He drew a gun...no, really he only DREW a gun...
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Youth suspended over sketch of gun
Officials say drawing by teen 'absolutely considered a threat'
Posted: August 22, 2007
5:10 p.m. Eastern
A 13-year-old boy has been suspended for three days by an Arizona public school because he sketched a picture that resembled a gun, something school officials said they "absolutely" believed could pose a threat.
According to a report by KPHO Television, it's not the type of greeting the Mosteller family expected when they moved from Colorado Springs to Chandler, Ariz., a few weeks ago.
"My son is a very good boy," Paul Mosteller told the television station. "He doesn't get into trouble. There was nothing on the paper that would signify that it was a threat of any form."
The principal at Payne Junior High School kept the actual drawing, and officials with the Chandler Unified School District declined to release any information about the situation.
"Federal privacy law forbids the school or district from discussing student discipline," the station was told.
Mosteller said her son was just idly drawing pictures, and ended up with a fake laser.
"He was just basically doodling and not thinking a lot about it," she said. "We're not advocates for guns. We don't have guns in our home. We don't promote the use of guns. My son was just basically doodling on a piece of paper."
School officials who initially banned the student for five days lowered the penalty to three days after discussing the situation with the boy's father.
"I just can't believe that there wasn't another way to resolve this," Mosteller told the Associated Press. "He's so upset. The school made him feel like he committed a crime. They are doing more damage than good."
The drawing did not show blood or bullets. Nor did it show injuries or target anyone, the Mostellers said. It just resembled a gun.
Terry Locke, a spokesman for the district, told the AP the sketch was "absolutely considered a threat," and threatening words or pictures are punishable.
However, the school failed to contact police, and failed to provide counseling or an evaluation for the student to determine if he intended it as a threat, officials said.
The student's father, Ben Mosteller, said school officials told him how serious they considered the situation, and discussed the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, where two teens shot and killed 12 students and a teacher, and injured dozens more.
That, he said, was extreme and offensive. The family already has contacted the district's governing board about the incident.
The station said it checked the rules students must follow at school, and found there's nothing in a portion of the student handbook that addresses conduct to indicate the drawing of a weapon poses threat.
Participants in a local newspaper forum were irritated.
"If school officials believed this to be a threat, they are in violation of state law by failing to make a police report. Suspend them," said "Bobo A."
"This once great land of ours (now someone else's) gets SICKER by the day. Not the year, not the month, not the week, but by the DAY. Dennis Prager asked a very interesting question: How did the "Greatest Generation" give birth to the "Most Stupid Generation?" (my paraphrase)," added "loamy l."
Prager, a WND columnist, recently reported on the case in McMinnville, Ore., where students created something called "slap butt day" at Patton Middle School.
He reported that on one such day in February, "Two boys tore down the hall of Patton Middle School after lunch, swatting the bottoms of girls as they ran - what some kids later said was a common form of greeting. But bottom-slapping is against policy in McMinnville Public Schools. So a teacher's aide sent the gawky seventh-graders to the office, where the vice principal and a police officer stationed at the school soon interrogated them."
The students were read their Miranda rights and hauled in handcuffs to jail, where they spent the next five days.
All because the Yamhill County district attorney, Bradley Berry, brought felony sex charges against the two boys. When he finally explained himself under pressure from the media, Berry told the Oregonian, "From our perspective and the perspective of the victims, this was not just horseplay."
But Prager reported the girls, in fact, did regard it as horseplay. And they claimed from virtually the outset that they had been pressured into making a case against the boys.
"Our beloved country is flipping out. The effects of The Age of Stupidity ushered in during the '60s and '70s are omnipresent. It is highly doubtful that there is a living member of the World War II generation who could have imagined that seventh-graders would one day be brought in shackles into an American courtroom for playfully swatting a girl's buttocks," Prager wrote.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57276
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Youth suspended over sketch of gun
Officials say drawing by teen 'absolutely considered a threat'
Posted: August 22, 2007
5:10 p.m. Eastern
A 13-year-old boy has been suspended for three days by an Arizona public school because he sketched a picture that resembled a gun, something school officials said they "absolutely" believed could pose a threat.
According to a report by KPHO Television, it's not the type of greeting the Mosteller family expected when they moved from Colorado Springs to Chandler, Ariz., a few weeks ago.
"My son is a very good boy," Paul Mosteller told the television station. "He doesn't get into trouble. There was nothing on the paper that would signify that it was a threat of any form."
The principal at Payne Junior High School kept the actual drawing, and officials with the Chandler Unified School District declined to release any information about the situation.
"Federal privacy law forbids the school or district from discussing student discipline," the station was told.
Mosteller said her son was just idly drawing pictures, and ended up with a fake laser.
"He was just basically doodling and not thinking a lot about it," she said. "We're not advocates for guns. We don't have guns in our home. We don't promote the use of guns. My son was just basically doodling on a piece of paper."
School officials who initially banned the student for five days lowered the penalty to three days after discussing the situation with the boy's father.
"I just can't believe that there wasn't another way to resolve this," Mosteller told the Associated Press. "He's so upset. The school made him feel like he committed a crime. They are doing more damage than good."
The drawing did not show blood or bullets. Nor did it show injuries or target anyone, the Mostellers said. It just resembled a gun.
Terry Locke, a spokesman for the district, told the AP the sketch was "absolutely considered a threat," and threatening words or pictures are punishable.
However, the school failed to contact police, and failed to provide counseling or an evaluation for the student to determine if he intended it as a threat, officials said.
