Seventh Graders Suspended "til the end of the school year" for playing with Air Soft pistol IN THEIR OWN YARD

This is ASININE! http://reason.com/blog/2013/09/23/students-suspended-for-playing-with-pell

Quote :

Like thousands of others in Hampton Roads, Khalid Caraballo plays with airsoft guns. Caraballo and his friend Aidan were suspended because they shot two other friends who were with them while playing with the guns as they waited for the school bus.

The two seventh graders say they never went to the bus stop; they fired the airsoft guns while on Caraballo's private property.

Aidan’s father, Tim Clark, told WAVY.com what happened next lacks commons sense. The children were suspended for possession, handling and use of a firearm.
The “fire” in firearm, of course, refers to gunpowder, which a pellet gun doesn’t have. Six children were playing in the Caraballo front yard all together, and the school suspended three it said had discharged the “firearm” near the school bus stop. The school found out about the kids playing around because a neighbor, the mother of one of the children not suspended, called 911. WAVY tracked her down:

She confirmed Khalid was taking target practice using a zombie hunter airsoft gun to kill the zombies.  There was also a net behind the target to catch the plastic pellets.

Why do they call this a "Pellet Gun"? A pellet gun shoots a metal pellet, not a plastic bead that comes out of the Air Soft gun.

Effing School Board and their effing "Zero Tolerance". The boys shouldn't have shot a couple of other kids, but it is none of the School Board's business what happens on private property.

Eric wrote:

This is ASININE! http://reason.com/blog/2013/09/23/students-suspended-for-playing-with-pell

Quote :

Like thousands of others in Hampton Roads, Khalid Caraballo plays with airsoft guns. Caraballo and his friend Aidan were suspended because they shot two other friends who were with them while playing with the guns as they waited for the school bus.

The two seventh graders say they never went to the bus stop; they fired the airsoft guns while on Caraballo's private property.

Aidan’s father, Tim Clark, told WAVY.com what happened next lacks commons sense. The children were suspended for possession, handling and use of a firearm.
The “fire” in firearm, of course, refers to gunpowder, which a pellet gun doesn’t have. Six children were playing in the Caraballo front yard all together, and the school suspended three it said had discharged the “firearm” near the school bus stop. The school found out about the kids playing around because a neighbor, the mother of one of the children not suspended, called 911. WAVY tracked her down:

She confirmed Khalid was taking target practice using a zombie hunter airsoft gun to kill the zombies.  There was also a net behind the target to catch the plastic pellets.

Why do they call this a "Pellet Gun"?  A pellet gun shoots a metal pellet, not a plastic bead that comes out of the Air Soft gun.  

Effing School Board and their effing "Zero Tolerance".  The boys shouldn't have shot a couple of other kids, but it is none of the School Board's business what happens on private property.

    This may defy logic and law...BUT..There is such a thing as victims impact that may have been raised as an issue..meaning that IF the students suspended may have an adverse impact on the two students that they shot and their ability to receive an education in a safe environment.....Or if there was a court order (injunction) that made stipulations that the two students that shot could not be within ____ ft of the victims or have any contact...It has been done before...it's difficult to link together and even more difficult to enforce if the parties attend the same school...

I'm not an apologist for the shooter's rights. At a close range, those Air Soft plastic projectiles can cause a slightly painful sting.

What I am concerned about here is that the school board overstepped their authority IMO.

The incident did not happen at a school, or at a bus stop. It happened on private property before the kids assembled at the bus stop. Sure, they said it was "near" a bus stop. The interpretation of "near" reminds me of then-President Clinton defining what the word "is, is".

What happened was a case of battery. This was not a school function and it happened prior to assembly at the school-related function... the bus stop.

The parent called 911... and rightfully so. The police should have handled the matter. Instead, somehow, the school board got involved and with their usual lack of "due process" unanimously decreed this was a school matter and essentially expelled the two boys.

I hope they get back in school and make a public statement saying they were wrong... The one that called should be ashamed of herself and possibly could have handled the entire thing without the law or school if she only talked with the other parents about it FIRST..

Jake92 wrote:

I hope they get back in school and make a public statement saying they were wrong...  The one that called should be ashamed of herself and possibly could have handled the entire thing without the law or school if she only talked with the other parents about it FIRST..

