4th grader suspended for having BB Gun at Home

[_ajax18]

I know you all would like to see me speak up in defense of a minority. Ka Mauri appears to be a minority name. Whatever the child's race, this is really messed up. How much more worthless can virtual public education be!

A fourth grader at Harvey, Louisiana’s Woodmere Elementary School was suspended six days after he moved a BB gun that his younger brother tripped over during virtual class.

NOLA.com reports that the BB gun was “unloaded,” and that Ka Mauri Harrison grabbed it on September 11, 2020, and moved it because his younger brother had stumbled over it.

Harrison put the BB gun “next to his chair,” and his teacher saw it on camera. He was then suspended “because he handled the BB gun during the virtual class,” which Jefferson Parish Public schools claimed was a violation of policy.

A behavior report from the school said, “Harrison left his seat [at home] momentarily, out of view of the teacher. When the student returned, he had what appeared to be a full-sized rifle in his possession.”

The teacher allegedly tried to reach Harrison, but Harrison had allegedly muted his computer to take a test so he was unaware.

Harrison’s family appealed his suspension, but their appeal was rejected. They are now considering legal action in state court.

WDSU reports that Chelsea Cusimano, attorney for Harrison, said, “This is a terrible overreaction. This is not a child bringing a weapon to school. This was a toy that was in his bedroom. This would be the same as if you had two siblings in a room and one’s ADHD medication was in the background and that child’s getting charged with a drug charge.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020 ... y-brother/

[_Gunnar]

I doubt that anyone here would disagree that that was a terrible and unjust overreaction. That does not in any way weaken the justice of the idea of equal justice for all, or the laudable goals of the BLM movement, or the importance of safely continuing the education of our children during this current pandemic.

[_Jersey Girl]

ajax I agree that this is a horrible overreaction and that the student is being wrongly penalized.

Did you know that recently a homicide took place in a home when a student was in a Zoom meeting with fellow students and teachers?

The schools weren't prepared for e-learning on a number of levels. Don't even get me started on that. The children are trying to function and learn from inside their own homes. What if a parent is seen with a glass of grape juice that the child sips from and the school turns in the parent to LE for giving alcohol to a minor?

A full sized rifle, my ass. :rolleyes:

[_ajax18]

I doubt that anyone here would disagree that that was a terrible and unjust overreaction.

I would hope not. But the article exists because at least few online teachers an administrators do disagree.

That does not in any way weaken the justice of the idea of equal justice for all, or the laudable goals of the BLM movement.

This isn't what my post is about. While I risk getting into the weeds with you on this I can't help but point out that I don't disagree with equal justice for all either. I disagree when you say equal justice for all is what the BLM movement wants. They go way past that.

[_ajax18]

Well the school seems to be pretty dug in on their position. The kid was in his own house! How is it that a school can dictate that kids can't have BB Guns? And what could possibly be the point in suspending a child from school when nobody is allowed to actually attend school anyway? What does that even mean?

[Guest]

I doubt that anyone here would disagree that that was a terrible and unjust overreaction.

I would hope not. But the article exists because at least few online teachers an administrators do disagree.

That does not in any way weaken the justice of the idea of equal justice for all, or the laudable goals of the BLM movement.

This isn't what my post is about. While I risk getting into the weeds with you on this I can't help but point out that I don't disagree with equal justice for all either. I disagree when you say equal justice for all is what the BLM movement wants. They go way past that.

Equal justice under the law for all is the most fundamental and cherished principle embodied in both the Declaration of Independence and our constitution. Opposing that ideal is as Un-American as it is possible to be. And whether or not it is true that is all, or the main thing that BLM is striving for, at least that goal is laudable.

[_Gunnar]

Well the school seems to be pretty dug in on their position. The kid was in his own house! How is it that a school can dictate that kids can't have BB Guns? And what could possibly be the point in suspending a child from school when nobody is allowed to actually attend school anyway? What does that even mean?

I have already agreed with the inherent absurdity of the school's position on that.

[_Doctor Steuss]

Here's another one from a few weeks ago.

They went so far as to send a police officer to the home. In this case, it wasn't even a BB gun -- it was a Nerf gun.

The young boy now has a record with the Sheriff's office, and a disciplinary note on his school record for bringing a “facsimile of a firearm to school."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ass-police

[_Jersey Girl]

Well the school seems to be pretty dug in on their position. The kid was in his own house! How is it that a school can dictate that kids can't have BB Guns? And what could possibly be the point in suspending a child from school when nobody is allowed to actually attend school anyway? What does that even mean?

Devil's Advocate coming right up!

Heck, I can switch sides on a dime here.

I think you could say that the child was in school because school was indeed in session at the time of the "offense". So looking at it that way, the child violated the "no weapons code" for school conduct.

Take the child out of the picture for a second, replace him with the teaching staff, and ask yourself---when e-school is in session do you expect the adult teacher to abide by the professional standards set forth by the school district for interaction with students?

What if the teacher was seen on Zoom sipping from a can of beer while teaching the e-learning session?

[_Gunnar]

Here's another one from a few weeks ago.

They went so far as to send a police officer to the home. In this case, it wasn't even a BB gun -- it was a Nerf gun.

The young boy now has a record with the Sheriff's office, and a disciplinary note on his school record for bringing a “facsimile of a firearm to school."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ass-police

Outrageous!