Boy's Toy Soldiers Violate School's No-Gun Policy

[jen276here]

Boy's Toy Soldiers Violate Rhode Island School's No-Gun Policy - kdka.com

Jun 17, 2010 3:15 pm US/Eastern
Boy's Toy Soldiers Violate School's No-Gun Policy
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (CBS) ―

An 8-year-old student was told his home-made hat decorated with armed plastic Army figures violated the school's gun policy.

WPRI-TV
Christan Morales says her son just wanted to honor American troops when he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures.

But the hat ran afoul of the district's no-weapons policy because the toy soldiers were carrying tiny weapons.

"His teacher called and said it wasn't appropriate because it had guns," Morales said.

Morales' 8-year-old son, David, was assigned to make a hat for the day when his second-grade class would met their pen pals from another school. She and her son came up with an idea to add patriotic decorations to a camouflage hat.

Earlier this week, the Tiogue School in Coventry sent the cap home with David at the end of the day after concluding it violated a zero-tolerance policy for weapons.

The principal told the family that the hat would be fine if David replaced the Army men holding weapons with ones that didn't have any, according to Superintendent Kenneth R. Di Pietro.

Morales said the family had only one Army figure without a weapon (he was carrying binoculars), so David wore a plain baseball cap on the day of the visit.

"Nothing was being done to limit patriotism, creativity, other than find an alternative to a weapon," Di Pietro said.

The district does not allow images of weapons or drugs on clothing. For example, a student would not be permitted to wear a shirt with a picture of a marijuana leaf on it, the superintendent said.

The principal "wasn't denying the patriotism," he said. "That just is the wrong and unfair image of one of our finest principals."

Morales said her son was inspired to honor the military after striking up a friendship last summer with a neighbor in the Army.

Banning the hat "sent the wrong message to the kids, because it wasn't in any way to cause any harm to anyone," she said. "You're talking about Army men. This wasn't about guns."

The story was first reported by CBS affiliate WPRI-TV in Providence. Watch a video report from WPRI here.



So what do you think?

[justmama]

I think it's a classic example of how to get stupid people to have common sense, Add a law/rule. A kid here got suspended for bringing a plastic knife to cut her apple.

[allison1887]

I think in Georgia we have just passed a rule that changes the zero tolerance rules and make them more applicable to the crime. More states need to do the same.

[bali1228]

Speaking as a RI native, not our proudest moment. However it is Coventry, and for a state that's only 45 miles long and 35 miles wide.....that counts as the boonies and what more can be expected of those bumpkins .j/k I live 3 cities away....or 20 minutes drive lol .
The whole zero tolerance thing is getting ridiculous, not just here but everywhere. Kids getting suspended because they brought in a tylenol or a plastic knife to spread the cream cheese on their bagel? Leave the drug and weapons suspensions to the schools that need to have metal detectors and armed security at their doors.....leave the poor kids be and teach for goodness sake!

[loaslaen]

I think I would tear out every page in my child's history book that depicts war/guns and send them with a note to the teacher/principal and tell them it violates the no weapons in school policy just to show them how ignorant their decision was.

[justmama]

I think I would tear out every page in my child's history book that depicts war/guns and send them with a note to the teacher/principal and tell them it violates the no weapons in school policy just to show them how ignorant their decision was.

[beth119]

I think in Georgia we have just passed a rule that changes the zero tolerance rules and make them more applicable to the crime. More states need to do the same.

Yeah, well a little to late if you ask me. My kid got in trouble awhile ago for having a piece of a plant (dried seed pod from one of the palms) on the bus. The end was "pointy" and could be used as a weapon.

[meggers]

I think I would tear out every page in my child's history book that depicts war/guns and send them with a note to the teacher/principal and tell them it violates the no weapons in school policy just to show them how ignorant their decision was.

Yeah, well a little to late if you ask me. My kid got in trouble awhile ago for having a piece of a plant (dried seed pod from one of the palms) on the bus. The end was "pointy" and could be used as a weapon.

Wow! Did they say anything afterwards, like "okay, we're idiots & we're sorry about that?" Anything?

[PridesnotPower]

that was funny loaslen. ha! They need to act with some discretion. They dont have to enforce the no guns issue on minor things. but i guess they dont want to be seen as unfair? who knows

[cupunlvr]

I am undecided but not sure I think this was inappropriate. Zero tolerance means ZERO will be tolerated. No gray areas. It is clearly defined black and white. So why is some one always trying to make an exception?

The zero tolerance rule is extreme but it came to be out of extreme circumstances like Columbine and similar incidents.

What really is the big deal? so the kid couldn't display his little toy soldiers with the weapons, he was still allowed to wear the ones that had binoculars

The rule is in place to protect our children from school violence. Why fight with the people that are trying to protect our children?