(Advertisement)

Student Suspended For Bringing Gun

By Dave Perozek

Posted: March 7, 2013 at 5 a.m.

A Thomas Jefferson Elementary School third-grader was suspended this week for bringing an Airsoft gun to school.

This story is only available from our archives.

(Advertisement)



« Previous Story

Commission Ponders Election Changes

Benton County’s Election Commission is still considering changes in how the county will hold future elections, but there is no decision in sight. Read »

Next Story »

Library Offers Technology Courses

The public library will help those new to social media became a bit more computer savvy through a series of technology classes this spring, director Hadi Dudley told the Li... Read »

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.

OMG, it was a broken replica, NOT an actual firearm. I used to think educators were intelligent.

Posted by: boyscout57

March 7, 2013 at 7:12 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

A common myth, encouraged by educators.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 7, 2013 at 7:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Based upon Ark's education funding formula kicking a few kids out of school gets expensive. Likely only the super understands that.

Posted by: cdawg

March 7, 2013 at 8:04 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

A year for a broken, fake gun. I could understand some punishment, but a year! Nothing like making good kids bitter.

Posted by: mycentworth

March 7, 2013 at 8:20 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

It was a TOY!

Posted by: Tumblebug

March 7, 2013 at 10:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

What is the third-grade child doing for a year out of school? His parents might home-school him, but if they (or single parent) has a full-time job that might be difficult.
And this is mandated by state law. Maybe we should blame the legislators rather than the educators.
The legislators certainly haven't distinguished themselves lately.

Posted by: Coralie

March 7, 2013 at 11:47 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

IF the toy falls into the legal description of a gun, the law is screwed up.

Posted by: Tumblebug

March 7, 2013 at 12:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

What a way to put education first? Ridiculous to the point of absurdity.

Posted by: spinsister

March 7, 2013 at 1:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Anybody notice a recent comic strip in the ADG in which the kid accidentally chews his graham cracker into the shape of a gun and gets sent home from school.
And that was before this incident.

Posted by: Coralie

March 7, 2013 at 5:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

What would they do if a kid's parents had a gun tatooed on his forehead as a religious symbol? They could expell for life on that one for a number of reasons. One giant step from higher education to the chicken plant.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 7, 2013 at 7:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Airguns, including airsoft guns, are not toys.

D.
---------------
"Experts warn there are real risks associated with "non-powder" guns, which include BB guns, pellet guns, air guns and paintball guns.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were approximately 16,490 BB/pellet gun-related injuries in 2008 (a national estimate, and the most current figures available). Between 1990 and 2000, the CPSC reported 39 non-powder gun-related deaths, 32 of which were children 15 and under.

The greatest risk from airsoft guns, however, are eye injuries, according to several reports. No airsoft gun fatalities have been reported in the U.S., but there are cases where the police have shot and killed a person holding an airsoft gun because they thought it was a real gun.

A 2004 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics said "non-powder guns should never be characterized as toys."
http://larchmont.patch.com/articles/a...

Posted by: fayfreethinker

March 7, 2013 at 10:45 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

FFT,

RE-

"Airguns, including airsoft guns, are not toys."

I agree completely. Learning/teaching real safety is paramount.

Posted by: Tankersley101

March 7, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

2010 Arkansas Code
Title 6 - Education
Subtitle 2 - Elementary And Secondary Education Generally
Chapter 18 - Students
Subchapter 5 - Discipline
§ 6-18-507 - Suspension -- Expulsion.

"....(c) (1) The board of directors may authorize a teacher or an administrator to suspend any student for a maximum of ten (10) school days for violation of the school district's written discipline policies, subject to appeal to the superintendent or his or her designee; however, schools that utilize nontraditional scheduling may not suspend students from more course time than would result from a ten-day suspension under the last traditional schedule used by the school district....

"(e) (1) The superintendent of any school district shall recommend the expulsion of any student from school for a period of not less than one (1) year for possession of any firearm or other weapon prohibited upon the school campus by law; provided, however, that the superintendent shall have discretion to modify such expulsion requirement for a student on a case-by-case basis."

