We have a development in the latest case of a student being suspended for using a finger gun. Previously, Montgomery County suspended a six-year-old boy for making a finger gun with his hand and saying “Pow.” Now school officials have rescinded the suspension of a 6-year-old Silver Spring boy who they said pointed his finger like a gun and said, “Pow.” However, once again, there is no action to be taken against school officials for ordering such an absurd punishment in a mindless “zero tolerance” policy. School officials alleged that this standard child gesture was a threat “to shoot a student.”
We have previously seen absurd examples of disciplinary actions taken under zero tolerance rules for drugs and guns (here andhere and here). This includes cases involving kids using finger guns (here).
Assistant Principal Renee Garraway wrote to the child’s parents about this “serious incident” and said that by using he “threatened to shoot a student.” The letter also reference to a prior incident that the parents say was never conveyed to them. Given the absurdity of that action and that statement, one would expect some action to be taken. However, officials routinely adopt this blind and thoughtless approach to students and rarely face any repercussions — encouraging the continuation such ridiculous orders.
The reversal, laid out in a letter late Thursday, followed an appeal filed by the family’s attorney the previous day.
Source: Washington Post
OTOTOTOT
Just a little help, an excerpt from FAS secrecy blog. There are multifaceted number of issues there.
“New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service which
Congress has directed CRS not to release to the public include the
following.
Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government
Operations, January 4, 2013:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41633.pdf
The “Fiscal Cliff” and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, January
4, 2012:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42884.pdf
Question:
How much intelligence does it take to screw up an intelligence system.
You guessed it.
None.
The FISA thread seems dead.
Shame to waste good info.
Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
** SURVEILLANCE COURT ORDERS PROVE HARD TO DECLASSIFY
** NEW PROCEDURES FOR INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM ACQUISITION
** REACHING THE DEBT LIMIT, AND MORE FROM CRS
Darren,
No it is not from my experience. Bureaucrats are surrounded by castle wall where only they rule, and none may enlighten them.
It is notable that the school district continued to criticize the child even in the note they gave the attorney of the family. Essentially what happened, judging only from the limited information in the news article, is the school district covered its backside legally, and made an attempt to make this go away but at the heart of the matter…”They just don’t get it”
Like most stupid and power hungry bureaucrats they will never admit they are wrong and view doing so or taking steps to prevent such incidents happening again as threatening to their position. So what will likely happen is they will cling to the idea they were right all along, and continue labeling this boy as a hooligan until the the controversy resurrects itself again because they again will slander and punish the child for something just as ridiculous. Additionally, they will blame all this happening on the child who will become a focus of their insecurity and contempt.
I hope I am wrong but I don’t see this as the end of the controversy
They only reversed because of publicity.
Three for the price of one!
Here’s a real life modern story of parental neglect.
The mom is a very highly placed and paid executive, and works overtime, comes home exhausted.
The father travels extensively.
The kids are going to hell with many well-known signs of damage to them.
Relayed by a friend with intimate insight.
Sentence them to family therapy, and probation? What do you think. A well known phrase from our bloggers. No ambitions there at all. And I am not a Kennedy, if you know what that means.
Frankly,
Permit me to remind you that there is a so-callled dark fraction. Ones that don’t get any resistanc or primarily notice by media. You of course know this and forgot to take them with the few small numbers of stupidities.
Kindly meant.
Only the most dedicated in a school will recognize this for what this is: Assault. Thoughtless, but still with serious consequences for all children. there.
Teachers as a group are like other groups. They have a nominal duty to perform, but like other groups (I can give several), they tend to seek each others company for comfort, climbing. and commiserating or bragging.
The aware teacher, if she is wise will not say anything. Pointing out joint problems regarding policy is asking to get your head chopped off. And what would be the point of that?
So reversing the trend will be OUR task to do.
Filing appeals with lawyer support. Filing tort suits on emotional damage grounds.
Filing police reports with notarized depositions of psychological evaluations.
Getting together a group of likeminded parents for an open public meeting publicized by an announcement in the media, with a short lead article by a friendly reporter.
Etc.
It’s your kid’s future. Get off your butt.
Stupid….. Stupid…. Is an understatement…..
Could not find a more approprate thread, maybe terror tots 2 will do.
This came as an email from Gabby Gifford. Hope you remember her.
========================
Dear fellow Americans,
Two years ago today, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others. My recovery has been tough, but I’ve worked very hard, and I feel lucky to be with my family and have this opportunity to do something important for my country.
Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings, but no plan from Congress to reduce gun violence. After the massacre of 20 children and six of their teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary, however, it’s clear: This time must be different.
Please share Americans for Responsible Solutions today and join the conversation.
As moderate, gun owners and victims of gun violence, we know there are some common sense things this country can do to reduce gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership. And we’re not alone. The vast majority of Americans – including three-quarters of NRA members – support efforts that promote responsible gun ownership. But a gun lobby driven by an extreme ideological fringe has used big money and influence to stop Congress from acting.
That’s why, today, we are inviting you to join us as we launch Americans for Responsible Solutions. Our leaders must take action to reduce gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership. Please encourage your family and friends to join the conversation by sharing Americans for Responsible Solutions now.
We can’t take back the bullet that went through my head or fill the 20 empty beds in a Newtown neighborhood, but we can come together right now to prevent future tragic shootings.
Sincerely,
http://americansforresponsiblesolutions.org/
===================
Well Nick, if we teach them that they will be well suited for a career in business!
Raf – I agree but people need to realize this didn’t happen in a vacuum, this is the response to a greater stupidity. There are thousands of school districts in the US with hundreds of admins, principals and school board members. Out of that we get a few really stupid results. The surprise should be that we get so few given the conditions and the numbers, not that this happens at all.
There are horseshit incidents like this on a daily basis due to zero intelligence..err tolerance policies. Zero tolerance is the triple crown of policies; Stupid, Lazy, and Cowardly. That’s what we want to teach our children.
Frankly,
I understand your comment, and I realize the schools are put in a difficult position, but the administration made a bad decision and they got called for it. If they can realize it was a mistake now, they could have then too. The administration can make sure the kids are safe, but knee-jerk responses to kids play is out of bounds.
I would like to see changes in our system of justice that bring virtually automatic negative legal responses to false accusations, particularly against a six year old child. Make these morons get a lawyer to think it through first.
Oh there I go with the “T” word again..
Not to forgive the obvious stupidity here but we really have put schools into a no win situation. Every time there is a school attack people dig into the attackers past and find various threats or threatening writing etc. The media rushes to question how the school could have ignored these oh so obvious warning signs. The problem is 99% of the kids in school have said, written or acted in the same or very similar ways and yet did not follow through.
Given that schools have over reacted to everything from nail clippers to plastic knives in lunches to finger guns. No school administration wants to answer the medias “why didn’t you prevent this?” question. The result is you get stupid decisions
Blouise 🙂
School systems often enjoy “Thus Sayeth the King” status under state law and we all know that kings tend to keep their thrones no matter how stupid they may be.
If he was my son, I would teach him the middle finger salute and how to say “go phuk yourself” to the teachers and administrators. They may even ask him to join them.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/jan/03/paedophilia-bringing-dark-desires-light
Soon “Poof, poof piffles” may be a “turrist threat.”