Boys Suspended For 'Finger Guns'
A school official has defended the three-day suspension of four
kindergartners who were reportedly "threatening" other children with their
fingers posed as guns while on the playground during recess.
The incident happened on March 15 at Wilson Elementary School in
Sayreville, New Jersey.
"Their behavior was significant enough to warrant the punishment,"
Assistant Superintendent Dennis Fyffe told the Sayreville Home News Tribune
newspaper on April 6.
Fyffe refused to elaborate on the specifics of what the kindergartners
actually did or said. But, he said ominously, "It was not just a simple
game of cops and robbers."
On March 15, on the school playground during lunch recess, several children
overheard the boys making what they perceived as threatening comments. One
of the children reportedly said, "Boom! I have a bazooka and I want to
shoot you." The onlooking students reported this to a teacher. The teacher
told the principal, who consulted with the superintendent and assistant
superintendent. The suspension was a joint decision by the latter three.
"It was a well-thought-out decision, bearing in mind the age of the
students and the type of infraction," said school board member Curtis
Clark. "It was in no way a knee-jerk reaction."
No word yet on whether the boys' fingers will be chopped off if they repeat
their crime.
(Source: Home News Tribune, April 6, 2000)
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