Boy disciplined after waving gun-shaped pizza slice

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SMYRNA, Tenn. - For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun.


School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful.

Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and never said anything derogatory or anything about shooting anyone.

"The kid across the table from him said it looked like a gun so he picked it up and started shooting it in the air," she told Nashville's News 2 Investigates.

http://www.wkrn.com/story/16325409/gun-shaped-pizza-slice?hpt=ju_bn4

File under :crazy:
 
SMYRNA, Tenn. - For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun.


School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful.

Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and never said anything derogatory or anything about shooting anyone.

"The kid across the table from him said it looked like a gun so he picked it up and started shooting it in the air," she told Nashville's News 2 Investigates.

http://www.wkrn.com/story/16325409/gun-shaped-pizza-slice?hpt=ju_bn4

File under :crazy:

Oh my dear Lord. We are getting crazy with this PC stuff. He is a child with a slice of pizza for pete's sake.
 
I agree that it's a silly punishment...however, I'm kind of appalled that this mom seems to feel that the "silly punishment" outweighs the fact that her son was "initially not truthful" about the incident. And I say that only based on her reaction -- could she have talked to her son about lying? Maybe. But I doubt it. She was more concerned with how her baby was mistreated. And I don't buy, for a minute, that he didn't wave it around, making shooting noises and saying he was going to shoot so-and-so. He's a kid. They do that. My problem is that mom is more concerned about the fact that he had to sit at the silent table, than the fact that her son lies.
 
I'm on the fence with this one. I agree with the previous post that the mom should have taken the opportunity to discuss not initially being honest.

On the other hand, there is behavior which is clearly appropriate at home, or playing in ones own neighborhood which is not appropriate at school. I think that is something our children need to learn and may not be learning, so it appears some of this discipline from the schools is 'overboard'.

jmo
 
The only way you can threaten anyone with a slice of pizza is if it has anchovies on it. :floorlaugh:
 
SMYRNA, Tenn. - For the rest of the semester, a Rutherford County elementary student has to eat lunch at the "silent table" for allegedly waving around a slice of pizza some say resembled a gun.


School leaders say the 10-year-old threatened other students at his lunch table with a piece of pizza with bites out of it so it looked like a gun and when asked about it was initially not truthful.

Nicholas' mother LeAnn calls her son's punishment "absolutely ridiculous" saying he was just playing around and never said anything derogatory or anything about shooting anyone.

"The kid across the table from him said it looked like a gun so he picked it up and started shooting it in the air," she told Nashville's News 2 Investigates.

http://www.wkrn.com/story/16325409/gun-shaped-pizza-slice?hpt=ju_bn4

File under :crazy:

From the link:

Taylor said the school system has made it clear that if her son eats his pizza into the shape of a gun again and there is a similar occurrence, he will be suspended.

Seriously?!! This is totally ridiculous!!!
 
This is just ridiculous. I understand why schools take guns and shootings seriously but I think common sense needs to apply to these zero tolerance policies. They are making "criminals" (for lack of a better word) out of normal boy like behavior. My son is obsessed with army guys and war things and will turn anything into a gun. Pencils, books, toys all become guns in my 5 year olds imagination. I've been trying to stress as much as I can that gun play is not allowed in school and so far to my knowledge he's been good about it but with how boys are I fear that something like this may happen to my son at some point. I sure hope not.
 
Wow, I hope he never finds the face of Jesus or Mary on his pizza slice! Kid would be expelled forever for sure:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

and people wonder why I refuse to alow the idiots at the public school to "educate" my kid.
 
[video=youtube;BNsrK6P9QvI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNsrK6P9QvI[/video]
 
Wow, I hope he never finds the face of Jesus or Mary on his pizza slice! Kid would be expelled forever for sure:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

and people wonder why I refuse to alow the idiots at the public school to "educate" my kid.

I'm sure you didn't mean to imply that any of our WS friends or family who might be public school educators are idiots. :D
 
Wow, I hope he never finds the face of Jesus or Mary on his pizza slice! Kid would be expelled forever for sure:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

and people wonder why I refuse to alow the idiots at the public school to "educate" my kid.

:lol:
 
Man oh man. Little kids will shape anything into a gun. Kids like to play act. My mom wouldn't buy us guns, so we used sticks, until we got our own money and then bought pellet guns and BB guns, with which we had incredible wars in the empty field by our house.

What are they going to do, expel him if he forms a gun with his hands? Almost every kid does that.

This is stupid. :twocents:
 
with zero tolerance there is no room for common sense.
 
