February 11, 2009 4:20 PM

13-Year-Old Suspended For Doodling Gun

(CBS/AP)  Officials at an Arizona school suspended a 13-year-old boy for sketching what looked like a gun, saying the action posed a threat to his classmates.

"My son is a very good boy [who] doesn't get into trouble," the boy's mother, Paula Mosteller, told CBS affiliate KPHO correspondent Mary Valenzuela. "There was nothing on the paper that would signify that it was a threat of any form."

"He was just basically doodling and not thinking a lot about it."

The Chandler Unified School District declined to give more details about the incident. Spokesperson Terry Locke said in a statement, "Federal privacy law forbids the school or district from discussing student discipline."

There's nothing in a portion of the student handbook that addresses conduct to indicate the drawing of a weapon poses threat, KPHO reported.

There is, however, a rule that says students should not engage in "threatening an educational institution by interference with or disruption of the school."

The drawing, which is covered with smiley faces, did not show blood, bullets, injuries or target any human, the parents said. The East Valley Tribune reported that the boy said he did not intend for the picture to be a threat.

"We're not advocates for guns," Mosteller said. "We don't have guns in our home. We don't promote the use of guns. My son was just basically doodling on a piece of paper."

The boy's father, Ben Mosteller, said when he went to the school to discuss his son's punishment, school officials mentioned the seriousness of the issue and talked about the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot and killed 12 students, a teacher and themselves. Mosteller said he was offended by the reference.

The boy was initially suspended for at least five days, but after his father spoke to the principal, it was reduced to three.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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by kernj1 August 25, 2007 8:24 PM EDT
The message here is -
GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT-RUN SCHOOLS!
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by erasmus6 August 24, 2007 9:54 PM EDT
klingon69

"The original picture was NOT what the child drew, this is."

Then what was the other picture? And what makes you so sure that the kid didn''t draw it?
I find it hard to believe that a 13 year old did this picture. It is pretty bad for a kid of that age.
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by erasmus6 August 24, 2007 9:45 PM EDT
Like I said earlier, this picture isn''t the same as the first one. This looks like a picture drawn by a small child not a thirteen year old. This picture looks non threatening but the other wasn''t so innocent looking.
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by my2centss August 24, 2007 6:34 PM EDT
Good thing the kid didn''''t draw a Mushroom Cloud. He would have been expelled.
Posted by TimanTane at 02:18 PM : Aug 24, 2007

For zero tolerance of drugs even.
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by timantane August 24, 2007 5:18 PM EDT
Wow, what kind of Thought Police are running this Arizona school?

Good thing the kid didn''t draw a Mushroom Cloud. He would have been expelled.

You can''t even draw things now? Utter stupidity!
Reply to this comment
by enlightenu August 24, 2007 1:47 PM EDT
School systems have their own set of laws without an internal system of justice in which to prove a transgression and in which to appeal. This may seem excessive but when administrators start abusing students with their power such a system is necessary. It would also help the legal system from becoming even more overburdened than it is. There are injustices like this that occur everyday in public schools but are unreported. It damages the mental well being of the child that is affected. They created a situation where going to school is like visiting North Korea. They make up charges and dish out severe punishment at a whim. Now an unbalanced student might seek retribution in an unhealthy way, but I bet this little guy is man enough to forgive and forget. He is better than they are.
Reply to this comment
by klingon69 August 24, 2007 1:27 PM EDT
GrammaWhamma and kansas1946

The picture that they are showing now is not the original one that was there. The first picture that was shown had a gun drawn on it and a knife and there was no mistaking what they were. In fact I thought they were drawn quite well.
Posted by erasmus6 at 01:43 AM : Aug 24, 2007
The original picture was NOT what the child drew, this is.
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by gunownerdan August 24, 2007 12:55 PM EDT
When I was in public school for an art project in the 9th grade I drew a part of a Glock pistol and got an A on it.
For a while the teacher even had my drawing hanging on the wall in front of class!
I also would regularly bring "Guns & Ammo" magazine with me to class and on the front of my notebook I had a used paper target full of bullet holes.
Seems like if I did all this today I would be expelled from school!
We need to bring back the Bill Of Rights.
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by delta5243 August 24, 2007 12:12 PM EDT
wow, you have got to be kidding me......
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by paganwitch August 24, 2007 11:25 AM EDT
Totally stupid. Over-reaction to an innocent doodling. Another example of extreme "zero tolerance" nonsense.

Zero tolerance has gone too far when kids can''t play "cops & robbers" or "cowboys & indians" without being suspended.
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