Kid suspended; 'played guns' with hands

IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - The mother of a 6-year-old Ionia kindergartner is upset after school administrators suspended her son Tuesday for two days.

The woman said her son was making his hand into the shape of a gun and pointing it at other students Friday -- and then again Tuesday.

"I just want to know why they decided to suspend him instead of doing something else," the boy's mother told 24 Hour News 8.

Ionia Public Schools officials said suspension is a last resort, but couldn't elaborate on this specific case.

The mother admits her son has had other regular behavior problems, including being aggressive toward other students. But she said she felt the situation could have been best addressed by in-school punishments.

The mother warned her child about pointing his hand like a gun after the Friday incident, she said.

She thought the message got through.

But then Tuesday came and a phone call -- "Come pick up your son," the mother says the school secretary said.

Her son apparently had been playing "guns" again -- this time in the classroom. A suspension was enforced immediately, the mother said.

Assistant Superintendent Ben Kirby told 24 Hour News 8 it is school policy to have a student meet with a counselor and to try to work things out within the building. Suspension is a last resort, he said. In this case, there were other behavioral issues and Kirby said school policy was followed, but he could not go into detail.

The mother wonders if school officials overreacted after a shooting occurred in their city Friday . A former Michigan State Police trooper shot and wounded his wife and stepson, before turning the gun on himself.

She says the principal said to her, "I know [the boy] wasn't involved in this, but we have to take precautions."

The school district dismisses any connection between the two. Kirby said it was "purely coincidental" that the two events occurred on the same day.

The mother received a call from Kirby on Thursday afternoon and was told parents always have the option to appeal a suspension. The mother said she did not know the option was available, particularly considering the short duration of the suspension.

Administrators were set to meet with the mother later Thursday.