Common sense has clearly gone out the window in this country. People in leadership position seem to react first and think later. This is exactly the case of a high school freshman who was suspended from school, because the background image on his computer was of a gun.
According to ABC News 15, the Florence, Arizona freshman named Daniel McClaine Jr. “said he saved the picture as his desktop background on his school-issued computer.”
A teacher noticed it and turned him in.
The picture shows an AK-47 on top of a flag.
McClaine said the school initially suspended him for three days Friday.
Since the laptop belongs to the school, the district policy states students are prohibited from “sending or displaying offensive messages or pictures,” and cannot access, send, create or forward pictures that are considered “harassing, threatening, or illegal.”
McClaine said he read the guidelines but does not consider the picture threatening to anyone.
“This gun wallpaper does not show anything that’s violent. It’s not showing anybody getting shot in any way. It’s just a picture of a gun. It’s nothing — nobody getting shot, nobody getting it pointed at them, it’s nothing,” said McClaine.
As KTAR.com reports, that school suspended McClaine for three days and issued the following statement:
Although we cannot specifically discuss student discipline, we can certainly agree that violence in schools is a sensitive and timely issue. Students, parents and staff are on edge, and the daily news delivers more reasons for caution. All of us must work together to protect our kids and to cultivate an environment that is conducive to learning.
So now a gun is “offensive” and the mere picture of one poses a “threat?” How about verifying that such a picture does, indeed, violate the school’s policy and ask the student to remove it? That’s certainly better than a knee-jerk suspension. Of course, that would mean someone would actually have to spend a little time thinking and not just reacting.
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