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Boy suspended for drawing picture of gun 
School officials say sketch 'absolutely considered a threat'

Chandler school officials have suspended a 13-year-old boy for sketching a picture that resembled a gun, saying it posed a threat to classmates.

But parents of the Payne Junior High School student said the drawing was a harmless doodle of a fake laser, and school officials overreacted.

"I just can't believe that there wasn't another way to resolve this," said Paula Mosteller, the boy's mother. "He's so upset. The school made him feel like he committed a crime. They are doing more damage than good."

The Mostellers said the drawing did not show blood, bullets, injuries, or target any human. They said it was just a drawing that resembled a gun.

But Payne Junior High administrators thought the sketch was enough of a threat and gave the boy a five-day suspension, later reduced to three days.

Chandler district spokesman Terry Locke said the sketch was "absolutely considered a threat," and threatening words or pictures are punishable.

The school did not contact police and did not provide counseling or an evaluate the boy to determine if he intended the drawing as a threat.

School officials issued the suspension Monday afternoon. They notified the student's father, Ben Mosteller. He met with school officials and persuaded them to shorten his son's suspension from 5 days to 3.

Ben Mosteller said that when he came to the school to discuss his son's punishment, school officials mentioned the seriousness of the issue and talked about the massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School _ the site where two teenagers shot and killed 12 students and injured 24 others in 1999.

The Mostellers said the Columbine reference was extreme and offensive.

They have contacted the district's governing board about the incident involving their son.

That is dumb! Should we also ban drawing of people?

Only if it is drawings of criminals, Military people carrying guns, fictional aliens or terrorists.  ;)  (please note sacrcasm)

It is ridiculous. Kids draw things that they see. If they watch sci-fi movies or even cartoons they will probably draw ray guns and the like. It does not mean that they intend to kill anyone. As a child I watched old westerns and would draw the cowboys, including their guns. I certainly had no intention of hurting anyone myself.

Unfortunately fear and political correctness gone wild has taken people to extremes on such things as this. Over-reaction in some areas and lack of action where it is needed.