http://gma.yahoo.com/first-grader-suspended-gun-gesture-173036429--abc-news-topstories.html

Quote :

" A 6-year-old boy who was suspended from his elementary school for making a gun gesture with his hand and saying "pow" is fighting his suspension through a lawyer. The Montgomery County School District suspended first grader Rodney Lynch for pointing his finger at a classmate, which they said constituted a threat of gun violence, according to Robin Ficker, the attorney defending Lynch. "His record says suspended for 'threatening to shoot a student' and that's a lie," Ficker told ABC News today. "He wasn't threatening a student, he's never been around a gun, he doesn't know what a gun is, he doesn't know what killing anyone is, he had no intent to harm anyone." Lynch, who was suspended for one school day, told ABC News affiliate WJLA that he was playing when he made the gesture, and that his friend said "pow." Officials of the school and the school district did not immediately return calls and emails from ABCNews.com. In a letter to Lynch's parents, the vice principal of Roscoe R. Nix Elementary School said their son had been sent to the principal's office three times on Dec. 20 for pretending his fingers were scissors and then a gun. After the third incident, he was suspended, according to the letter, obtained by WJLA. "Yet, after meeting with the counselor and assistant principal," the letter says, "Rodney chose to point his finger at a female classmate and say 'Pow.'" Ficker filed an appeal with the principal of Nix Elementary School seeking to have the suspension scrubbed from Lynch's record. "We filed an appeal with the principal. They're branding him, throwing him under the bus," Ficker said. "If they don't expunge that record then we're going to court. We'll go all the way. That should not be on this meek little child's record. There was no intent to shoot anyone. He was playing. " Ficker said that the school district had no rules or punishments outlined for students who made hand gestures at other students. "There are Montgomery County school district regulations that say if you bring a gun or a knife onto campus, you're suspended. There is no regulation that says if you point your finger or make a motion with your fist that says what gestures result in suspension," he said. Lynch's parents were outraged that their son would have a suspension on his record for the incident. "I don't think the punishment fits the crime," mother Jeannie Lynch told WJLA. "They're saying he threatened to shoot a student," said Rodney Lynch Sr. "He was playing." "

LOL sent to the principal's office for pretending like his fingers were scissors???? Oh No he's threatening to be a 9/11 terrorist by pretending to hijack an imaginary airplane with scissors!!!. I guess paper, rock, scissors; much less cowboys and Indians are all banned games from elementary schools for insinuating use of weapons.

1/3/2013 5:10:03 PM

this is beyond retarded.

1/3/2013 5:47:01 PM

There should be zero tolerance for the r-word

Nah jk, no retards have ever said anything to me about it being offensive

1/3/2013 6:01:04 PM

They are worried about him having a suspension on his record... I'd be more worried that it says he threatened to kill someone

1/3/2013 7:03:52 PM

I would have an issue with the school if this were my kid and that was on his permanent school record. I would also have an issue with my kid being hard-headed about continuing to make gestures he was told were inappropriate.

There's some parental/school balance that needs to be struck here.

1/3/2013 8:36:20 PM

^

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"I would have an issue with the school if this were my kid and that was on his permanent school record."

the suspension and permanent record thing is ridiculous

Quote :

"I would also have an issue with my kid being hard-headed about continuing to make gestures he was told were inappropriate. "

that said, my 4 year old daughter has been known to do things she's routinely been told not to, including make "violent" gestures while playing with friends. as a parent, i still have a major issue with it, i just recognize that kids are prone to ignoring things you've already told them 1000 times and that over-reacting about it isn't helping anyone.

[Edited on January 3, 2013 at 10:47 PM. Reason : .]

1/3/2013 10:43:08 PM

They need to know right from wrong. I see nothing wrong here.

Lets say this "kid" grows up to be 16 and takes a knife, or worse a gun, to school and starts going crazy. You know people would say, "hey, isn't this the same 6-year-old who pointed the imaginary 'hand-gun' at a girl and said pow? Why didn't they document that? Why wasn't anything more severe done then to prevent this?"

So yes. Kid needs to learn right from wrong and he needs to learn NOW. Punish him once and hopefully he learns from it. His parents are obviously not pro-active enough in his behavior.

Quote :

"There was no intent to shoot anyone. He was playing."

He had every intent to shoot someone, even if it was with his imagination. He needs to learn how serious this situation is and it sounds like the parents do too. The kid [made] a gun gesture with his hand and [said] "pow." Sounds like the parents are in denial.

Quote :

"i just recognize that kids are prone to ignoring things you've already told them 1000 times "

I used to misbehave and ignore my parents as a kid too. And when I was caught doing so, my punishments would get more and more severe. Usually it was bad enough the second time that i realized it wasn't worth it a third time. As a child, I thought my parents were too uptight about everything, but looking back, I see they raised me properly and I am forever grateful that they kept a "stiff hand of justice" around when I needed it.

It's your obligation as a parent to uphold that high discipline when it's needed. The liberal punishments that a lot of people from my generation to today's generation receive has created a rude, egocentric society. Perhaps my point of view from watching news reports along with my remote experience here in the city of Raleigh is limited, however, the lack of respect of one another is epidemic.

When it comes to endangering/harming/damaging other people's lives, I expect nothing other than zero tolerance.

[Edited on January 3, 2013 at 11:05 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 3, 2013 at 11:06 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 3, 2013 at 11:09 PM. Reason : .]

1/3/2013 11:01:58 PM

ItBegins.jpeg

[Edited on January 3, 2013 at 11:26 PM. Reason : undecided between and ]

1/3/2013 11:23:36 PM

those finger scissors sure did endanger a lot of lives

1/3/2013 11:27:22 PM

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"He had every intent to shoot someone, even if it was with his imagination."

