Nathan Entingh, a 10-year old Ohio boy and a fifth grade student at Devonshire Alternative Elementary School was suspended by his principal for three days after he pointed his gun-like fingers at his friends.
District spokesman Jeff Warner says that Patricia Price, the principal of the school, has already warned students about pretend gun play many times and students should have been aware of the rules by now. Nathan was suspended after he put his finger to the side of his friend's head and pretended to shoot him.
After being suspended, Nathan says that he was just playing around and there were many other students who used their fingers as pretend guns in the school. A teacher who witnessed the boys playing agreed that the other boy, at whom Nathan had pointed his finger as a gun, did not take the gesture as an offence.
Nathan's father Paul Entingh said no one felt threatened and the adults are acting childish in their response to a typical 10-year-old's error. When Paul met with the principal he was told that the suspension will be for a longer period of time if the incident happened again.
"He said he was playing. 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," said Nathan's father to Dispatch. "I would have even been fine with them doing an in-school suspension."
Warner also added that the kids were informed that there will be consequences if they do not stop playing with pretend guns. The school authorities say that notes were also sent to parents, but Nathan's father claims he did not receive anything from the school. However, he agrees that he was aware of the school warning students regarding the gun-related behavior, which will result in serious consequences.
The state disciplinary figures suggests that for the 2012-2013 school year, over 400 students across the state from various grades were suspended because of an incident in the category of "firearm look-a-likes." Around 38 students were also expelled from school in relation to pretend guns.
In the Columbus City Schools district, where Nathan goes to school, about 12 students were expelled because of incidents in the "firearm look-a-likes" category and 69 students were also suspended for similar behavior.
