A fifth-grade student at Davis Street Arts & Academics School was suspended this week after bringing what turned out to be a BB gun to class.
The incident occurred Tuesday.
“[A] student … brought a rubber BB gun without pellets and a Guy Fawkes mask to school today,” Principal Sequella H. Coleman subsequently wrote to parents and guardians. “Several students were shown these items at breakfast. Fortunately, the students informed administration and the student has been disciplined according to NHPS [New Haven Public Schools] policies.
“No one was harmed or threatened. Please help us remind students to leave toys, electronics and other inappropriate items at home.”
Coleman hung up on an Independent reporter seeking comment.
A student emailed the Independent to say that she didn’t feel safe in the class on Tuesday.
“I am scared because I don’t want to be a snitch, but my teacher … said we are safe, because she will always make sure we are, but [the suspended boy] likes things like guns and I saw him draw a scared picture once and if he brought a scary horror film mask he must had a plan not just to show us the gun but my teacher stopped it but what if he tries again.
“I know a BB gun could kill me. I think the school should had a code red. There was time when we were scared and didn’t know what kind of gun it was. I am scared about him coming back. What if I make him mad?”
The teacher, Jessica Light, said Friday that she feels she and her students are safe. Overall in the country we live in “scary times,” but Davis is a safe place, Light said.
Light said she had not encountered any similar situations in her six years teaching in New Haven.
At first a student reported that the boy had a toy gun. Then the administration investigated and for some “scary moments” people weren’t sure if it was a toy or an actual gun, Light said.
“It was a scary situation. But I think the school handled it pretty well. And I think the students did as well. It was shown to a student; the student told me. I told the administration immediately. They got him out of the class immediately. They were transparent with the parents and sent a letter home with every parent in the class letting them know. In public schools today, there are scary things that happen. In this case, everything turned out all right. The administration really did exactly what it was supposed to do.”
Aliyya Swaby contributed reporting.
So everybody including the classmates knew it was a rubber bb gun - not a real gun. Why didn't they just take it away from him and be done with it? What's next - we'll suspend a kid because he makes a gun out of a piece of bread?