I agree that it's a silly punishment...however, I'm kind of appalled that this mom seems to feel that the "silly punishment" outweighs the fact that her son was "initially not truthful" about the incident. And I say that only based on her reaction -- could she have talked to her son about lying? Maybe. But I doubt it. She was more concerned with how her baby was mistreated. And I don't buy, for a minute, that he didn't wave it around, making shooting noises and saying he was going to shoot so-and-so. He's a kid. They do that. My problem is that mom is more concerned about the fact that he had to sit at the silent table, than the fact that her son lies.

A note from Nicks Mom

I was reading some of the threads on my sons story and I felt I needed to respond here. News don't have the time to provide the whole story in the time they are provided. I had a good reason for coming forward.

I got a call from Principal Luker last wed He went on to tell me that there was an incident at lunch involving my son. In my mind I was like oh no what happened I thought he had been hurt or something. Then he told me that Nick was eating Pizza and the kid across him said it looked like a piece of pizza so he started waving it around like a gun. And it was witnesses by two students. He went on to say that when first asked about it Nick shrugged and acted like he had no idea what he was talking about but with a little prodding he admitted to it. ( there being untruthful ) Honestly I didn't think it was a big deal and wondered why it even warranted a phone call so Nick got in trouble for playing with his food okay.

When Nick got home from school that day he was very upset. I told him it was no big deal he shouldn't have been playing with his food. Well then I read the note. The note listed his crimes as being " Threatening other students" " Making a piece of pizza into a gun" . Said nothing about horseplay or playing with food.. He list of consequences was the silent lunch, spend the rest of the day with the school cop learning about gun safety, conference with principal, phone call to parents, note sent home.

Well I refused to sign the note but sent a note of my own asking why he was being accused of threatening other students. What was the threat? I did not receive any response. My husband went down to the school to talk to Mr. Luker and it was all about the fact that it was a gun. As far as we were told there were no remarks made by Nick involving any type of threat to the students. My Luker was dwelling on the fact that guns were not allowed in any shape of form. When my husband told him it was idiotic. Mr Luker told him " if your going to call me an idiot this conversation is over and you can leave." My husband left.

We never would have come forward if we hadn't done a little research. I think schools are going alittle far on this zero tolerence thing. A boy 4th grader in new york took a little lego man with a little lego gun attached to it and got suspended for three days. A 1st grader pointed his finger at another student and got suspended. A group of cheerleaders got in trouble for selling candy canes because they can be sucked to a point and used as a weapon. Its getting a tad ridiculous and maybe a little embarrassment to the school system might make them realize that they can use there own judgement and realize that a threat involves intent. My sons intent was goofing off not threatening.

Speaking of threats and bullying there was an instance last year where my son was kicked in the privates at the bus stop. And I called this same principal and he said he could not do anything about it not even a call to the students parents because it did not happen on school property...

My son is a good kid and he really hates the fact that I spoke out about this. But if Im not going to stick up for my son what kind of parent am I...
 
Thank you Ltaylor. My own concerns about zero tolerance are illustrated in your son's experience.

I am sorry this mountain came from your son's molehill horseplay.
 
I understand the zero tolerance issue from the school's view...many students have died and after every school shooting people blame school personnel for ignoring "the signs."

A 10-year-old boy goofing off at the lunch table is disciplined by being sentenced to the rest of the semester in "silent lunch." What is that, anyway? Is it a table where no talking or any type of communication is allowed? Is the silent table right there in the main cafeteria where other students can see those being punished? Can the other students taunt or tease or are they instructed to shun? I do not believe this student's "crime" warrants the sentence he has been given. If he were having to do it for a day or even a week, maybe--but for the rest of the semester, wow! OK, the semester is almost over but what if this had happened at the beginning of the semester? Would he be shunned for a portion of his school day every day for half the school year?

IMO, if school officials need a zero policy on guns and that means anything that even resembles a gun or a shooting gesture, they should have zero policy on other problems as well. What about bullying? Many schools have serious problems with bullying but not that many punish the bullies. Some refuse to even admit there is a problem.
 
I think it's pretty silly since it was a piece of pizza, and seemed to result from boyish pretend conversations, and they are children. I know that the world seems to think that 10 year olds are grown men, but they still pretend when playing. Maybe teachers groups should go after nintendo, tv comedies, super hero toys, etc. Most of them feature blasting and so do most of the toys out on the shelves. I wonder if the boy who first mentioned that it looked like a gun also got into trouble. The school probably writes down exactly what he says he said with quotes and it goes into a permanent record. He possibly could have been threatened with alternative school or police being called if he didn't admit to verbalizing a threat to shoot the other boy with a piece of dough. If he really was acting up or being loud, and has been a previous problem, then it's probably good that he gets the quiet lunch table for awhile. I highly doubt that he's been a problem or else he'd be in some alternative school instead of the quiet table.
 

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