12 Year Old Suspended For Handling Toy Gun in an Online Class

Isaiah Elliott is a seventh grader at Grand Mountain school in Colorado. On Thursday, Isaiah was attending an online art class, when he moved a toy gun from one side of the couch to the other, briefly allowing the gun to appear on camera. The gun was a neon green pistol with the words “Zombie Hunter” inscribed on the side. 

His art teacher contacted his principal, who suspended him for 5 days.  They contacted the Sheriff’s department for a welfare check.  All of that happened before reaching out to the boy’s parents.

Isaiah’s father Curtis told FOX31 “It was really frightening and upsetting for me as a parent, especially as the parent of an African-American young man, especially given what’s going on in our country right now.”

Hmmm… what’s the best way to help a young black man. Contact his parents, or contact the police?

Curtis’s wife Dani also commented. “For them, to go as extreme as suspending him for five days, sending the police out, having the police threaten to press charges against him because they want to compare the virtual environment to the actual in-school environment is insane. If her main concern was his safety, a two-minute phone call to me or my husband could easily have alleviated this whole situation to where I told them it was fake.”

The sheriff’s report stated the teacher “said she assumed it was a toy gun but was not certain.”

A neon green pistol with the words “Zombie Hunter” written on it?  

Isaiah has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the suspension only stunts his learning and punishes him for nothing.

Isaiah’s parents said he was traumatized by the encounter with the police, who told the seventh grader he could’ve faced criminal charges. Wait what? For having a toy gun?  

Isaiah’s parents intend to transfer their son to a private school. 

One of Isaiah’s friends was also in the house at the time. He handled the gun and pointed it at the screen. His punishment is unclear, since his mother has not commented on the issue, however it is believed he also received a suspension.

Administration with the school district later told FOX31, “Privacy laws prevent us from sharing students’ personal information which includes disciplinary action,” the statement reads. “We follow all school board policies whether we are in-person learning or distance learning. We take the safety of all our students and staff very seriously. Safety is always our number one priority.”

Who was unsafe in this scenario?  Go ahead, think hard.  I’ll wait.  

This is political correctness run amok.  But that’s what political correctness does, every time.

Image Credit: Pixabay
Hat Tip: FOX31, New York Post