School suspension of boy, 7, who chewed pastry into gun shape is upheld by hearing officer
The two-day school suspension last year of a 7-year-old Maryland boy who chewed a breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun during a snack break has been upheld by a hearing examiner.
The 30-page ruling by the hearing examiner will now go to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education for a final determination, the Washington Post (reg. req.) reports.
The family of the boy, who is now 8, has contested the suspension in an effort to clear his record at Park Elementary School in Baltimore. They say it makes references to guns that could create trouble for him later on.
However, the ruling by hearing examiner Andrew W. Nussbaum says the suspension was “used as a last resort” and had more to do with a history of unspecified discipline problems than the pastry-chewing incident, the newspaper reports.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Boy, 7, suspended for chewing pastry into shape of gun, pointing it and saying ‘bang, bang’”
Washington Post (reg. req.): “Pastry gun case: request to clear school record turned down”
Washington Post: “In ‘Pop-Tart’ case appeal, officials cite other alleged misbehavior”
