Silence on lock and load (Suspended for Memorial Day souvenir - expended blank cartridge case)

Worcester Telegram & Gazette ^ | May 30, 2008 | Gail Stanton

[neverdem]

WINCHENDON SUSPENSION

WINCHENDON— School officials said yesterday a privacy policy prevents them from saying much about the suspension of a Toy Town Elementary School student earlier this week for bringing an empty blank shell casing to school.

The decision to suspend 10-year-old Bradley Geslak was made by school Principal Deborah Peterson. “Massachusetts General Law gives principals absolute authority in their schools. She (Mrs. Peterson) has no obligation to notify anyone else because it is expected that she has enough authority under the Massachusetts Educational Reform Act to make these decisions,” said School Committee member Christine B. Philput.

“As a School Committee member I am not made privy to issues regarding students as the decision-making process is at the building level, and the responsibility lies with the principal,” agreed School Committee Chairman Michael Niles.

Ms. Philput said the school’s apparent silence about the situation is only in order to protect the child and not in any manner to appear evasive.

“I’m sure parents wouldn’t want us to talk about a child’s suspension,” said School Superintendent Brooke Clenchy.

“Everyone is uncomfortable,” said Ms. Philput. “They would never want to do anything that may harm a child.”

Crystal Geslak said her son, Bradley, was suspended for five days for bringing the shell casing to school. She said a uniformed veteran gave him two of the blank casings on Monday during a Memorial Day celebration at the GAR Park, across from the elementary school.

She said she also didn’t think to tell her son not to take the casing to school with him.

After a teacher saw him with the casing at school on Tuesday, school officials called his mother to inform her they were expelling him for five days.

“I was totally shocked. I couldn’t believe this was happening,” she said.

Ms. Geslak said she also doesn’t understand why she was not given a written report on the matter when she picked up her son.

“I would have thought that when deciding to suspend my son that they would have had a complete report ready for me,” she said.

“I will say that I was surprised when I heard that,” said Ms. Philput yesterday about the absence of a report.

Ms. Clenchy said the documentation process can always be improved.

But, as for Ms. Geslak not being presented with a written report when she arrived at school, Mrs. Clenchy said, “That would not normally be ready in time for the parent to pick up with their child. It normally goes out a day or two later.”

As for the suspension and the media attention it has received, Ms. Philput said, “I am really concerned and am sorry for what the family has had to go through in all of this.”

[neverdem]

---

May 29, 2008

Souvenir rifle shell gets 4th-grader suspended

Winchendon family shocked

By Gail Stanton CORRESPONDENT

WINCHENDON—

Ten-year-old Bradley Geslak was suspended from school this week for bringing a Memorial Day souvenir to school.

The Toy Town Elementary School fourth-grader had received two empty rifle shell casings from blanks used during the town celebration held at the GAR Park Monday morning.

He brought one of the casings with him to school the next day.

“He was just playing with it at lunch,” explained Crystal Geslak, Bradley’s mother. “He wasn’t showing it to anyone; he had it in his hand and was playing with it.”

Bradley said a teacher saw him with it and told him to hand it over.

“The teacher told me to give it to her and I did,” he said.

After the piece of brass was confiscated, Ms. Geslak was called at work and told to come and pick up her son; he was being suspended for the next five days.

Her son was in tears when she got there.

“I was totally shocked. I couldn’t believe this was happening,” she said.

“Ordinarily, I try to think ahead about things, but to me, this was something good, not bad. It was just an empty shell, not even from a real bullet. A sharpened pencil would be more dangerous than this piece of metal.”

Her son had been given the two blank shells by a uniformed veteran who participated in the ceremony Monday. Bradley gave one to his grandfather and kept the other souvenir for himself.

Having received the souvenir from an adult, he never considered it wrong for him to have it, his mother said.

“He was so proud to have been given them. His dad’s a veteran, his uncle’s a veteran, both his grandfathers are veterans. Memorial Day is a big thing to us. It’s a very important holiday and we have a big celebration every year,” Ms. Geslak said.

She is now concerned about the impact that having the shell taken away will have on her son and his feelings about the holiday in the future.

According to the family, a school official said on Tuesday that the shell would not be returned to them. The family said they were also told that the next step might involve assigning a probation officer to Bradley.

They also said they don’t know the whole story yet.

“When I went to pick him up, I was told that the teacher hadn’t finished writing up her report on what took place and that I would get that later,” Ms. Geslak said. “I would have thought that when deciding to suspend my son that they would have had a complete report ready for me.”

School officials refused to comment on the incident yesterday, citing privacy regulations.

