Pa. kindergartner suspended for alleged "terroristic threat," attorney says

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

A five-year-old Pennsylvania girl was reportedly suspended from kindergarten for alleged remarks labelled a "terroristic threat," the family's attorney says.

/ CBS

(CBS) MT. CARMEL, Pa. - A five-year-old Pennsylvania kindergartner allegedly made comments while waiting for the school bus that landed her a lengthy suspension and a "terroristic threat" label, an attorney says, according to CBS Philly.

The girl, 5, who attends school in the Mount Carmel Area School District in Northumberland County, was waiting in line with friends on January 10 when according to her family's attorney, Robin Ficker, she said something to the effect of "I'm gonna shoot you, you can shoot me and we can all play together," CBS Philly reports.

Ficker says an adult overheard the comment, searched the student's backpack and did not find a weapon.

"She was referring to a Hello Kitty bubble gun," Ficker told the station.

According to Ficker, the next day the child was questioned by school administrators without a parent present and then given a letter of suspension for, "making a terroristic threat." He said the letter stated the child was not to be readmitted to school without a psychiatric evaluation.

The evaluation was ultimately obtained and revealed no abnormalities, Ficker says.

Ficker advised the child's family to go to the principal and request the girl's suspension be expunged from her record. CBS Philly reports the suspension was shortened from 10 days to two days, and the "making a terroristic threat" was changed to "threatening to harm another student."

The mother reportedly has been unable to transfer her daughter to another school because of the incident.

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by enlightenu January 24, 2013 10:36 AM EST: it's obvious what happened here. The concerned "adult" was worried that she searched the backpack illegally. To try to avoid trouble, she officially complained with the school, to try to legitimize her concern. Then the school administrators were just too dumb to realize the foolishness of the complaint. In the end, the child is the victim of a system taken over by poorly educated, paranoid and irresponsible people.; Reply to this comment


by nuttyworld January 23, 2013 3:25 PM EST: She was still suspended two days for no good reason, and "making a terrorist threat" was changed to "threatening to harm another student"! She did not threaten to harm anyone. What the heck is wrong with this country? I am so tired of the political correctness that is overrunning this country. A person can't even sneeze or laugh without being suspected of evil. Home schooling is the only solution to this insanity.; Reply to this comment


by jamarsr January 23, 2013 3:15 PM EST: Candidates for "Am I smarter than a 5 year old" . . . NO!; Reply to this comment

by MRPAULGE0RGE January 23, 2013 3:05 PM EST

Thanks to the liberals for overreacting yet again.

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by hypocrisycentral January 23, 2013 5:22 PM EST: Thanks to all of us conservatives for worrying about which team beat who while the liberals were taking over our country!


by bobjones2013 January 23, 2013 3:01 PM EST: This country has become a joke; Reply to this comment

by ralphing January 23, 2013 2:49 PM EST

I never understood why kids are given toys that look like guns in the first place. Even more so when they are given replicas of military weapons. A kid shouldn't know what a military weapon even looks like so why do they need to have replicas of it??

If little children aren't allowed to possess or speak about the characteristics of firearms in school or probably other places, then they should not be manufactured or given to children.

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by hypocrisycentral January 23, 2013 5:24 PM EST: Please explain why we all played "Cowboys and Indians" or "Cops and Robbers" and we didnt do all of the things we so quickly blame toys on.


by Bush-cheney-R-Terrorists January 23, 2013 2:11 PM EST: They need to do a background check of the adult who checked this girls backpack for weapons.; Reply to this comment


by iCi2i_befree January 23, 2013 1:53 PM EST: "....and we can all play together" is what this kid said. She was simply asking another kid to play with her. I don't have an issue with the search if it was done in a respectful way just to help interpret the true meaning of teh words she chose. But just how they jumped to such a farsical conclusion of a terroristic threat from "... all play together" is simply mind boggling. What a bunch of fools and a psych exam, you gotta be kidding me. Do they even have a cluse what being a 5 yr old really means?? Paranoia: I saw the enemy and it was me.; Reply to this comment


by Lizeriv January 23, 2013 1:39 PM EST: It's this sort of thing that makes me ashamed to admit I worked in public education for 29 years.; Reply to this comment


by contradick January 23, 2013 1:38 PM EST: Obviously the answer is more Hello Kitty guns.

Maybe give teachers Hello Kitty guns, too.; Reply to this comment