a black-and-brown painted squirt gun slipped from his backpack and sent waves of hyperventillating panic through his elementary school. Police were called and his fate was ultimately thrown to the mercy of the district School Board.
From WPXI.com:
~~~5th-Grader Expelled For Toy Gun
Parents Plan To Appeal Decision
PENN HILLS, Pa. -- A Penn Hills student who brought a toy gun to school will not be allowed back in class until next year.
Jokari Becker, 10, took a squirt gun to Dible Elementary School last month.
Jokari's parents said he has been suspended until January.
They plan to appeal the decision.~~~~
As well they should. Now, what did the kids learn from this besides how to get out for summer vacation a few weeks before their classmates? Not much.
In fact, this being the case, it wouldn't surprise me but that they'll likely find a rash of squirt gun-slinging Juvenile Delinquents in the area schools, hoping to get caught.
What did this accomplish besides putting the young man three months behind his classmates next year? Once again, not much. Draconian measures don't really accomplish all that much in these cases. After all, if, God forbid, a kid were going to bring a gun to school with the intention of killing someone, is what happened to poor, hapless Jokari Becker going to stop him/her? Of course not. I've said it before and I'll say it again:
All "Zero Tolerance" does is absolve the school and its administration from any blame; unfortunately, it also absolves them from having to use common sense.
It was a squirt gun, for cryin' out loud! Take it off him, drag him to the Office, patiently explain to him that it's being confiscated until the end of the day, and that he shouldn't have brought it in the first place and not to bring it back. Give him a day or two detention, maybe. But expulsion? C'mon.........