13-Year-Old Suspended For Doodling Gun
Arizona School Says "Zero Tolerance" Policy Means Drawing Of Gun Merits Suspension
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This drawing by the 13-year-old son of Paula Mosteller led his school to suspend him for five days. (KPHO)
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"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.
© MMVII, 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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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See all 123 CommentsIF he drew a picture of a poppy is that a drug crime?
Someone needs to pull the proverbial flush handle on the nation''s public schools, and let the toilet bowl refill with fresher water.
I guess today I would be expelled for something so horrible and evil but back then no one ever said a single word about it.
"..the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Self Defense: A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com
to subspend a child for just drawing a gun!!!
These people need a brain transplant.
Arizona School Says "Zero Tolerance" Policy Means Drawing Of Gun Merits Suspension"
That unfortunate and mindless decision by so-called educators is a clear indictment of their INCOMPETENCE in trying to guide the minds and behaviors of the younger ones.
Little wonder our educational institution is in such a mess: The so-called ''educators'' are even more mentally challenged than the children they hope to educate. LOL
That principal should be suspended without pay for at least a week; and the money saved should go to the family of boy for the mental distress caused them.
Our country is going to become a nation of wussies if the liberals play their cards right.
Some liberals are capable of understanding the importance of our constitutional rights.
Liberals With Guns
http://www.liberalswithguns.com/index.html
Amendment II Democrats
http://www.a2dems.net/
Pro Gun Progressive
http://www.progunprogressive.com/
The Gun Toting Liberal
http://www.guntotingliberal.com/
More Gun Toting Liberals
http://www.geocities.com/guntotingliberals/
Some liberals are capable of understanding the importance of our constitutional rights.
Liberals With Guns
http://www.liberalswithguns.com/index.html
Amendment II Democrats
http://www.a2dems.net/
Pro Gun Progressive
http://www.progunprogressive.com/
The Gun Toting Liberal
http://www.guntotingliberal.com/
More Gun Toting Liberals
http://www.geocities.com/guntotingliberals/
He ''drew'' a gun, so he gotta be suspended - it says so right here.
What a bunch of MORONS! It''s no wonder public education is in the state it''s in.
Those parents and their children are some of the smartest individuals I''ve ever met. Perhaps that''s why the public schools need such stupid regulations - the populace is stupid, so the regs need to match.
- Ben Franklin
Posted by passerby2 at 01:26 PM : Aug 23, 2007
This cr-a-p has been going on looooong before Bush took office. It''s simple:
Zero tolerance=zero thought processes=zero common sense.
Arizona? Red State.
Regards,
Posted by nancy_naive at 01:09 PM : Aug 23, 2007
I think this is going far beyond the red/blue state issue. This is an example of pure unadulterated stupidity. The rights that many take for granted are slowly be subverted and removed. Students/children have never been protected by those rights. If you doubt me, then read your childs school handbook and then you will see.
"..the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Self Defense: A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com
Posted by GunOwnerDan at 01:16 PM : Aug 23, 2007
Back then, you didn''t have to have armed guards, attack/drug dogs, metal detectors and unwarranted locker searches. Many school districts now have their own police force, many of these Naziish police officers could not make it in the regular police force, so they get on the school and terrorize the kids.
And then? The picture would''ve fired a paper bullet and then paper with red ink would''ve been dropped all over the floor?
Just not so quick to judge on this.
Posted by vbnvbn at 01:46 PM : Aug 23, 2007
Yes, don''t be so quick to judge, unless you''ve been in a similar situation and know that the public school system is not what Thomas Jefferson envisioned. That our teachers and administrator(mostly coaches) are knuckle-dragging barely sentient beings, who retreat to their theachers lounge to squat, grunt and pick at themselves.
lets just pick on the decision makers on this one case..never say never or all ...
Posted by mike71067 at 01:25 PM : Aug 23, 2007
A comment even more ignorant then this schools rules. This has nothing to do with liberals and you dam*n well know it, but you can''t pass up the chance to try to make it so. I''m so liberal I''d make Micheal Moore blush, but I''m not in favor of more gun control and certainly not in favor of the stupidity here, both by the school and by your comment.
To the school administration, what the hell are you thinking?
We did not have representation, so we took a plea deal of 60 hrs community service. He & I worked on a Habitat for Humanity home together.
A few months later, my son was given an assignment in art class to warp a drawing of a gun into a dove, then another one of an animal warped into a pistol.
I took the artwork to the same judge & showed him. He was almost as angry as I was. He said "Obviously, zero tolerance means ZERO THOUGHT in this district"
Typical indication of a moron!
BEWARE: if you point your index finger with your thumb up, you will be arrested for assault with a deadly weapon if not shot by the AAAWWW---DUHHH police!
Why is it people can''t take a look at the stupid rules they think up and see the possible outcomes/abuses that are possible created before they are implemented. This applies towards our state and fed. lawmakers too. They make these laws that allow these big corps. to get away with really serious stuff. frustrating!
Well duh! That is probably because things are a little different today, don''t you think? Look at all the school shootings you have now. If people were looking and paying attention maybe some of them could have been avoided.
Now I do admit that suspending this kid for 3 days might be a little extreme but with all the shootings in schools they need to be paying closer attention. For a kid to draw a gun and a knife, it says to me that that is what is on his mind. That of course does not necessarily mean anything but if it should, I wonder how many parents would be jumping up and down later to find out that this could very well have been a sign and it was ignored. What would YOU do if this was ignored and later he shot your kid? You would be the first one doing the jumping up and down.
we are becoming a bunch of Politically Correct Winnies
Has anyone ever been shoot with a sketch gun?
Look up the statistics they are alarming.
Good for Mesa, Arizona for bringing this growing problem into the limelight.
If we lock up more of these kids, well we can have more criminals off the street and we can all feel much safer.
Give these people a medal (sketched of course).
This is taking it too far. Does this mean all their history books may not contain any pictures of guns? Let''''s say you have a student who likes to hunt and paints a picture of himself out hunting, walking a field with his Springer spaniel while holding a shotgun? Perhaps suspending kids that drew Star Wars pictures with the laser sword, or kids that draw swords from Lord of the Rings?
Common sense and thinking things through; where are the people who can do this anymore? Why is it the people making these rules can%u2019t see the possible outcomes/abuses that such rules create? This applies towards our state and federal lawmakers too. They make these laws with loopholes that allow big corporations with fancy lawyers to get away with all kinds of boloney. (I am beginning to think this maybe isn%u2019t so much of an oops as it is intentional).Frustrating!
This was not even 15 years ago in a public school. All this P.C. idiocy of today is doing a lot of harm to the future of America.
D"mb ASESSS
Bu$h kills thousands for oil, and it''s called ''national security''
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