Yep, that's the way it used to be handled - if you saw kids acting up you spoke to their parents. This is not a school district incident at all - they misidentified air soft pistols as pellet guns for crying out loud. It also appears all the kids involved were willing participants so what is the problem?

Eric wrote:

I'm not an apologist for the shooter's rights.  At a close range, those Air Soft plastic projectiles can cause a slightly painful sting.

What I am concerned about here is that the school board overstepped their authority IMO.

The incident did not happen at a school, or at a bus stop.  It happened on private property before the kids assembled at the bus stop.  Sure, they said it was "near" a bus stop.  The interpretation of "near" reminds me of then-President Clinton defining what the word "is, is".

What happened was a case of battery.  This was not a school function and it happened prior to assembly at the school-related function... the bus stop.  

The parent called 911... and rightfully so.  The police should have handled the matter.  Instead, somehow, the school board got involved and with their usual lack of "due process" unanimously decreed this was a school matter and essentially expelled the two boys.

Again just to clarify....if there was a court injunction and/or if the school district does an adverse impact against the two students because the victims also attend the same school and there would be an interaction...Believe it or not this has and will continue to be used here and you're right it cause a pain in the butt when the two parties pass each other in the hallways..at lunch...bus ramp etc.,...The rule that has been used here is if the students were on there way to meet the bus and/or after leaving the bus walking to their homes...The police did handle the situation but there is nothing to prohibit the school district from taking it's own actions...example a student can be charged and arrest for a criminal act AND the school district can suspend or expell depending on a hearing that that conduct...

Jake92 wrote:

I hope they get back in school and make a public statement saying they were wrong...  The one that called should be ashamed of herself and possibly could have handled the entire thing without the law or school if she only talked with the other parents about it FIRST..

The problem is that should the two are allowed in school and there is a further problem then the school district would be explaining why the two were allowed back into the same school as the victims of the crime...Not defending but take my word this is how it's handled in the world today....including right here in Escambia County.....The parent was certainly not wrong for involving law enforcement and or the school district if that's the case...the days of parents talking is long passed...In that world the parent(s) of the two boys would have been responsible when they allowed the two to use their air soft pistols....

mediawatcher wrote:

Jake92 wrote:

I hope they get back in school and make a public statement saying they were wrong...  The one that called should be ashamed of herself and possibly could have handled the entire thing without the law or school if she only talked with the other parents about it FIRST..

     The problem is that should the two are allowed in school and there is a further problem then the school district would be explaining why the two were allowed back into the same school as the victims of the crime...Not defending but take my word this is how it's handled in the world today....including right here in Escambia County.....The parent was certainly not wrong for involving law enforcement and or the school district if that's the case...the days of parents talking is long passed...In that world the parent(s) of the two boys would have been responsible when they allowed the two to use their air soft pistols....

You make a good point, it's a different world out there now and I don't see it as progress either....

nochain wrote:

mediawatcher wrote:

Jake92 wrote:

I hope they get back in school and make a public statement saying they were wrong...  The one that called should be ashamed of herself and possibly could have handled the entire thing without the law or school if she only talked with the other parents about it FIRST..

     The problem is that should the two are allowed in school and there is a further problem then the school district would be explaining why the two were allowed back into the same school as the victims of the crime...Not defending but take my word this is how it's handled in the world today....including right here in Escambia County.....The parent was certainly not wrong for involving law enforcement and or the school district if that's the case...the days of parents talking is long passed...In that world the parent(s) of the two boys would have been responsible when they allowed the two to use their air soft pistols....

You make a good point, it's a different world out there now and I don't see it as progress either....

If you think this is bad....there are even injunctions that can be used if a break-up occurs between two students...the judicial system puts these measures in place and then expects law enforcement and the school districts to enforce their bad decisions...So if your child has been dating someone and there's a breakup and it gets nasty...be prepared to change schools in order for your child not to be in violation of a court order...

Now a thumb and index finger are dangerous weapons... AAAARRRRGGGHHH!

I bet the high school football players could do the same exact thing and NOT get suspended...... NO, I am NOT making a racist statement....