Stories like this are becoming way too common.

[jmattbassplaya]

Common sense people. Use it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...son_buste.html

An irate Staten Island mom blasted a grade school principal Wednesday for treating her son like a pint-sized Plaxico Burress after he brought a 2-inch-long toy gun to school.

"This principal is a bully and a coward, and needs to be held accountable," said Laura Timoney, 44, after her teary fourth-grader was nearly suspended for playing with the tiny toy at lunch.

"The school should be embarrassed. This is a common-sense issue."

Patrick Timoney, 9, was terrified when he was yanked into the principal's office to discuss the teeny-weeny plastic "weapon."

"The gun was so little," the boy said. "I don't understand why the principal got so upset. I was a little nervous. They made me sign a statement."

Patrick and a friend were playing with Lego figures in the school cafeteria on Tuesday when he pulled out the faux machine gun and stuck it in the hands of his plastic police officer.

Boom! Trouble ensued, with Patrick's mom getting a phone call from Public School 52 Principal Evelyn Mastroianni saying her son had somehow gone from straight A's to the NRA.

"I was in disbelief," the still-fuming mother said. "Why didn't anyone step up with an ounce of common sense and put an end to the harassment of my child?"

Timoney said her boy loved the toy figure because her husband is a retired police officer.

The elder Patrick Timoney, a former 72nd Precinct cop, couldn't believe his son was nearly busted over something so obviously inauthentic.

"It's a 2-inch gun," he said. "She went overboard. She should have said, 'Put the toys away,' and that would have been the end of it."

After a meeting between the principal and the parents, the boy was spared any disciplinary action. City school officials said Patrick agreed to leave the "gun" at home.

"I'm never bringing a toy to school again," said Patrick, whose favorite subject is math.

Laura Timoney remained upset. Her son, a typically eager student, asked to stay home yesterday because he thought the principal was mad at him.

The mother said she expects an apology and may sue.

"The toy gun is not the issue," she said. "A lack of common sense is the issue."

Several parents at the school felt the principal overreacted, including Kim O'Rieley - whose son was playing with Patrick in the cafeteria.

Her boy's Lego man was toting a tiny ax, which the principal deemed less threatening.

"It's ridiculous," said O'Rieley, 36. "He felt so bad for his friend. They're taking things way too far ... No one is saying guns are okay.

"Come on, it's a Lego."

[karrot-x]

Yup.

[doctorjazz]

Hooray for zero-tolerance policies! After all, critical thinking is so overrated.

[fenderfunker]

The principal was right to be suspicious. Next, the Taliban will be arriving in America, in tiny 6" Leggo 'Trojan Horses'....... I do believe that some teachers live in a world of their own.

[Gopherbassist]

I wish that was the worst thing to ever happen to me at school.

[MIJ-VI]

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

... and may sue.

[Dalek voice]LITIGATE! LITIGATE! LI-TI-GATE!![/Dalek voice]

[Holy War]

ya I heard about this. Crazy

[PSPookie]

This makes me feel a little bit safer.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by bassybill

[Dalek voice]LITIGATE! LITIGATE! LI-TI-GATE!![/Dalek voice]

HA HAA! Good one.


Anywho.... this is the third thread this week where I'm lamenting this sort of mentality.
But you know what? We like to blame the school for being over-reacting idiots, thinking; "how in god's name could anyone be offended by something so stupid.." then we lash out at "zero tolerance" policies and so on.
Well, the truth of the matter is that it's the parents who are to mostly blame - in every school, and dare I say for every classroom full of kids you will get the parent who goes out of their way to be offended by something - a flag, a pledge of allegiance, something "unacceptable" in the precious-fruit-of-their-loin's study book, an article of clothing, a homework assignment, a tattoo on a teacher, a religious symbol somewhere, a contested bad grade.... just use your imagination and you will find a parent who will stomp into a principle's office somewhere and "demand change". In the end you have a school who, in the spirit of not trying to to offend anyone, ends up looking like they are a bunch of morons. Which then of course, leads to yet another "super parent" jumping up on their soap box and screaming about how this "has to change, I'm offended"... modern society for all it's wonderful accomplishments, it's getting more and more collectively stupid by the day...

[Ben Lesser]

Above all else, that was atrocious pseudo-sensationalist journalism.

[P. Aaron]

I recall a story where a kids shot at someone with 'Super-Soaker' squirt guns and that kid complained to his friends who then shot up the squirt gun kids with real bullets.

