Three students suspended, restated over paper gun

[Paladin]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/new ... 943626.htm

"Posted on Wed, Oct. 19, 2005

Three students suspended, restated over paper gun

Associated Press


DeSOTO, Texas - A piece of paper folded to resemble a gun led to the brief suspension of three Dallas-area students.

DeSoto Independent School District officials later revoked the punishment.

All were suspended after eleven-year-old Destiny Thomas on Monday folded some computer paper to look like a gun.

The girl says another student at Amber Terrace Intermediate School had showed her how to fold the paper -- flat.

Thomas and two other students were suspended and ordered to attend an alternative school for 30 days.

The DeSoto student code says no weapons or replicas are allowed, but officials later reviewed the interpretation and dropped the punishment for the children.

Thomas says she knows not to take a real gun to school -- but she never thought a paper gun could get her in trouble."

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One of my good friends is an assistant principal in Desoto. Have to get some background from him.

I remember as a kid making a paper gun in art class.

[stevie_d_64]

I remember when I was a little kid in the 5th grade, we had a school play where we did scenes in American History, which included a song and dance number for the girls, from the roaring 20's...

Of course a few of the lucky guys (and me) were tagged as mobsters, acting as bodyguards around the stage, complete with some very realistic Thompson machineguns...It was a really neat part of the production...One that I remember vividly to this day...

We all had these neat pinstripe suits, the fedora hats, replica 45's and the "tommy guns"...

No big deal, everybody loved the whole production, especially the roaring 20's number...

We had civil war skits, Lincoln's Gettysburg address, revolutionary war scenes, and modern history skits...And if firearms were a part of the time and event, then they were included...No big deal...That was all back in the late 60's and early 70's...

I recall that later that year, we actually had probably one of the last "Halloween" celebrations at school...I wore my outfit and brought my guns to school...No big deal...So did a few of the other guys too...

The teachers obviously thought I was still the cutest thing since sliced bread...Which I hammed up very well...What can I say...

I feel sorry for the kids today...And it has nothing to do with what we were encouraged to do in school back then...

The most serious thing that used to happen was a cafeteria fight, or somebody getting "pops" for getting caught chewing gum in class...

We're allowing the "system" to educate the fight out of our kids these days...And its not about fists, and knives and guns...

It has to do about passing on to the kids to use their heads as they grow up...You don't have to rebel, or question everything...Just develop some common sense...

Heck, I used to be a bit of a pill in school...Got my butt whipped every so often...But I gfigure I am ok, because I developed into someone who could take a step back, still face the issue at hand and figure out a way to solve the issue, or wrap around it and make it work for me...

I don't think thats going to develop anymore with folks coming up behind us in this country...It may take 100 years after I'm gone, but there just doesn't appear to be any attempt to change that direction we are heading down...

I almost can't even put one word on how to describe this trend...

[stevie_d_64]

BTW, the teacher that really put that whole production together back then was my teacher...She had some help from the other 5th grade classes with their students in the production, and we took it around the whole district in Pasadena that year...

She still works for the district...She doesn't teach anymore from what I hear, but she still works...As the librarian in one of the schools in Pasadena...

I went and visited her last year...She immediately remembered me, and couldn't stop crying for some time after we started talking about what had transpired over the years after I left her class...We still meet every now and then for lunch...And once she asked me to come in and talk to some of the classes coming in to the library about countries history, its government and who defends it...Needless to say it was a great experience...

These kids are hungry for things like this...They need it...And my former teacher was glad someone came along for her that thinks like she does...And not be hampered by PC, and academia...

I guess the bottom line is that its really not about the guns I suppose...

[dws1117]

The DeSoto student code says no weapons or replicas are allowed, but officials later reviewed the interpretation and dropped the punishment for the children.

Someone is gonna be in trouble for using some common sense.

[dws1117]

When I was in high school, which wasn't all that long ago (1986-1990) we had real deal honest to goodness working M1 garands. I was in ROTC and we used have rifle drills during school hours.

Now kids get in trouble, suspended/expelled, and possible criminal records for anything resembling a gun. How have we as a society allowed such fear of an object.

Also, I've heard of it for a few years now, but what the heck is an alternative school? This is a new concept for me. Is it kind of like what used to be called reform school?

[mr fixit]

ALternative school is a seperate classroom type area in the school district. Basically it's a room where the students are not allowed to talk, interact get up or anything. The teachers send the assignments, the students read the assignments and do them quietly. They are not allowed to speak. They have their meals brought to them, they eat in the room. Some schools actually have dividers/blinders between students so they cannot even see another person. They have no breaks/recess. They get one batroom break in the morning, and one after llunch.
There are often students from multiple grades and campuses in one room.

[Paladin]

Got some feedback from my friend. Apparently the media is twisting this one around a bit (surprise surprise):

His reaction to the article:

"Too bad they left out the part where the kid used the
"gun" to shoot other students with a rubber band with
a paper clip attached."

[tehlump]

I graduated HS in 1994.

I took a gun and hunting safety class somwhere around 1992. This class was conducted during school hours, on campus with real guns. The ag teacher took us out and shot a 12 gauge, 30-06, 44 mag pistol and several .22's.

I guess you couldn't get away with that in today's political climate.

[Kalrog]

I graduated HS in 1994.

1995 for me - and I had a knife (letherman) on my belt every day of school. Not only did teachers know about it, but many of them borrowed it on a fairly regular basis. Another thing you just couldn't do today.