A 5-year-old kindergarten student at Southeast Elementary in Brighton, Colo., was recently suspended for bringing a ‘fake weapon’ to school. The weapon: a transparent plastic gun with two Disney princesses adorning the side that blows bubbles with a trigger pull.
Southeast Elementary officials issued a statement defending the suspension, saying: “The bringing of weapons, real or facsimile, to our schools by students can not only create a potential safety concern but also cause a distraction for our students in the learning process.” The word "facsimile" can include any item that could reasonably be mistaken for a firearm, however it’s unclear how a Disney-branded bubble toy could be identified as such.
Similar incidents are why the National Rifle Association supports legislation to protect children and parents from misguided school officials, which can have lasting negative effects. As the kindergarten student’s mother stated, “It’s always going to be lingering there in her school file.”