The Mayor's reaction was to consider a ban on the 'Super-Soaker' squirt guns.

The article I recall is from the pre-internet days. I did find this: http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5521,1748684

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by Gopherbassist

I wish that was the worst thing to ever happen to me at school.

Can't agree more.

[flipper_gv]

Originally Posted by Ben Lesser

Above all else, that was atrocious pseudo-sensationalist journalism.

win!

Come on, it wasn't even an insult. Stop crying ffs. She's gonna sue the school for what? Psychological damage? ********, and I'm studying psychology.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Relic

But you know what? We like to blame the school for being over-reacting idiots, thinking; "how in god's name could anyone be offended by something so stupid.." then we lash out at "zero tolerance" policies and so on.
Well, the truth of the matter is that it's the parents who are to mostly blame - in every school, and dare I say for every classroom full of kids you will get the parent who goes out of their way to be offended by something - a flag, a pledge of allegiance, something "unacceptable" in the precious-fruit-of-their-loin's study book, an article of clothing, a homework assignment, a tattoo on a teacher, a religious symbol somewhere, a contested bad grade.... just use your imagination and you will find a parent who will stomp into a principle's office somewhere and "demand change". In the end you have a school who, in the spirit of not trying to to offend anyone, ends up looking like they are a bunch of morons. Which then of course, leads to yet another "super parent" jumping up on their soap box and screaming about how this "has to change, I'm offended"... modern society for all it's wonderful accomplishments, it's getting more and more collectively stupid by the day...

Believe me, it happens on a smaller scale, EVERY DAY in school.

[DudeistMonk]

Originally Posted by bassybill

[Dalek voice]LITIGATE! LITIGATE! LI-TI-GATE!![/Dalek voice]

Lol, I love Dr. Who and the Daleks are the best part.

[nortonrider]

That's Public School Administration today.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by SteveC

Believe me, it happens on a smaller scale, EVERY DAY in school.

Oh I know! Quick story - I attended a school board/parent meeting one time, it's intention was to come up with a solution for an asinine issue:
get ready - a 5th grade boy who's dad was an avid hunter and outdoorsy type guy, came into school one day wearing a tshirt with a picture on it. The pic was of a deer, with a rifle scope target superimposed on it. Not offensive at all, just the sort of thing an outdoor sportsman might wear. It might have even been from Cabela's or something like that. Well.... another 5th grade girl who apparently loved animals decided that she was horrified by this, so complained to her teacher who in turn went to the principle. This kid was asked to turn his shirt inside out or go home. Now, this boy, who was brought up in a culture of "the great outdoors" and hunting and whatnot was scared and upset because he was being treated as though he had done something horrible and in his mind, he had done nothing wrong at all. He ended up getting all upset and in tears and dad was called.
Needless to say it was blown out of proportion, things were said parents were called. In the end the little boy was told that he was allowed to wear the shirt so long as he had a hoodie over it.

Now, you tell me - WHO is really to blame here? Think about it.

[machine gewehr]

Originally Posted by Relic

Oh I know! Quick story - I attended a school board/parent meeting one time, it's intention was to come up with a solution for an asinine issue:
get ready - a 5th grade boy who's dad was an avid hunter and outdoorsy type guy, came into school one day wearing a tshirt with a picture on it. The pic was of a deer, with a rifle scope target superimposed on it. Not offensive at all, just the sort of thing an outdoor sportsman might wear. It might have even been from Cabela's or something like that. Well.... another 5th grade girl who apparently loved animals decided that she was horrified by this, so complained to her teacher who in turn went to the principle. This kid was asked to turn his shirt inside out or go home. Now, this boy, who was brought up in a culture of "the great outdoors" and hunting and whatnot was scared and upset because he was being treated as though he had done something horrible and in his mind, he had done nothing wrong at all. He ended up getting all upset and in tears and dad was called.
Needless to say it was blown out of proportion, things were said parents were called. In the end the little boy was told that he was allowed to wear the shirt so long as he had a hoodie over it.

Now, you tell me - WHO is really to blame here? Think about it.

Wow,do people waste time on this kind of bull**** in the US?Seriously,its lame...

[Relic]

Originally Posted by machine gewehr

Wow,do people waste time on this kind of bull**** in the US?Seriously,its lame...

Serious question MG - do you guys have stuff like this going on in Turkey? I'm thinking that this is more US, maybe UK and Oz type of thing, not sure why though.