“I cannot give any comment on school suspensions,” Principal Deborah Peterson said. “I cannot confirm or deny a suspension took place, and I cannot speak about anything involving a minor. It’s all confidential, just like at a doctor’s office.”

Attempts to reach Superintendent Brooke Clenchy and School Committee Chairman Michael Niles for comment were unsuccessful.

“I am worried about what having a weapon-related suspension on his school record will mean to his future,” his mother said.

“He’s like any other 10-year-old kid. Sometimes he can have a bad attitude,” she said. “We dealt with that once earlier this year and I don’t want them to now think he is a bad kid or label him as one.

“If he had been suspended for having a bad attitude, I could have understood it. I would have supported them in that. But not for this. He didn’t even know he did anything wrong,” she said.

Ms. Geslak will have plenty of time to think about that in the coming days, because the suspension also means that she has had to give up hours at work to be with her son.

Bradley Geslak holds an empty bullet casing like the one that got him suspended from school in Winchendon. (T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR)

[Travis McGee]

What a nation of witless deballed eunuchs we've become.

[kms61]

the above link goes to the printer-friendly version of the story. This link goes to the original story, where you can leave comments.

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=reader_comments&article_ID=805300710&WT_article_headline=Silence%20on%20lock%20and%20load%20-%20%20-%20%20-%20%20-%20WINCHENDON%20SUSPENSION

[sgtyork]

Couldn’t agree more. My strong memories of Memorial Days 40 years ago is honoring rifle shots and casings to be picked up.

[maine-iac7]

Ms. Philput said, “I am really concerned and am sorry for what the family has had to go through in all of this.”

Hey, "Ms.", the family needn't have gone through this at all except for your brain-washed decision.

It's getting to feel very much like what started in the schools in Nazi Germany -

This is far from an isolated case. Children are being traumatize needlessly and parents all but terrorized with the brain-dead who have such authority over them -

[chaos_5]

Friggin insanity!! It reminds me when SDSU wen into lock down because someone found a box of ammo. This is just STUPID! If I were the parents I would sue for something. Pain and suffering, heck something.

insanity...

[elkfersupper]

I have 4,000 once-fired .45 ACP casings in my vehicle right now.

I should be executed.

[Westlander]

Not surprised. I was refused to board a plane because I have an empty .357 case on my key chain.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the link.

[JLS]

The family should take the kid down to the police and file a theft complaint against the person who took his brass shell casing. They may have a right to take it away from him at school. They most certainly do not have the right to steal from this kid, ie keep it.

Of course the police will do nothing, but the complaint should be filed. Then a law suit should be filed against the person who stole the kids momento.

[LegendHasIt]

“Massachusetts General Law gives principals absolute authority in their schools."

Absolute authority huh?
Wow. Principals have more power than most Kings and Presidents.

I know it is the People's Republic of mASSachusetts, but if that statement is literally true, what is to prevent the Principals from forcing the kids into slave labor etc. while at school rather than just teaching them about the great works of Karl Marx and the evils of 'white' Americans?

I'd like the opportunity to slap some sense into those people.

[Husker8877]

Dude, off-topic I know, but.....

I gotta say, that’s some disgusting elk ass in your profile pic... can you add a G-string or something?

;>)

[dcwusmc]

http://tinyurl.com is our friend, PLEASE!

[VR-21]

It says a lot when school officials are not fired for being such morons. I’m sure that teacher spares no effort in inculcating those students with postmodern leftist crap.

[Mobile Vulgus]

A shot and a ping

[William Tell]

If a school ever suspended one of my kids for such a thing, I would take him to Disneyland during the time off. Every kid in his class would want to be suspended too.

[jwparkerjr]

I am a freelance photographer and one of the events I cover every year is a Memorial Day ceremony at an American Legion Post and cemetary here in Tampa. Here's a picture I took this year showing even those who produce those highly sought-after spent cartridges think they're great! These are Junior ROTC cadets from Tampa's Hillsborough High School being given the ammunition for their three shots in the 21-gun salute. I love the look on the faces!



It's pretty obvious from this close up shot that these are blanks:
Kids will be kids!

[saganite]

The family said they were also told that the next step might involve assigning a probation officer to Bradley.

That says it all. If I were that family I would move. There’s no reason to submit to this kind of harassment.

[Wonder Warthog]

The “teacher” and the principal should be fired, and the school superintendent and board should be booted at the next election. This kind of thing is simply STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!

[supercat]

This kind of thing is simply STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!!

Why is it stupid? If it helps instill the proper fear of the state, I would think it would be deemed "effective".

[TXnMA]

He didn’t even know he did anything wrong,” she said.

That is because he did not do anything wrong!!!

[elkfersupper]

I’ll consider that.