A 10-year-old boy in Massachusetts was suspended from school for two days for forming his fingers in the shape of a gun and making laser sounds — an act deemed threatening by the assistant principal.
Nickolas Taylor, a fifth-grader at Stacy Middle School in Milford, reportedly “shot” his imaginary ray gun near two other female students in the cafeteria, and they complained to staffers they felt threatened, Fox’s Boston affiliate reported.
Assistant principal Noah Collins wrote the boy a conduct slip, which led to his suspension.
“I think this is very slanderous toward Nickolas and his character,” the boy’s father, Brian Taylor, told the Milford Daily News. “It was non-threatening. He’s just a typical boy with an imagination.”
Mr. Taylor said the ruling represents a “complete disconnect” between school policy and reality, and he’s since decided to withdraw his son from the school and home-school him.
The school said they had to take strong action because other students said they felt threatened.
“It’s the difference between intent of the action and what the person feels receiving it,” superintendent Robert Tremblay told the Daily News. “It’s just the same way you can’t yell fire in a crowded movie theater. There are things you can and can’t do.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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