Winchendon Youth Suspended for Memorial Day Souvenir - GOAL Members Urged to Respond
http://www.goal.org/news/SouvenirSuspension.htm
Winchendon Youth Suspended for Memorial Day Souvenir
On May 29, 2008 the Worcester Telegram & Gazette published a story concerning a ten year boy who was immediately suspended when a school employee found him with a spent blank shell. According to the story entitled "Souvenir Rifle Shell Gets 4th Grader Suspended" the young man was given two of the spent casings by a uniformed veteran after a Memorial Day event.
"This is a tragic example of how far over the edge this state and our schools have gone. For the school officials to react in such a manner is simply inexcusable," said Jim Wallace Executive Director of Gun Owners' Action League. "We have apparently gotten to the point where people running our public schools have such a visceral hatred of anything remotely connected to our constitutional civil rights that they would severely punish anyone who so much as possesses a Memorial Day souvenir. Adults working within a public school should have the intelligence to know the difference between a safety threat and a child cherishing an inanimate object. The truly sad ending to this episode is that I fear the immature reaction by school officials will forever tarnish this young man's view on Memorial Day, Veteran's and his civil rights."
GOAL is urging all of its members to contact the Winchendon School Department and express their deep concern over the this incident. We would also urge our members to contact their elected officials and let them know that this sort of overreaction should not be tolerated.
Winchendon School Department
Brooke Clenchy, Superintendent of Schools
978-297-0031
http://www.winchendon.mec.edu/
http://www.goal.org/news/SouvenirSuspension.htm
Winchendon Youth Suspended for Memorial Day Souvenir
On May 29, 2008 the Worcester Telegram & Gazette published a story concerning a ten year boy who was immediately suspended when a school employee found him with a spent blank shell. According to the story entitled "Souvenir Rifle Shell Gets 4th Grader Suspended" the young man was given two of the spent casings by a uniformed veteran after a Memorial Day event.
"This is a tragic example of how far over the edge this state and our schools have gone. For the school officials to react in such a manner is simply inexcusable," said Jim Wallace Executive Director of Gun Owners' Action League. "We have apparently gotten to the point where people running our public schools have such a visceral hatred of anything remotely connected to our constitutional civil rights that they would severely punish anyone who so much as possesses a Memorial Day souvenir. Adults working within a public school should have the intelligence to know the difference between a safety threat and a child cherishing an inanimate object. The truly sad ending to this episode is that I fear the immature reaction by school officials will forever tarnish this young man's view on Memorial Day, Veteran's and his civil rights."
GOAL is urging all of its members to contact the Winchendon School Department and express their deep concern over the this incident. We would also urge our members to contact their elected officials and let them know that this sort of overreaction should not be tolerated.
Winchendon School Department
Brooke Clenchy, Superintendent of Schools
978-297-0031
http://www.winchendon.mec.edu/