Nathan Entingh, Ohio elementary student suspended over finger gun, which is a ‘level 2 lookalike firearm’
An Ohio student, age 10, has suspended from school for three days for pointing his finger like a gun at another student, a violation which the school describes as a “level 2 lookalike firearm.”
The boy’s father, Paul Entingh, is outraged, and accused school officials at Devonshire Alternative Elementary School in Columbus of acting like children.
“He said he was playing,” Entingh said. “It would even make more sense maybe if he brought a plastic gun that looked like a real gun or something, but it was his finger.”
Nathan, who is in fifth grade, says he was “just playing around.People play around like this a lot at my school,” he said.
Jeff Warner, a spokesman for the district, told the Columbus Dispatch that Devonshire Principal Patricia Price has told students on numerous occasions that they’re not to invoke images of guns when playing and said the students should be aware of the rules.
Warner said warnings have been included in at least three school newsletters sent to parents.
The district spokesman said Nathan put his finger to another students head and pretended to shoot him “execution style.”
“The kids were told, ‘If you don’t stop doing this type of stuff, there would be consequences,’” Warner said. “It’s just been escalating.”
But the boy’s father said no one actually felt threatened by his son’s horseplay and that the other student didn’t even see the gun motion. The only person who saw it was a teacher.
photo Dennis Skley via Flickr
