WAVY TV in Virginia's Tidewater section reports that two seventh grade boys will be suspended for a year for playing with toy guns. At home.
A neighbor called police even though she knew that the boys were playing "zombies" with their toy guns. She claimed that she felt "uncomfortable," which must be a crime now in Virginia. The school board met, despite the boys playing on private property, and decided that they needed suspended.
The parents then learned they could send their children to an alternative school, likely one with real criminal offenders.
This follows a now long established pattern of public school systems' increasing prejudice against boys. This article from The Atlantic in 2000 illustrates the problem even back then. Normal boy behavior is increasingly seen as aberrant while girls thrive.
Boys play guns. Boys like to play like they are killing bad guys. This is natural behavior going back to caveman times. Adults should not worry if they like playing at killing bad guys, or in this case zombies. It shows a respect for societal norms. One would think that in choosing a mythical creature as their target instead of a human, they might be praised by the adults around them.
The woman who called police said that it made her uncomfortable to see a boy pointing a gun. He was pointing it at a target when she called.
But no, zero tolerance for common sense is now the norm. Especially in public school.
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