There are places in the U.S. where you can almost expect certain wacko Liberal politically correct behavior; however Virginia isn’t generally one of them. Alas, apparently even the “Old Dominion” is not immune from idiots, at least in the school systems.
Last Friday two Suffolk County second graders were sent home and then suspended for the crime of pointing a loaded pencil. Yes, you read that right: pencil.
The two classmates pointed a pencil at each other and made shooting noises — innocent play between friends. They were pretending they were in the military,” one of the parents Wendy Marshall said.
Though what Ms. Marshall sees as innocent, is considered threatening behavior by the Suffolk Public Schools.
“We consider it intimidating and threatening,” said Bethanne Bradshaw, school division spokeswoman. “It doesn’t have a place in the classroom.”
The boys were suspended for Monday and Tuesday of this week for violating the division’s weapons policy. The penalty could’ve been much worse, with the possibility of up to 10 days suspension; of course that would probably require the use of a much thicker pencil.
When Marshall learned why her son, Christopher, had been punished, she deemed the situation “ridiculous.”
“I thought they were going overboard,” she said.
Her son, whose father used to be an active-duty Marine, meant no harm, Marshall said, and he’s never been in trouble at school before.
“Common sense and judgment should have been used,” Marshall said.
The school division’s “no-tolerance” policy toward weapons has been in place for at least two decades, Bradshaw said. Pointing a finger in a threatening manner and drawing a picture of a gun also are forbidden, she said.
“It’s an effort to try to get kids not to bring any form of violence — even if it’s violent play — into the classroom,” Bradshaw said.
For children as young as seven, pointing a pencil and making noises is one way they use their imaginations, according to Andrea DeBruin-Parecki, graduate program director of early childhood education at Old Dominion University. They may simply be imitating something they saw on TV or in a movie, she said.
“It’s a teachable moment. It’s not a suspension moment for a seven year-old,” DeBruin-Parecki said. “You call the boys aside, and you explain to them why it’s not appropriate to do this in school.”
Pointing a pencil and making shooting noises could be considered a legitimate threat to some students, Bradshaw said. That’s why the school system leaves little leeway, she said.
“There has to be a consequence because it’s a rule,” Bradshaw said. “And it’s a rule that the principals go over.”
It makes you wonder whether Ms. Bradshaw realizes how ridiculous she sounds? How many of these episodes of political correctness must we endure before we start suspending the morons that make or enforce such rules?
Once the left-wing radicals have removed all the violence from movies and television programs, then they can stand on their lofty perches and crush the imagination of the next generation. Until then they need to climb back under their rocks and focus on electing the next useless politician.
—————————————————————
Listen to Mr. Kaplan on NTN Radio Fridays at 8pm EDT
Subscribe to Mr. Kaplan’s articles at Examiner.com
Read Mr. Kaplan’s blog at Conservatively Speaking
Email Mr. Kaplan at ken@conservativelyspeaking.us
Follow Mr. Kaplan’s tweets at ConsSpeaking