8-year-old draws stick-figure Jesus on the Cross; is suspended, sent to shrink.
178 replies, posted
[b][highlight]:siren::siren::siren::siren::siren: UPDATE :siren::siren::siren::siren::siren:[/b][/highlight]
[highlight]It turns out this story was blown out of proportion by the boy's father, who lied about the drawing. The school said the kid has an extensive history, and the picture the dad gave to the media was not the one the student got in trouble over. Stop bumping this thread. [/highlight]
[img]http://filesmelt.com/downloader/g1a91903a62c58158a902c5e53f09aaff938378b45be54e.jpg[/img]
[release]TAUNTON, Mass. —
A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus on the cross.
The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.
He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.
The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.
“I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent,” said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center.
Saunders is working with the boy’s parents after a mutual acquaintance referred them to her.
“When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something,” Saunders said.
“They weren’t looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs,” she added. “They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation.”
The school, in fact, required the evaluation before the boy could return, the father said.
Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet referred all questions on the matter to the superintendent’s office.
Superintendent Julie Hackett said district policy prevents her from discussing a “confidential matter regarding a student.”
“Generally speaking, we have safety protocols in place,” Hackett said. “If a situation warrants it, we ask for outside safety evaluations if we have particular concerns about a child’s safety. We followed all the protocols in our system.”
Hackett refused to specifically discuss the student’s drawing or the school’s reaction to it.
The father was flabbergasted when he learned his son had to undergo an evaluation.
“When she told me he needed to be psychologically evaluated, I thought she was playing,” he said.
The man said his son, who gets specialized reading and speech instruction at school, has never shown any tendency toward violence.
“He’s never been suspended,” he said. “He’s 8 years old. They overreacted.”
The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.
The boy, however, was traumatized by the incident, which made going back to school very difficult, the father said. School administrators have approved the father’s request to have the boy transferred to another elementary school in the district.
[/release]
[url=http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/state_news/x1903566705/Second-grader-suspended-over-drawing-of-Jesus]Source[/url]
This just happened in my city. I used to go to that elementary school. I never thought these bullshit injustices would happen here.
It's absolutely absurd that they thought the picture meant he was going to shoot up his school or some overly dramatic paranoia-fueled bullshit like that. It seems that, every day, the terms "free speech" and "freedom of religion" means less and less in a supposedly "free" country.
looks like not even Jesus Christ can save him :smug:
What the fuck why would they send him to a shrink for that.
Incoming smart-ass replies "Hurf derp they are sending him to a shrink for believing in Jesus!!"
:wtc:
sucks for Jesus
Violent my ass. This kid believes in Jesus dying on the cross (I'm an atheist myself), why can't he express his faith in drawings? And a fucking MENTAL HOSPITAL?? Wow.
Oh my God.....
Hurf derp they are sending him to a shrink for believing in Jesus!
[QUOTE=Mindtwistah;18968606]Hurf derp they are sending him to a shrink for believing in Jesus![/QUOTE]
SeE GUYS I KNEW IT
He's 8, these people are not exactly airtight, brain wise.
[QUOTE=Perfumly;18968628]SeE GUYS I KNEW IT[/QUOTE]
nuh uh i knew it before you
I blame Al-gore for this happening.
Only in the USA.
Man, half the games we used to play in primary school when I was young would probably get us suspended. Stuff like using sticks as guns, and a game called 'hostages' where teams tried to capture all the other teams members and hold them hostage (probably be accused of being mini terrorists). And we drew violent stick figure fights now and then I'm sure.
But Jesus died on the cross. Stupid school and parents, who sends kids to shrink for that.
oh what the fuck. we used to draw swastikas on everything and all that happened was that we got told off.
[QUOTE=johanz;18968803]But Jesus died on the cross. Stupid school and parents, who sends kids to shrink for that.[/QUOTE]
I think they were just pissed off he was religious.
And the funny thing is that many churches have a huge picture of Jesus dieing on the cross painted on their walls. So I guess whoever is responsible for that got an even worse treatment...
Little kids draw stupid things, get over it. I had a whole book of drawings of people being killed when I was little. I called it the blood and bones book. My older brother made one too, it was just a bit of fun to kill boredom.
God knows what would have happened if I were Christian.
Stuff like this is the reason I'm anti-religious.
Wow really retarded school. 8 year olds, at least normal ones, draw "violent" stuff all the time
[QUOTE=NotMeh;18968904]Stuff like this is the reason I'm anti-religious.[/QUOTE]
What.
This has almost nothing to do with religion, if anything it's the kid who is being persecuted for his beliefs.
[QUOTE=EnenehV2;18968820]oh what the fuck. we used to draw swastikas on everything and all that happened was that we got told off.[/QUOTE]
During our German lessons, we challenge each other to hang swastikas as close to the teacher as possible without them noticing. Shit be fun.
[QUOTE=TurtlePower;18968791]Man, half the games we used to play in primary school when I was young would probably get us suspended. Stuff like using sticks as guns, and a game called 'hostages' where teams tried to capture all the other teams members and hold them hostage (probably be accused of being mini terrorists). And we drew violent stick figure fights now and then I'm sure.[/QUOTE]
When I was going to elementary school we played games that involved shooting eachother with fake "hand guns" and instead they told us to make bazooka's with our hands. Thats Canada for you.
Jesus on that picture is obviously smiling, the 8 year old is a frickin' mass slaughter, jail him up for life!
:frown:
These schools need to stop thinking that everyone is a potential school shooter or you know actually use their brains.
When I was little my friends and I used to draw stick figure wars all the time, the teacher didn't mind at all.
[QUOTE=Lucinice;18968999]These schools need to stop thinking that everyone is a potential school shooter or you know actually use their brains.[/QUOTE]
No, they are just afriad of terrorists playing pictionary. Terrorionary.
[quote]The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site. [b]He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.[/b][/quote]
So teacher knows jack shit about the fact that Christmas is a Christian holiday.
Now if he was in a christian school he would've just been yelled at for messing up Christmas with Easter.
[quote]
The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday[b] after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.[/b][/QUOTE]
How the fucking hell did they think believing in Jesus is a threat to himself or others? Did they think he's gonna try to crucify a classmate?
I've had it planned for years to have my children home-schooled and these sort of idiotic behaviors further reinforce my plans.
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