6-year-old scares bus driver with tiny toy gun just larger than a quarter (w/pic)

[The Straight Story]

PALMER, Mass. — After review of surveillance video, a boy who brought a tiny toy gun on a school bus will not be disciplined.

On May 24, a 6-year-old boy brought a toy gun just larger than a quarter onto a school bus in Palmer, Mass. Another student, who saw the toy, yelled to the bus driver.

The school sent a letter home about the disturbance with the students along with a picture of the gun. The school initially told the boy's mother, Mieke Crane, that the boy would be required to write an apology to the driver and attend detention. Crane said the school was also weighing whether or not her son would face bus suspension.

"I could see if it was you know, an air soft gun or some sort of pistol or live bullets or something. This is just a toy," Crane told WGGB in Massachusetts.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=157&sid=25389744&fm=most_popular

[badtoworse]

1. This is laughable! The morons at that school are teaching children?

[dkf]

2. Lol. Well we are teaching kids that some adults are lame.

[premium]

3. I have no words for the initial stupidity of the school administrators.

All I have is this.

#implied%20facepalm%20640x496

[libodem]

4. I'm sick of the zero tolerance

Attitude towards little children. It used to be that if an incident occurred for the first time, kids were pardoned. Now, it is as if, authorities just can't punish sadisticly enough, for drawings or pop tarts. I believe that corporations like, Corrections Corporation of America,lobby for strict rules and punishment to fill their filthy for profit prisons, starting with armed guards at school.


I can not see that the mean attitude makes kids want to be law abiding but must fill them with anger, revenge, and resentment toward society.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. In fairness, if a student on my bus yelled "Timmy has a gun!" I'd be alarmed too.

... at least until I figured out what all the fuss was about.

Taking away the toy and making him write an apology note is appropriate correction.

[cherokeeprogressive]

8. Take the toy away if it makes everyone feel good but...

Make the kid who actually caused the panic write the apology.

Even a child should be able to tell the toy wasn't going to hurt anyone who didn't actually swallow it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. No, I don't expect that kind of grown up judgment from first graders.

I do expect it from the actual grown-ups though.

[Shrike47]

6. Now if he had also brought an armed weapons expert (GI Joe), there'd be something to worry about!

[Marrah_G]

7. Insanity....

[Paladin]

10. You Gun Enthusiasts Have No Standing To Be Scornful, Here.

If school administrators overreacted and/or made errors regarding this incident, those errors are directly attributable to the open availability and chronic misuse of firearms in this country, aided by policies which you support.

[badtoworse]

11. I'll ridicule whomever I want. In this case, the ridicule is richly deserved.

[rrneck]

12. ...

[galileoreloaded]

13. your pills!

you've forgotten them.

[premium]

14. Right................

You have no standing to be telling anyone who they can be scornful of.

[friendly_iconoclast]

15. "If school administrators overreacted and/or made errors regarding this incident..." If?

There's no doubt whatsoever they overreacted. Well-meant stupidity is still stupidity.