The student's father, Ben Mosteller, said school officials told him how serious they considered the situation, and discussed the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, where two teens shot and killed 12 students and a teacher, and injured dozens more.
That, he said, was extreme and offensive. The family already has contacted the district's governing board about the incident.
The station said it checked the rules students must follow at school, and found there's nothing in a portion of the student handbook that addresses conduct to indicate the drawing of a weapon poses threat.
Participants in a local newspaper forum were irritated.
"If school officials believed this to be a threat, they are in violation of state law by failing to make a police report. Suspend them," said "Bobo A."
"This once great land of ours (now someone else's) gets SICKER by the day. Not the year, not the month, not the week, but by the DAY. Dennis Prager asked a very interesting question: How did the "Greatest Generation" give birth to the "Most Stupid Generation?" (my paraphrase)," added "loamy l."
Prager, a WND columnist, recently reported on the case in McMinnville, Ore., where students created something called "slap butt day" at Patton Middle School.
He reported that on one such day in February, "Two boys tore down the hall of Patton Middle School after lunch, swatting the bottoms of girls as they ran - what some kids later said was a common form of greeting. But bottom-slapping is against policy in McMinnville Public Schools. So a teacher's aide sent the gawky seventh-graders to the office, where the vice principal and a police officer stationed at the school soon interrogated them."
The students were read their Miranda rights and hauled in handcuffs to jail, where they spent the next five days.
All because the Yamhill County district attorney, Bradley Berry, brought felony sex charges against the two boys. When he finally explained himself under pressure from the media, Berry told the Oregonian, "From our perspective and the perspective of the victims, this was not just horseplay."
But Prager reported the girls, in fact, did regard it as horseplay. And they claimed from virtually the outset that they had been pressured into making a case against the boys.
"Our beloved country is flipping out. The effects of The Age of Stupidity ushered in during the '60s and '70s are omnipresent. It is highly doubtful that there is a living member of the World War II generation who could have imagined that seventh-graders would one day be brought in shackles into an American courtroom for playfully swatting a girl's buttocks," Prager wrote.
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Throw him on the terrorist watch list or hand him over to P.E.T.A 0 -
My son drew this last night...
[img][/img]
Should I call Homeland Security, or just wait for them to show up on my doorstep?0 -
quote:Originally posted by rcrxs old lady
My son drew this last night...
[img][/img]
Should I call Homeland Security, or just wait for them to show up on my doorstep?
Looks like you've got a budding artist--er, uh, terrorist--there!!!0 -
quote:Originally posted by yawarakai
I called the school district today and asked if a picture of a gun is really dangerous. They transferred me over to community relations who said no comment. I told them the principal is an idiot and should be fired, that this incident has now hit international news and makes them all look like idiots. They said they are forwarding all comments to the superintendent of the schools. The school board is (480) 812-7000
is there an email address to the school district ? maybe all GB members should send an email explaining how they feel0 -
...Where is the liberal America hating ACLU pukes on this??? Oh I forget, they're out representing child pervs, musloons, atheists wanting to remove "In God We Trust" off our money, tear down vet memorials, have manger scenes removed, fight to have FOOT BATHS installed in colleges for the musloons at taxpayer exspense, and on and on, and freakin on...bleening commie meanies...[;)] 0 -
Thank God that he didn't draw a picture of a mushroom cloud - they would have stood him against a wall and shot him.
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
Thank God that he didn't draw a picture of a mushroom cloud - they would have stood him against a wall and shot him.
Doug
Nah, that would have been too violent. They'd have to come up with something that was innocuous but obnoxious to punish him. Mustn't be too decisive or definite. These wimps couldn't handle it.0 -
In most school districts, at least in the midwest, the school board which hires the faculties and administrators is elected by the citizens.
If the peoople are not happy, I'm sure there will be candidates who would be willing to run for a board seat, and, if the people have a different view of the 'offense', will replace them.
Regards, Bob0 -
quote:"They are doing more damage than good."
agreed0 -
This is what our children are being taught. They have been doing it for a while now. From pre-school right on through college. Even DRAWING guns is bad. The brainwashing is working perfectly. Since this incident is getting national coverage, how many children will be demoralized into compliance?
These kids will reach VOTING age soon. While there will be a few exceptions of course. Consider that with this kind of brainwashing going on, in a few short generations, the vast majority will vote the 2nd amendment right out of existence. Thanks to our national institutes of lower education.0 -
I cannot believe you people are not taking this threat seariously! A kid this disturbed could draw a whole school full of dead kids. What a tragedy that would be. We would need to send grief councilors by the hundreds.[:(] 0 -
That school needs to have "mind readers" stationed at the front door so they can detect the kids that are thinking about guns! Then turn them over to the police dept. so they can be punished!! ...AND then they need to do the samething for the armed services!! I'll bet alot of people are thinking about weapons there! ...We need more people who don't think at all around here ...like we have in goverment now!!! 0 -
was spanielsells' assault paper clip used as well in conjunction with the drawing? see EBAY see what you have allowed [:D] 0 -
I got called to the principle's office last year for looking at Guns&Ammo last year. The teacher ended up being full of s*** because the principle told me that there wasn't a problem with just looking at the magazine, as it posed no threat. 0 -
Maybe its time to ask all our children to draw pictures of guns. All over America, in protest, let them suspend thousands of kids and watch the media take this one to the bank!!
That, in my opinion would force them to back off a bit in their quest for feminizing America.[:0]0
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