A five-year-old girl was suspended from her kindergarten- You will not believe the reason why.
Apparently, a five-year-old girl by the names of Caitlin was recently suspended from her kindergarten just because she was playing with a stick– Yes -a stick! The school administration gave the lamest excuse ever as to why they came to a conclusion to suspend the little girl.
The school claimed that the stick Caitlin was playing with had a crook in it and she pretended it was a gun, so she started chasing around her classmates with it. As the kids were having the time of their life, laughing with glee, running around, their fun was short lived by the school recess monitor. The recess monitor happened to see the stick and killed the kids’ fun instantly.
Poor little Caitlin was immediately removed from the playground and her parents were called right away. When her parents arrived, her mom, in particular, the school did not hesitate to serve her with the suspension letter for the poor child. The reason they gave Caitlin’s mom was that her daughter was caught playing with a stick that resembled a gun.
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What a lame excuse? Who suspends a 5-year-old, kindergarten student?
With a photographed copy of the stick little Caitlin had played with, she was sent home immediately. Her mother, Brandy Miller, upon seeing what had caused the unnecessary commotion at the school, was understandably very upset. Her heart broke for her little girl. How could she explain to her 5-year old that she was being suspended from school just because she was playing with a stick?
Meanwhile, a school district spokesperson told WTVD-TV:
“Hoke County Schools will not tolerate assaults, threats or harassment from any student. Any student engaging in such behavior will be removed from the classroom or school environment for as long as is necessary to provide a safe and orderly environment for learning.”
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Seriously? What kind of assault did the poor child commit?
She was merely playing- innocently at that. I highly doubt she was even aware of the dangers of guns at that time. On the other hand, Caitlin’s mother, Brandy Miller was so angry at the school administration for the way they treated her little girl. How in the world was she supposed to explain to her little girl about the dangers of using guns, why she was suspended? She was extremely devastated and annoyed at the school for the way they handled this situation.
She said,
“We know why it’s bad. We watch the news, but then I have to tell my kid you’re not allowed to play like that in school because people do bad things to kids your age.”
Outraged that the school had suspended her daughter for the minor transgression, Brandy posted about the sad incident on her Facebook account. As you might have guessed, it blew up and went viral.
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She wrote:
“Well, Caitlin is suspended from school for pretend shooting people with a stick that looks like a gun. By the way, she’s five years old and in KINDERGARTEN. I can see a suspension for an older kid who knows better and who is actually threatening other kids. Who the hell felt so threatened by a five-year-old girl that they thought she needed to be suspended?
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“When I showed up to get her, she looked so confused and didn’t understand why I was there or what a suspension was or why it was happening to her. It was sad. And trying to explain to her that playing like that is wrong was a challenge… because it’s not wrong to play like a damn kid when you’re a kid! I’m so mad. I wish my kids were raised in a better time period when just being a kid was perfectly acceptable.”
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Brandy did not stop there. She further added,
“I feel bad for her. She feels like all the teachers hate her. I can’t imagine being 5 and feeling that way.
ADVERTISEMENT Apparently, the schools have a zero tolerance policy for any kind of play with a ‘weapon-like object.’ It’s p****** me off that one minute she’s running around playing with her friends, and the next minute her teacher is snatching her up and dragging her to the office to get suspended.
ADVERTISEMENT She was so scared and confused. Caitlin is a handful, but I feel like this was way blown out of proportion.”
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It’s a pity that the school could not think of a better way to handle this situation. Their reaction was totally uncalled for, especially that it was a 5-year-old girl that they were dealing with. Let’s hope Brandy and her child will eventually overcome this nightmare. What do you make of this school’s reaction?