I recently blogged a story about a Hammonton, New Jersey school that called the cops on a seven-year-old student for wielding a NERF-like foam dart gun. (“It’s NERF or two years in juvie.”) At the time, I considered the arrest—yes, arrest—an aberration. John W. Whitehead wasn’t satisfied with such a reassuring assessment. The Pastor and constitutional attorney Googled “elementary school PC enforcement run amok” and unearthed enough examples of over-the-top toy gun trauma to call it a trend. And a deeply worrying development it is too. Writing for njtoday.net, Whitehead submits exhibits A through F . . .
Nine-year-old Patrick Timoney was sent to the principal’s office and threatened with suspension after school officials discovered that one of his LEGOs was holding a 2-inch toy gun. That particular LEGO, a policeman, was Patrick’s favorite because his father is a retired police officer. [YouTube video above]
David Morales, an 8-year-old Rhode Island student, ran afoul of his school’s zero tolerance policies after he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and tiny plastic Army figures in honor of American troops. School officials declared the hat out of bounds because the toy soldiers were carrying miniature guns . . .
In Oklahoma, school officials suspended a first grader simply for using his hand to simulate a gun . . . After students at a Texas school were assigned to write a “scary” Halloween story, one 13-year-old chose to write about shooting up a school. Although he received a passing grade on the story, school officials reported him to the police, resulting in his spending six days in jail before it was determined that no crime had been committed. Equally outrageous was the case in New Jersey where several kindergartners were suspended from school for three days for playing a make-believe game of “cops and robbers” during recess and using their fingers as guns . . .
9-year-old Michael Parson was suspended from school for a day and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after mentioning to a classmate his intent to “shoot” a fellow classmate with a wad of paper. Despite the fact that the “weapon” considered suspect consisted of a wadded-up piece of moistened paper and a rubber band with which to launch it, district officials notified local police, suspended Michael under the school’s zero tolerance policy, and required him to undergo a psychological evaluation before returning to class. Incredibly, local police also went to Michael’s home after midnight in order to question the fourth grader about the so-called “shooting” incident.
Whitehead argues that these sorts of over-reactions are a reaction to the pre-Columbine 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act, mandating a one-year expulsion for any child bringing a firearm or bomb to school. Apparently (obviously?), that’s not a good thing.
There’s an old axiom that what children learn in school today will be the philosophy of government tomorrow. As surveillance cameras, metal detectors, police patrols, zero tolerance policies, lock downs, drug sniffing dogs and strip searches become the norm in elementary, middle and high schools across the nation, America is on a fast track to raising up an Orwellian generation—one populated by compliant citizens accustomed to living in a police state and who march in lockstep to the dictates of the government. In other words, the schools are teaching our young people how to be obedient subjects in a totalitarian society.
I find the whole situation highly and depressingly ironic: anti-gun zealots are using the security and freedom created and protected by firearms to undermine our children’s sense of security, love of freedom and compassion/understanding/tolerance for others. More irony: parents must not tolerate intolerance, lest we raise a nation of too tolerant adults.
Couldn’t agree more. What do you think all the lock-down shit is about? Training. Indoctrination. I’m already reading about retail stores such as Walmart being locked down after some sort of criminal activity takes place. And everyone in that store, who have no legal justification whatsoever making them remain, just stay put like good little subjects.
Even more disturbing is the reaction of the parents of children being exposed to this government brainwashing. Albeit a statistically insignificant number to draw from, none of my friends with school-age children find this sort of thing disturbing enough to take exception to it. It bothers them. Just not that much…
We are lost. Our republic has run its course. People wonder why the government, law enforcement and sundry other bureaucrats treat people with such contempt. Because we let them.
Yeah, okay, but did you hear that Lady Gaga arrived at the Grammy Awards in an egg?
yes they are.
The NEA and other teachers unions are probably the most powerful groups in the democratic party, I believe they are driving the government policy, not vice versa. If you look at the NEA mission statement and the democratic party platform, there are no points of disagreement.
