Elementary School Suspends Student for Pointing a Pencil

A pencil is now considered an assault weapon in Driver Elementary School, Suffolk, Virginia.

Patriot Action Network‘s Darla Dawald reports that the school suspended a 7-year-old student because he pointed a pencil at another student and made a gun sound.

Dawald got a confirmation of the suspension from Bethanne Bradshaw, spokesperson for Suffolk Public Schools.

Bradshaw said that the boy had violated the school district’s “zero tolerance policy” because “a pencil is a weapon when it is pointed at someone in a threatening way and gun noises are made.” Bradshaw also said that the zero tolerance policy could also apply to a drawing of a gun on a piece of paper or making a “bang bang” gun sign with one’s hand because a student doing that could have violent thoughts.

Suffolk Schools Superintendent Deran Whitney (l); Community Relations Officer Bethanne Bradshaw (r). [Source of photo: Suffolk News-Herald]

Here’s contact info:

Driver Elementary School
Principal: Melodie Griffin
Address: 4270 Driver Lane, Suffolk, Virginia 23435
Phone: 757.923.4106
Fax: 757.538.5407
Email: melgriffin@spsk12.net

Suffolk Public Schools
Address: 100 N. Main St., Suffolk VA 23434
phone: (757) 925-6750
fax: (757) 925-6751
Superintendent: Dr. Deran R. Whitney
Email: derwhitney@spsk12.net

Community Relations Officer: Bethanne Bradshaw
Email: betbradshaw@spsk12.net

~Eowyn