It should be noted that this is the third such incident this semester in a Bentonville school, and that no student has so far been expelled. Apparently the client base is a little slow in understanding the policy.

The possible year-long expulsion (which has not yet been decided on, and probably will not happen) is a state standard, not a local one. You can thank that fine legislature for passing it-- not educators. However, it is not a true zero-tolerance law, as the superintendent has discretion in applying it.

Posted by: AlphaCat

March 8, 2013 at 12:17 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

The comment about educators is offensive. I challenge both boyscout57 and moneymyst to spend a year in the life of an educator..

It is easy to complain about this situation, unless your child/grandchild is blind in one eye because of an injury sustained by an air soft gun. Read about the safety requirements for operating one.

I DO NOT support zero tolerance but I also DO NOT support any type of gun, air soft and BB included, being on school property. Educators have enough to do and supervise, this is a parenting issue.. not an educator issue.

I am pleased the year long expulsion was not put into effect, but hope the parents/child are getting some type of intervention so the same mistake is not made again.

Posted by: proud

March 8, 2013 at 10:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Yearly teacher testing and merit raises would help the situation.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 8, 2013 at 11 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

________,>==------,_/l___
).....--''''[ u"\ lj"\\_****'''''''''''''''''''''

Gosh, what would they do if some kid did this in class? Call in BTA for FBI?

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 8, 2013 at 12:41 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

behavior which mocks, shows insecurity

Posted by: proud

March 8, 2013 at 12:48 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

"Yearly teacher testing and merit raises would help the situation."
It's not enough that we have to test the kids all the time, now you want to test the teachers too.
Speaking as a person who is a very good test-taker--I will spare you the boasting--I do not worship tests the way some people do. It is a special skill to devise a good test and I have taken some very bad ones, including a teacher's test in Florida many years ago when I was a school librarian there.
Trying to find out how much a person knows and how well they can apply it is not the same as measuring something off a machine.
As for merit raises, that sounds good, but who decides on the merit?
I happen to know of a couple school systems that are mired in politics already. You think that wouldn't enter into merit raises?

Posted by: Coralie

March 8, 2013 at 1:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

"The opposite of security is insecurity, and the only way to overcome insecurity is to take risks."---Theodore Forstmann

You are right, Coralie, I forgot incompetance rises to the top in the government education system. We would be having the most incompetant judging the least incompetant. Wouldn't so would it?

A good basic teacher test would be to see how they test against a normal home schooled 12th grader.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 8, 2013 at 1:43 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

walk a mile in our shoes moneymyst

Posted by: proud

March 8, 2013 at 2:31 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Renounce your membership in the Democrat run teachers union and I will walk a two miles in your shoes and drink a beer afterwards in your honor.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 8, 2013 at 5:54 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

What's the problem with this child's parents?

Are they too poor to buy it a real gun and send it to CCW class, so that it might learn that it shouldn't carry anything resembling a firearm down to the schoolhouse?

Moreover, why am I, as a good Christian Republican Neo-conservative, paying exorbitant property taxes in Benton County? Is it just so this child's parents can send him to public school, only to be educated (at my expense) that "don't take your guns to town son; leave your guns at home, Bill; don't take your guns to town" applies even more today than it did when Johnny Cash first sang the song?

Now, before anyone accuses me of being overly left-winged, I propose this solution for situations such as these: (1) sterilize the parents, so that this cannot happen again; (2) draft the errant child into some sort of program that'll turn it into a good boy or girl, as the case may be; and (3) reform the tax laws so I no longer have to concern myself, intellectually or fiscally, with y'all's non-hacking children.

Perhaps this child's church could help its parents and its school teachers in deciding what's best for this particular human. All I can see from reading this mess in the newspaper, is that it ain't got much of a future with nothing but you all editorializing about it. Pony up some cash, and save this poor kid!

Posted by: GenBuckTurgidson

March 9, 2013 at 12:19 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Proud, what exactly is it that you "public educators" do, anyhow? Other than draw a gubmint check?

