Three year old Hunter is deaf. He uses S.E.E. (Signing Exact English) sign language to communicate. His name is a symbol unique to him, just as our names are unique to us. It is a registered sign, not one that is made up by his family or anyone else.
Hunter signs his name by crossing his forefinger and index finger and moving his hand up and down.
But his school district thinks the sign is a symbol for violence. They say the gesture violates their rule banning anything that resembles a weapon. And they have asked him to change the sign for his name. Which is in essence, changing his name.
You can find the story
here.
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Comments (26)
To me, that's just wrong in so many levels.
Talk about a heart breaking story. Are people really that ignorant?
Paranoia in America!
It is an epidemic, and rapidly growing worse. Our children already think it is better to avoid notice than stand out and be unique... I shudder for the long term damage we are doing to their creative/problem-solving abilities.
This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read....and then I watched the news broadcast.
So stupid.
Yes, letting this little kid sign his name, and having other kids copy him (cause that's what kids do) will definitely lead to the next school shooting.
Oh dear.
Oh wow.... This is simply ridiculous on so many levels. It sickens me how paranoid our country is. I don't feel this school has any right to essentially strip this little boy of his identity, it's just wrong!
He is a PRESCHOOLER & that is HIS NAME! RIDICULOUS.
This is the first time I've heard of S.E.E. I'll have to look into this.
And, the sign they are doing does kind of look like a child playing "shoot 'em up". But, that isn't what the sign is referencing. I can see how the school can go "That's a bit inappropriate" at first glance but hopefully they've worked it out by now that a child expressing his name shouldn't be treated as a violation of School Policy.
The school could have handled this better. I'm glad the parents were able to get this story out and known to the public.
With all the problems in the world today, why would anyone have a problem with this. I think the people who want the kid to get a name change, should get a life!
This is fucking pathetic. That's like saying to someone called Bob "I once knew a serial killer called Bob, you're gonna have to change your name or you'll become one as well!" urgh.
Carried this ridiculous interpretation MUCH TOO FAR !!! How very ignorant is this???
They just opened the door to massive lawsuits. I hate this zero tolerance bullshit. I know they designed it for safety in schools but I only hear about it for bullshit reasons. Like how one kid's picture in the yearbook was rejected because he dressed up as a knight & it was deemed too violent or some shit.
When it gets to the point they cant tell the difference in what should be allowed and what should not they have no value runing the school.
Who is the pathetic bureaucrat who decided Hunter needs to change his sign name?
Kids are still bringing guns to school every year and these ridiculous little rules are not changing it. You want to screw with a child's way of identifying his own name in the name of WHAT, exactly?
@Shinbi_Belldandy@xanga - Zero Tolerance is a joke. The idea that "symbols" are an actual motivating factor in violence is pure nonsense. The mentally debilitating social conditions of public school, for some kids, continues to be ignored while the bureaucrats blame outbursts on sign language "guns" and Marilyn Manson.
...and here I am going to school to be a jr. high teacher.
@Manic_Butterflies@xanga - Congrats on being a teacher! We need smart ones in there. If you're gonna have zero tolerance, it should go to the staff as well as students. I had to deal with some nasty shit teachers. My reading teacher in 6th grade called me stupid in a loud ass rant in class on day because I didnt have a book (she shorted my row one book passing them out) & she must have been having a bad day. So the next day my mom came & told the principal & she called the teacher over in the hall & when she asked about what happened, she flat out lied her ass off. It wasnt until my classmates spoke up & called her out on it that she tried to blame her snap on how the class was acting & she would tripping over her words.
Hunter needs to learn the sign for 'Kiss my ass, you fucking pricks! I'll not change my name for you American pieces-of-shit!' Then he needs to sign that to the school board. He should also learn 'fuck off' too.
@CanuckFascist@xanga - I'm pretty sure we all know that sign, and it's the middle finger.
what the hell.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - Precisely. The name 'Hunter' belongs to the kid. No one should have the right to take that away and I am a fascist too. I, as a fascist, would never deign to even attempt it. I would have those who demand he change his name detained for questioning, if you know what I mean.
I've had to change my name before because my teachers said I couldn't go out to play unless I spelled my name correctly. I had to spell it with a "y." My mom would be so confused.