Irrational Gun Scare and Snitch Teachers – The Rising Though Police in Schools
While the mass-media fueled country-wide gun scare continues, yet another student has been suspended for having something that represents a gun but isn’t, actually, anything like a real gun. A high school student in Florence said he has been suspended because of a picture of a gun. Daniel McClaine Jr., a freshman at Poston Butte High School, 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.” It’s not clear who determines what is “offensive” or “threatening,” or the basis upon which the determination was made in this case. McClaine dispute this, he said he read the guidelines carefuly but does not consider the picture threatening to anyone. [1] He explains:
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. [2]
McClaine said the “actual gun” is not his. He never have been in the presence of the piece of artilery itself. It’s just a picture. He explains the presence of the gun picture on his computer saying that he’s interested in joining the military and said that he found it on the internet. Dana Hawman, a spokesperson for the Florence Unified School District, released 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. [3]
Daniel’s father said after ABC15 contacted the school, the administration backed down and will let his son return to school on Monday instead of Wednesday. He personally considers this whole situation as “ridiculous” and totally blown out of proportions:
To me it’s ridiculous. Three days for a picture? It wasn’t like he was standing in front of the school holding the gun. He should have got a warning. He shouldn’t have ever been suspended. Not for something so frivolous. [4]