The only purpose of public education in today's society appears to be prison-prep, at taxpayer expense. And, as it stands, y'all ain't not executing that mission successfully.

Start by disciplining your charges, since their parents (most of whom don't pay property taxes) chose to assign you that duty; it's much harder to break them once they're adults. Teach them useful life skills at the elementary school level - like how to stand on line quietly; to only move as directed; and, then only in an orderly fashion. Try that for starters - see how it goes. If there's time in the day, maybe some reading, writing, and four-function arithmetic would be a good thing, too.

Above all, Proud - encourage them to not reproduce.

Posted by: GenBuckTurgidson

March 9, 2013 at 12:58 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Could put the kid in the Marines, he seems to want to carry a firearm, and like a good Marine, dosn't know why he has it, where he got it, when to use it, whither its broken or not, but only knows he has it and should not lose it. Someone sometime will tell him how to fix it, when to use it, give him bullets, show him how to clean it, and show him what to shoot at. If he follows orders really well, he might get a hand-gernade.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 9, 2013 at 3:07 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Even better, Money - put it in the Air Force. Teach it how to fly remotely controlled armed aircraft, and kill folk without ever having to touch them. I understand that today's kids like video games of that nature.

Your idea about the Marines could work, too. It'd at least teach the child some of what it needs to know in order to reproduce. With yo' momma.

By no means should this child be returned to a failed public school system, armed or otherwise (and yes, I mean "armed or otherwise" to apply to both the school and the child.) This child is clearly unable to dig what's goin' on - you just can't bring guns to school anymore, dude.... Hell, I'm not sure that even the Air Force's remedial video game training program can rehabilitate a kid like that.

(And, Money, I'm sorry about the "yo' momma". I just couldn't resist. Kinda like the kid and his fake gun - I just had to take it to school and show my friends.)

Posted by: GenBuckTurgidson

March 9, 2013 at 5:44 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Totally ridiculous. When I was a kid, boys did not show up at grade school without their pocket knives. We were just not dressed without one. There were many games we played at recess with them, beside just whittling. Many times, in High School, I and several others drove to school with rifles in our gun racks without any problems. Who is the more irresponsible, the kids or the parents or the school system personnel? When my son was twelve, I told him I'd get him a rifle for Christmas if he went through Hunter Education, and I'd take it too, though I didn't have to. We had fun and fifteen years later he still has that lever action 22, and there has never been a safety violation.

Posted by: Oldearkie

March 9, 2013 at 10:25 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Proud just swooned and lost her shoe.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 10, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Oldarkie, then the legislators should have written the law to say gun owners have to act as Oldarkie does, or it is off to jail you go!

General Turgidson, please continue to deny women your essence.

Posted by: ecsmith2

March 10, 2013 at 8:55 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Thats not General Turgidson, ec, but GenBuck. The Gen stands for gender neutral.

Posted by: Moneymyst

March 10, 2013 at 2:33 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Moneymyst: I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of a union. I am a conservative republican.. so, I look forward to hearing all about your volunteer hours for a local school (that would be the two miles you are walking in my shoes). I recommend a dark ale for your beer.

GenBuckTurgidson: I encourage and challenge you to walking a mile in an educator's shoes before making blanket statements of judgement or even making recommendations. You will have more credability.

Posted by: proud

March 11, 2013 at 1:05 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

I could have sworn this is America and are free to interpret as we please. This is America, isn't it?

What?

Oh!

Sorry, I am being informed that this may not be America, that it is, in fact, Arkansas.

Oldarkie, so why isn't the kid showing up with a pocket knife instead of a gun?

Posted by: ecsmith2

March 12, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

RE "I look forward to hearing all about your volunteer hours for a local school"
Although he is something of a risk-taker, Moneymyst is likely as bereft of knowledge of middle-school math as he is of almost everything he posts about, so he probably won't volunteer in your classroom-- if he ever volunteers at all. He might be able to gin up a compelling fictional account, however.

Posted by: AlphaCat

March 12, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Registration is required to make comments. Click here to LOGIN.
You can register for FREE to post comments and receive alerts.