Devonshire Alternative Elementary School Principal Patricia Price suspended fifth grader Nathan Entingh. The three-day suspension was for pointing his finger like a gun at another student’s head.
Entingh’s father has said in a statement that the suspension is a childish act from the adults in the school, and that they went overboard with the consequence. He said that his son should be punished or reprimanded about what he did, but the suspension was going a bit too far. Entingh went back to school on Tuesday after his suspension and told his father that he regrets doing the gesture with his hand.
Having a gun : protected right PRETENDING you have a gun : suspension… http://t.co/7OOnZg58Um
— SiriusMined (@SiriusMined) March 5, 2014
The 10-year-old boy said that he was not serious when he used his finger like a gun. He also said that a lot of students play around like that at the school. According to school records, the boy had never been in trouble before.
According to district spokesman Jeff Warner, the principal has been warning the students that playing with pretend guns is strictly prohibited on the school premises. There have been warnings about the issue on three of the newsletters that the students take home to their parents. The principal has also warned the students that there will be consequences for their actions.
Price was not there to witness the act, and the other student did not see the boy point his hand at him, but reports say that a teacher witnessed the act.
Schools around the country have been implementing zero-tolerance policies since shootings have been rampant. They are on high alert and are always on the lookout for signs of trouble. Columbus has also prohibited students from firing Nerf guns at school. The same policy was adapted last year in a school in Maryland when a student chewed a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun.
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