The teachers’ unions are putting out weepy radio ads in response to Gov. Cuomo’s education budget cuts.
“Letting go of teachers should be based on merit (or lack thereof), not on seniority.” (I’m summarizing here)
Oh really???? You mean that all of you are suddenly in favor of the merit system? That you suddenly want to discard the entrenched tenure and seniority system that rewards you so richly simply for time served?
Yeeeaaaah, right…
Well, at least the kids are learning that a lot school administrators, some teachers and some police are some of the biggest total freakin’ dolts on planet Earth. I became a lawyer so I could fight those kinds of morons. I once sued a school district and had a great time doing it. The best thing about being a lawyer is that you can slowly peel the flesh from someone’s bones in a way that would be a felony on the street, but in the courtroom you get paid for it and people tell you that you’re great. Cool, huh?
“Whitehead argues that these sorts of over-reactions are a reaction to the post-Columbine 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act, mandating a one-year expulsion for any child bringing a firearm or bomb to school. Apparently (obviously?), that’s not a good thing.”
Columbine happened in 1999, 5 years after the 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act. :-/
Pre! I swear I meant to write pre! Text amended. Nap time . . .
The Zero-tolerance policies in schools serve to protect the school systems and their staff. Zero-tolerance is just shorthand for saying that everybody will be treated the same and differentiating circumstances will never be considered. My daughter was suspended from school in kindergarten (yeah, 5 years old) because she bit one of four 2nd-grade boys who were bullying her. He had his hand over her mouth as he pinned her back while his friends punched her so she bit his hand. Sure, they got suspended too, but the only thing the principal told us was that she wanted to expel our daughter but couldn’t justify it to the central office so the suspension would have to do. We also got an earful from the boy’s mother!
When I was in 6th grade (about 40 years earlier) I finally got fed up with a guy who had been bullying me for a couple of years and punched him in the nose. This resulted in a lot of blood but no permanent damage. He went to the school nurse and I went to the principal’s office. He had the report from a teacher on the playground who had talked with a couple other kids. The principal told me that the kid had it coming to him and it was about time someone decked him properly. We chatted a bit and he suggested I either avoid the kid or invite him to play kickball after school. We eventually did become teammates (he turned out to be an exceptional athlete) though we never did become friends.
Times have changed.
This state of mine stinks (and it’s not just the Arthur kill I’m smelling). You can add another place to the list of limiting Mags to ten. The corrupt poloticians in the NJ assembly want to drop the mag limit from 15 to 10. Yet criminals can carry whatever they please. Kids don’t move to Joisey. The poloticians stink.
Javier, I have been assaulted by a whiff or two of the Arthur Kill when I lived on Staten Island. As rank as the Arthur Kill may be, Trenton smells worse.
“The corrupt poloticians in the NJ assembly want to drop the mag limit from 15 to 10.”
lol. I’m laughing that there is Already a limit of 15 rounds. Just so sad at how Already corrupt they are. After 10, they’ll try to make it 5.
Meanwhile, in more free parts of the country… I think I’ll go buy an AK and a 75-round drum with no waiting period or registration or permit tomorrow.
Sure, rub it in. While your at it, why don’t you go ahead and push bamboo under my finger nails? SLLLOOOOOWWWWWLLLLLYYYYYYYYY. LOL
Kids in schools have rights but school do not teach them there rights. When I was in high school in 80 brought Anarchist Cookbook high school which wrong book bring school becuase about how make bombs and how use illegal drugs. The book was attacken for me I was sent vice principal school. Once there he question me about book where got it after telling me wrong book bring high school ask where I got it when told him I check out public library for quart hand me book back told me tell public library should not hand out these kind books. They do not have kind books any more in pulick library. I did go back public library at time I did not tell them what books it should could have in it. But hate see what happen if brought same book my old high school these days.
Its Hammonton NJ, not Hammond…..Hammonton is the Blueberry Capital of the world, and sadly home to some uber PC school officials.
D’oh! Text amended.