Monday, October 12, 1998

Suspension over toy gun is outlandish

Nine-year-old Brandon MacLean, fourth-grader and Boy Scout, may be expelled from his Virginia grade school for a year. He's already serving a 10-day suspension.

Brandon's crime - and it is being treated as such - was to bring to school in his backpack a small, green, plastic toy pistol. Brandon put the toy in his backpack to hide it from his little sisters and forgot about it until one day last week, when he discovered it while leaving school. He showed the toy pistol to a couple of friends and that's all, according to his friends' parents, no threatening or pointing.

Someone reported the incident to the school the following day, and Brandon was instantly suspended.

Toy guns at school are not a good idea, and Brandon's breach of the rules should have been dealt with quickly by the principal, his teacher and his parents. What in a bygone and more sensible age was called "a good talking-to" should have been enough.

But no. Not in our brave new world.

The Loudoun County school district, pursuant to a 1995 state law that is pursuant to a 1994 federal law, the Gun-Free School Zone Act, feels it is compelled to expel the kid. The school system, of course, is defending itself with the usual bureaucratic blather about sending a strong message, violence in the schools, rules are rules, etc. He's 9 years old, for heaven's sake.

School violence is a problem. Is this a solution? No, it is not. What is at work here are draconian, one-size-fits-all laws regulating local matters - in this case, a trivial school yard offense - where the state and federal governments really have no business.

The effect of these laws on the children's welfare is problematic, but among adults they have certainly succeeded in suspending common sense and good judgment.