J.B. may be the ultimate example of the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) pledge to give up their gun when it is pried from their cold, dead hands. In the case of six-year-old J.B., his gun is his hand. J.B. this week became the latest child to be suspended for pointing a finger gun. In this case, the adults at the Bagley Elementary School in Jefferson County, Alabama believed that a finger gun violated their zero tolerance policy. We have previously discussed the lunacy of the zero tolerance policies under which teachers discipline children by exercising zero thought or judgment.
Jerrod Belcher says that his son was engaged in a game of “cops and robbers.” A notice of suspension shared with Fox News Digital states that Belcher’s son committed a “Class III” infraction on September 1 by “using his fingers to shoot at another student.” The fact that the district would put such an inane rule into the writing is particularly glaring.
Years ago, I wrote about the growing movement against toy guns (here and here).
Since then, districts have disciplined toddlers and children for this harmless game (here and here and here and here and here and here and here) while also implementing buy back programs for toy guns. Some teachers have actually called the police on finger gun felons. Even drawing a picture of a gun can lead to suspension.
Apparently, J.B. not only engaged in a game of cops and robbers but actually added “bang, bang” to the game. It is shocking that such a menace was allowed to remain free in our society.
This absurdity is reportedly the product of Donna Page, Assistant Principal at Bagley Elementary School, who was given the report of a finger gun and immediately began a disciplinary process against J.B. Rather than use a modicum of discretion and common sense to protect this child, the school proceeded with formal disciplinary measures for a “3.22 Threat” infraction.
One can only imagine school security officers yelling “Code 3.22” into walkie talkies as adults scramble to face the threat of J.B.’s fully loaded finger guns. After all, J.B. could imagine any calibre of weapon and has no limitation on reloading or ammo.
According to the Student and Parent Handbook for Bagley Elementary, Article 3.22 is “THREAT / INTIMIDATION (OF STUDENT)” includes “a threat to do serious bodily harm or violence to another student by word or act, cyber bullying, or intimidation that may induce fear into another.” Examples given are “a threat to kill, maim, or inflict serious harm; a threat to inflict harm involving the use of any weapon, explosive, firearm, knife, prohibited object, or other object which may be perceived by the individual being threatened as capable of inflicting bodily harm.”
What is striking about that rule is that it clearly does not fit a finger gun used in a game of cops and robbers. Yet, the school hammered this six-year-old because administrators prefer to suspend a child than exercise logical judgment.
This ridiculous use of zero tolerance rules will not end until administrators are held accountable. A few suspensions of staff would go a long way in restoring sanity to our schools.
Thank you so much for letting us know how these people really are! I am thankful to hear all your information! There are so many that deny everything! So sad!
He was suspended for being a boy. He must be feminized, asap!
Contrast this nonsense with what happened to Abigail Zwerner, shot by a 6 year old in her school. There the administration did nothing even though evidence that the 6 year old had a gun was presented. Keep your children away from schools, for sense has abandoned all hope there.
They might as well loop Trump in and indict him as an accessory!
What we are not dealing with are stupid rules. A rule against ” threat[s] to do serious bodily harm or violence to another student” is not only perfectly reasonable, but ethically mandated.
What we are dealing with are creative interpretations of reasonable rules that stretch them beyond the point of incoherence.
“. . . child to be suspended for pointing a finger gun.”
So a six-year-old with a finger is a lethal threat. But Antifa arsonists are “mostly peaceful.”
I think I’m beginning to understand how this works.
“. . . a game of ‘cops and robbers.’”
There was his mistake. If he had been playing just “robbers,” the Left would’ve given him an “attaboy.”
“why were you arrested, Bobby?” “Well, mommy, I pointed at an error on the blackboard the same time that I farted. Everyone ran from the room screaming and crying. The police came, tazered me, handcuffed me and arrested me for domestic terrorism”.
Millhouse
Yes, the same idiot who would ask an open carry patriot if his gun is loaded, would misconstrue gun statistics. But in this case, he knows goddam well why the AL rate is higher than NY.
Lets dig a little deeper into McInlyre’s horse manure. He gets his stat (24.6) from the first thing that pops up on google, like any good little lefty does. Its from the CDC website. What he either doesnt notice or fails to mention is that its from 2021, BEFORE Alabama repealed concealed carry permits. Whatever feeds the narrative, eh Dennis.
More importantly, he doesnt bother to compare the gun HOMICIDE rate of Alabama (5 million people) to say, Chicago (2.5 million people)
The Alabama gun homicide rate is 16. Chicago is 29. I guess Alabama just needs stricter gun laws like Chicago.
Now lets look at the gun HOMICIDE rate for Birmingham, the largest city in Alabama. Hey Dennis, how about SEVENTY THREE. you get that??? Thats a 7 followed by a 3.
Why is that Dennis? Because the last time I googled it, it was still illegal to shoot someone in birmingham.
Yet given a choice between walking thru Bham or Chicago, i’ll take bham all day and twice on sunday. And i suspect Dennis would too. You know why? Because thats 144 homicides vs over 600 in chicago. 2600 shootings in chicago last year. Its not raining bullets in Alabama, Dennis. Maybe Chicago just doesnt have enough gun laws, eh?
So yea, lets crack down on those loaded finger toting kids in rural Alabama, cuz thats where it starts.