Unfortunately, there's probably ample precedent for allowing this sort of nonsense to stand. Harassing behavior is defined in the workplace based on the (alleged) harassee's perceptions, rather than on the intent or actual actions of the "offender." There's not even a "reasonable man" standard involved. Thus, if someone finds a remark, picture, action, or glance offensive, it's potentially actionable and a corporation will usually investigate to cover its own butt.

No reason to expect a school won't be even stupider, since their application of "zero-tolerance" policies has led to the suspension of students for pointing chicken fingers at other students, drawing pictures of armed relatives in overseas military service, and so on.

Which leads me to ask, in the interest of reductio ad absurdem, if a picture of a chicken finger on top of a flag would be grounds for suspension? Or only if the picture showed the chicken finger being wielded in a threatening manner?

Or only if the chicken finger were cooked in trans fats?

When I was in high school a large group of us played the game Killer. As the name states, it was a game of last man (or girl) standing. We used water uzis (yes, the realistic looking ones), dart guns, and one guy smuggled in a water bazooka under a trench coat.

Since when is a picture of a gun offensive? Guns are what the military uses to protect our freedoms. Perhaps those who consider guns to be so offensive should defect to whichever country would have taken us over first if the U.S. were suddenly disarmed.

It was a military weapon, not a sexually explicit image.

Surely they've edited out all the pictures of guns from the history books they use to teach the high school kids. Maybe if we pretend guns don't exist, war and crime will end forever.

Use the picture of Obama firing the shotgun and watch them go crazy.

From the Daily Mail article:

As reported by ABC, Dana Hawman, a spokesperson for the Florence Unified School District, released the following statement: 'Although we cannot specifically discuss student discipline, we can certainly agree that violence in schools is a sensitive and timely issue.

'Students, parents and staff are on edge, and the daily news delivers more reasons for caution. All of us must work together to protect our kids and to cultivate an environment that is conducive to learning.' [emphasis added]

Dana Hawman wins the Unintentional Irony award for the month, though I'll suggest with some generosity that the quote might be incomplete.

Also, it looks like the gun geeks have gotten into the article's comment thread.

We will all end up living our lives based on the emotionally maturity of the lowest common denominator.

Thats why I look forward to the next plauge

My daughter says this is the zombie apocalypse, even at 16 she sees and knows that things are completely out of control. She sees that no one seems to use their brains anymore. There is no critical thinking going on. I swear I think that every ridiculous story I read will be the last, most ridiculous... then I read another.. sigh.

Awhile back, one of my nephews, who loves war history, was talking to a social studies teacher about WWII (my grandfather fought in France, and nephew is quite proud of that). A student overheard his mention of guns and reported it. Even though the social studies teacher confirmed the context of the conversation, he was still suspended.

Oh, and after my brief stint with the school system when a nephew lived with me, no idiotic thing they do surprises me. I met with them on several occasions to address my nephew's learning disability and their plan to help him succeed (apparently they're required to have one).

Meeting with them was probably one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. All women. Do you know how infuriating it is to waste your time with a bunch of hand-wringing, ineffectual piles of estrogen who are more concerned with being politically correct than they are with addressing issues that actually impact a student and their likelihood of success?

Near the end of the meeting, after I had metaphorically beat my head on the table multiple times, my nephew's history teacher strolled in for a surprise visit. He was a no bull-shit, let's identify and address the issues kind of guy. The kind of guy who thought that even though a kid might have barriers, it's still important to instill in them a sense of responsibility, earned confidence, and accountability for their actions. I really appreciated it. I felt like he was the first person to see my nephew as an actual person and adult-in-training.

Surely they've edited out all the pictures of guns from the history books they use to teach the high school kids. ~ Tony

How do people think we got this country? In a slap fight?

Use the picture of Obama firing the shotgun and watch them go crazy. ~ MarkD

Or the national flag of Mozambique.

Daniel McClaine, Jr. would be better off if they expelled him completely. Being excommunicated from an authoritarian institution run by paranoid, emotionally unstable officials cannot be a bad thing. He doesn't need a high school diploma and grades to go to college.

If a person finds a benign picture of a firearm to be so threatening or disturbing that someone who displays it should be oppressed, then that person is paranoid or emotionally unstable and in need of therapy. They definitely should not be a teacher of, role model for, or authority over kids. The other members of society should not have to adjust their lifestyles and behaviors to accommodate the pathologies of the disturbed few.

I wonder how many hours a week those harassed, threatened, offended school officials willingly spend watching dramatic, graphic portrayals of gun violence in movies and on TV, without feeling threatened or offended.

When my son was little, he was in his school's after school enrichment program, and one of the activities was drawing. He drew a WWII era dog-fight and got in trouble for drawing a plane with the swastika on it. I went ape-shit (always my favorite thing to do) and demanded to know what was he supposed to show on the German plane (which was shot down in flames by brave Brits and Americans.) The teacher stammered around and I told her that she should have rewarded him for historical accuracy.

Meloni: "Do you know how infuriating it is to waste your time with a bunch of hand-wringing, ineffectual piles of estrogen who are more concerned with being politically correct than they are with addressing issues that actually impact a student and their likelihood of success?"

I work in mental health, and I see this same irrational obsession with political correctness in the care and treatment of people with mental illnesses.

Which is why I shudder when I hear politicians and bureaucrats react to mass shootings and violence by advocating more government programs and greater government involvement in the treatment of the mentally ill.

A friend was flying out of San Francisco (before 9/11) & in her carry-on she had a bunch of presents for friends. One of the presents was a pewter belt buckle in the shape of a gun but much smaller. She was detained, searched, and ultimately allowed on the airplane but without her belt buckle.

Maybe they thought she would throw it at someone or something.

Sending a kid to a public school these days seems like it's getting awfully close to prima facie evidence of child abuse. Which is sad for someone like me with a lot of educators in his family tree.

And the [stupidity] hits, just keep coming.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/2nd-grader-suspended-over-imaginary-grenade-224740937.html

The next time someone is upset with you about their gun phobia, show them what guns in the right hands looks like.

These people lost over a million troops in a battle they won, and they have a pretty good idea what "never again" means.

"I work in mental health, and I see this same irrational obsession with political correctness in the care and treatment of people with mental illnesses."

They are both fields that people who are very immature are attracted to. My stepsister-in-law is an elementary school teacher, and she and I have discussed this. We've both observed that people who want to teach particularly in the lower grades often do so not because they want to teach second graders, but because they want to be a second grader.