Georgia's Columbine:Elementary Student suspended for Gun Gesture with his finger and thumb on Weapons charge

[dmcowen674]

Oh no, don't kill me with your finger:

3-4-2004 Georgia Student Suspended for Gun Gesture

A Gwinnett County 10-year-old was suspended from school for reportedly using his thumb and forefinger as a pretend gun. The school said Jonathan Motes violated its zero-tolerance weapons policy.

?I finished my work. I was bored. I was playing around and saying ?bam? in my hand I did this twice,? the fifth-grader said while forming a pretend gun with his fingers. He said he was aiming at the ceiling.

?The school called me and Dr. Brand said Jonathan?s being suspended for making a shooting motion with his hand,? the father said. ?She said he broke the zero-tolerance policy. He made a threatening gesture and it falls under zero-tolerance policy.?

Gwinnett County administrators were in staff meetings all day Wednesday and were not available for comment.

 

[Modeps]

Thats fantastic. I love the US of A. We've got a guy that does commercials around here. He makes bagels... at the end of the commercial he goes "Try one, and I GOTCHA!" right when he says I GOTCHA he makes a gun gesture with his hand. I want to sue him because he's pointing a gun at me.

 

[LordMagnusKain]

we have to much hand-freedom in this country: what if he was a terrorist? what if he was going to come the next day to kill everyone? zero tolerance MEANS.. oh wait, this was a completely indefensible and stupid action by the school... never mind.

 

[Eli]

Wow... just.... wow.

 

[ThaGrandCow]

Why are people shocked by this still? At least once or twice a month some kid in school between grades K-6 gets suspended for the exact same thing. It's happened many, many times since the Columbine shooting. The question is at which point are enough people going to get together and take a look at how ridiculous "zero-tolerance" is. I'm all for no weapons in school, but what's next? If I bring in a Sports Illustrated magazine and someone sees me reading an article about skeet shooting does that mean I'm going to kill everyone in the school? How about if I bring in a hunting/outdoors magazine? God forbid I bring in an issue of Leatherneck Magazine (Marine Corps monthly magazine about operations/new weapons/other random USMC stuff OMG HE'S A TERRORIST!!! CALL THE POLICE!!!)

 

[Danman]

Are you fscking serious? GOOD GOD. That's it. I'm moving to Canada.

 

[Amorphus]

School officials said the suspension was not in response to one isolated incident, but the result of repeated behavioral problems, which included a threat to kill other children earlier this year.

Motes and his father admitted the child had discipline problems last fall, but said his behavior has improved. The family has not yet been able to reach the school principal, but said they were hoping the suspension will be lifted.

I can see why they did it - this kid sounds like a pretty persistent troublemaker to me. Probably got on the teachers' nerves a lot and they were looking for an excuse to punish all his previous minor infractions.

 

[LordMagnusKain]

Originally posted by: Amorphus

School officials said the suspension was not in response to one isolated incident, but the result of repeated behavioral problems, which included a threat to kill other children earlier this year.

Motes and his father admitted the child had discipline problems last fall, but said his behavior has improved. The family has not yet been able to reach the school principal, but said they were hoping the suspension will be lifted.

I can see why they did it - this kid sounds like a pretty persistent troublemaker to me. Probably got on the teachers' nerves a lot and they were looking for an excuse to punish all his previous minor infractions.

they they should have not used 'zero tolerance' as the excuse, but a general history of disruptive and abusive classroom behavior.

 

[LordMagnusKain]

.

 

[LordMagnusKain]

.

 

[conjur]

Maybe the parents will end up attacking the principal. Sort of like these morons

 

[ThaGrandCow]

^^^
Holy triple post Batman!

EDIT: Damn you Conjur!

 

[LordMagnusKain]

Originally posted by: conjur
Maybe the parents will end up attacking the principal. Sort of like these morons

you never know, a teacher or administrator might have molested their kid;

 

[edro]

I'm glad they suspended that heretic! I mean come on! If he had a real gun, he could have shot a hole in the ceiling! The dust that came down from that could have landed in someone's eye, renderering them blind for the rest of their life! He got what he deserved, the little heathen.

 

[conjur]

Imagine if he'd pretended to shoot a bazooka...or...<gasp> a nuke!!

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: conjur
Imagine if he'd pretended to shoot a bazooka...or...<gasp> a nuke!!

OMG nuke that says crayola on the side inc!

 

[Acanthus]

AirForce: General we have a Macaroni and cheese colored nuke on satellite. Orders?

 

[dpm]

Originally posted by: conjur
Imagine if he'd pretended to shoot a bazooka...or...<GASP> a nuke!!

how the hell does a kid pretend to shoot a nuke? Does he build a little papier mache silo or what?

 

[gistech1978]

Originally posted by: Intake77
Thats fantastic. I love the US of A. We've got a guy that does commercials around here. He makes bagels... at the end of the commercial he goes "Try one, and I GOTCHA!" right when he says I GOTCHA he makes a gun gesture with his hand. I want to sue him because he's pointing a gun at me.

hey buddy this is America.
you had better sue, its the patriotic thing to do.

Bagelman has created a culture of intimidation with his threatening gestures. You fear for your life if you purchase bagels from other sources.

 

[Triumph]

Now in addition to the threat of being murdered at school, students have to worry about being suspended for making childish gestures.

 

[GoingUp]

why does zero tolerance equate to zero common sense?

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: LordMagnusKain

Originally posted by: Amorphus

School officials said the suspension was not in response to one isolated incident, but the result of repeated behavioral problems, which included a threat to kill other children earlier this year.

Motes and his father admitted the child had discipline problems last fall, but said his behavior has improved. The family has not yet been able to reach the school principal, but said they were hoping the suspension will be lifted.

I can see why they did it - this kid sounds like a pretty persistent troublemaker to me. Probably got on the teachers' nerves a lot and they were looking for an excuse to punish all his previous minor infractions.

they they should have not used 'zero tolerance' as the excuse, but a general history of disruptive and abusive classroom behavior.

I agree.

 

[EyeMWing]

Zero tolerance my nutsack. I just got done playing Doom!

9 levels of senseless MURDER on a PA system and 50" projector.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: cashman
Are you fscking serious? GOOD GOD. That's it. I'm moving to Canada.

Well, Canadian finger laws are much more draconian than they are here.

 

[Hoober]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing
Zero tolerance my nutsack. I just got done playing Doom!

9 levels of senseless MURDER on a PA system and 50" projector.

That's right, we should blame the video games!