Stories about the stupidity of zero-tolerance policies in schools are hardly uncommon, but you’d think they’d at least slow down during summer break. The parents of a Georgia first-grader, though, are speaking out their son was suspended from school after biting his sandwich into the shape of a gun (or the letter L) and allegedly pointing it at a classmate.
In fact, that’s just one of the punishments delivered to the child by school administrators, who the parents say should be more accommodating because of their son’s autism.
School records show Sara Harp Minter Elementary administrators issued more than two dozen disciplinary actions against six-year-old John Medina. Some include incidents of violent behavior such as kicking and punching another student at recess. Since 2023, the school disciplined John at least 33 times, including 14 suspensions.
Records also show John was suspended for pointing a water bottle at someone while making gun noises and was disciplined for drawing a pilgrim shooting a turkey.
The sandwich suspension happened last school year in March. John’s mother, Kristin Medina, said she wanted to share what happened to compel administrators to prevent future unnecessary disciplinary actions.
Medina said she was caught off guard when the school called. “They informed me over that phone call that he was getting suspended for it,” she said. “And you’re just like baffled.”
The family hired Donna Reynolds, a former special education director who worked in a different Georgia school district, to represent them during meetings with Fayette County Schools.
Reynolds said the suspension did not account for John’s age or disability.
“I don’t think a six-year-old without autism would understand that that’s not appropriate,” Reynolds said. “They make their fingers into a gun. They pick up sticks and make them into guns.”
Honestly, a 6-year-old shouldn’t be suspended from school or disciplined solely for making a finger (or sandwich) gun, regardless of whether they have a disability.
On the other hand, I think the parents and the local TV station need to be forthcoming about how many of the 33 incidents of school discipline involved acts where the child hit or kicked another student. It’s entirely possible that school administrators are overreacting to things like drawing a pilgrim shooting a turkey and that the 6-year-old has some significant issues with self-control that are a distraction or even a potential danger to other students.
The child’s mom says school officials aren’t following his individualized education program, or IEP, which includes things like “taking him on short walks when he is overstimulated.” I dealt with that same issue when I had kids in school, and I know firsthand how frustrating that can be. It’s actually one of the primary reasons why my late wife and I decided to homeschool.
There’s clearly more going on here than the 6-year-old taking a bite out of his sandwich and pretending it’s a gun. Based on the information provided by the TV station, I still think that was an overreaction on the part of the school district. Suspending the kid for drawing a pilgrim shooting a turkey is even more egregious, in my opinion.
I can also understand why the parents are so frustrated that they’re speaking out, but I also think they need to seriously think about whether their child is ready for the structured environment of a large elementary school with hundreds of other students. They can complain about the school all they want, but that doesn’t mean that anything is going to substantively change for the better. I’ve been in their shoes, and ultimately you have to do what’s best for your child.
School resumes next Monday, and I sincerely hope this is a better year for this child, his parents, teachers, and fellow students. The district needs to stop overreacting to every little incident, but it sounds like the 6-year-old and his parents have some work to do as well.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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