Potentially the funniest thing I have ever read, ever, in the entirety of my entire existence ever.

1/3/2013 11:30:05 PM

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"he doesn't know what a gun is"

I'm gonna go ahead and call bullshit on that one

1/3/2013 11:36:04 PM

Anyone making paper hand signals was probably terrified of the scissor fingers

(Dude with the rock hand was not phased though)

1/4/2013 12:20:53 AM

1/4/2013 1:47:37 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-silver-spring-suspension-of-6-year-old-student-is-reversed-by-school-officials/2013/01/04/4dcbb0d8-561e-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_story.html?hpid=z3

Decision reversed

1/4/2013 1:27:28 PM

Quote :

"Punish him once and hopefully he learns from it. His parents are obviously not pro-active enough in his behavior. "

I used to sound just like you before I had a kid of my own. Its not that you're incorrect, its that theory-craft rarely = practical application.

Quote :

"t's your obligation as a parent to uphold that high discipline when it's needed. The liberal punishments that a lot of people from my generation to today's generation receive has created a rude, egocentric society."

Hell, I'd even say it goes as far back as the end of the boomer generation.

Quote :

"I used to misbehave and ignore my parents as a kid too. And when I was caught doing so, my punishments would get more and more severe."

With all due respect, viewing that "stiff hand of justice' through the lens of a childhood memory really isn't the same as applying said justice from the parental end. As the parent, you have to keep your focus on the proverbial forest, cause it's REAL easy to lose yourself in the trees.

Finally,

Quote :

"Lets say this "kid" grows up to be 16 and takes a knife, or worse a gun, to school and starts going crazy. You know people would say, "hey, isn't this the same 6-year-old who pointed the imaginary 'hand-gun' at a girl and said pow? Why didn't they document that? Why wasn't anything more severe done then to prevent this?""

Some would probably say that. Others would remark that that's an awful long line to draw to connect two dots. Personally, I don't think you can mash the life events experienced from 6-16 years old of any one person into a quantifiable anything. There's too many subjective variables in life to make that sort of connection imo.

1/4/2013 8:21:11 PM

Quote :

"Some would probably say that. Others would remark that that's an awful long line to draw to connect two dots. Personally, I don't think you can mash the life events experienced from 6-16 years old of any one person into a quantifiable anything. There's too many subjective variables in life to make that sort of connection imo. "

I totally understand and can agree to this logic. The butterfly effect really leaves a lot to be open in how innocent/small events in a child's life can impact their adulthood; as said in the article the child is in the "molding" stage.

Quote :

"I used to sound just like you before I had a kid of my own. Its not that you're incorrect, its that theory-craft rarely = practical application. "

Children are perplexing; they are quite smart and crafty though their overall perception of consequences and the ripple effects of their decisions/actions are quite limited. Experiences stack. If they get away with it once or twice, they begin to believe it's OK. From there, they start to push the envelope, even if its over a long time period. Children are explorers and they should be. That's what being a child is about; growing and exploring. Boundaries should be clear and established early on what's acceptable and what is not for their safety and the safety/respect of others before bad habits are formed. Is it easier to quit and addiction after its started or prevent one from ever forming?

I'm pretty sure any clash with my POV is from growing up in a household of one culture and living in a society of another, and I can accept that. Even my wife says I'm too conservative at times, however, we do have the most obedient dogs most people have ever met. haha. (i know, children aren't dogs...).


[Edited on January 4, 2013 at 9:57 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2013 9:48:39 PM

I think that the entire thing is ridiculous -- from suspending a first grader for what basically amounts to what I'm going to call rogue "finger play" to the parents' panties being in a wad over their first grader's permanent record.

Is your permanent record really such a big deal? Especially prior to HS? I was suspended quite a few times in middle school for various things and it really didn't do a thing to change my course in life. I sailed right on through high school and college. Inducted into a few honorary things and accepted to anything I ever applied for, so this over blown "permanent record" really doesn't seem to me to be a big deal.

I even have a degree in education and don't see the value in it other than creating a paper trail for the school system to cover its ass in case they are put on the spot for any reason. Any teachers who have logged some time in the system correct me if I'm wrong, but that's my personal assessment. That permanent record really isn't worth the paper that it is printed on...certainly not worth the time, effort, and money that the parents have put into this legal battle.

[Edited on January 4, 2013 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2013 10:30:32 PM

ITT we demonstrate what TSB would look like with the added ingredients of respect and tolerance of diverse opinions.

Quote :

"Children are perplexing; they are quite smart and crafty though their overall perception of consequences and the ripple effects of their decisions/actions are quite limited. Experiences stack. If they get away with it once or twice, they begin to believe it's OK. From there, they start to push the envelope, even if its over a long time period. Children are explorers and they should be. That's what being a child is about; growing and exploring. Boundaries should be clear and established early on what's acceptable and what is not for their safety and the safety/respect of others before bad habits are formed. Is it easier to quit and addiction after its started or prevent one from ever forming? "

I'd say you're pretty close with a couple alterations: children start pushing the envelope as soon as the boundary is laid down, and best I can tell it WILL be over a long time period.

To me, this is one of the places in the parent/child dynamic where the deck is stacked for the child: I want to hone an edge on that little human that won't dull at the first sign of resistance while trying not to cut myself too much in the process. Secretly, I'm rooting for my kid when he flexes his independence and free will but I also recognize that we need to maintain that vigilance on the boundaries we've laid out. Maintaining that vigilance can be a real bitch, and therein lies the Admiral Ackbar of the situation.

[Edited on January 4, 2013 at 11:35 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2013 11:34:56 PM

^ Well put. An interesting paradox of parenting.

1/5/2013 12:26:06 AM