Cops called to 12-year-old boy’s home after he waved toy gun during virtual class

The State September 7, 2020 0 Comments dailymail, News

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A 12-year-old Colorado boy was suspended and the police were called to his home after he waved a toy gun during a virtual class.

Seventh grader Isaiah Elliott, who is a student at Grand Mountain School in Colorado Springs, was attending his virtual art class on August 27, when he briefly held the toy gun in his hand.

His mother, Dani Elliott, told BuzzFeed News that her son had picked up the neon green toy gun and moved it from one side of his computer screen to the other.

It wasn’t until after the class that Dani received an email from her son’s art teacher.

Isaiah Elliott (pictured), 12, of Colorado, was suspended and the police were called to his home after he waved a toy gun during a virtual class on August 27

Isaiah, who is a student at Grand Mountain School, was attending his virtual art class on August 27, when he briefly held the toy gun (pictured) in his hand

Dani told BuzzFeed that the teach said Isaiah had been ‘extremely distracted’ and that there had been ‘a very serious issue with waving around a toy gun’.

The teacher informed Dani that she had reported the incident to the school’s vice principal Keri Lindaman.

Lindaman then called Dani to inform her that school resource officers from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office would be visiting her home to conduct a health and wellness check.

A short time later, deputies from the sheriff’s office arrived to their home.

During their visit, Isaiah’s father, Curtis Elliott, said that their son ‘was in tears when the cops came’.

‘He was scared. We all were scared. I literally was scared for his life,’ Curtis told KDVR.

Police said in a report that they advised Isaiah that if his behavior continued, he could ‘potentially face criminal charges for interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions’.

Isaiah, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has learning disabilities, was left traumatized by the incident, his parents said.

During their visit, Isaiah’s father, Curtis Elliott, said that their son ‘was in tears when the cops came’

‘He was scared. We all were scared. I literally was scared for his life,’ Curtis (right) said

‘I definitely feel they crossed the line,’ Dani (left) said. ‘They were extreme with their punishment, especially sending the police out and traumatizing my son and my family’

‘I definitely feel they crossed the line,’ Dani told KDVR. ‘They were extreme with their punishment, especially sending the police out and traumatizing my son and my family.’

In the notice of suspension, which was obtained by BuzzFeed, school administrators said that Isaiah violated ‘district or building policies or procedures’ and was guilty of ‘behavior on or off school property which is detrimental to the welfare, safety, or morals of other pupils or school personnel’.

‘This could potentially impact his future… look at everything that’s going on in the world today,’ Dani said.

‘God forbid something happens to my son down the road, people could look at this and decide he doesn’t deserve justice. I know that sounds extreme… it’s a very real reality for us,’ she added.

Isaiah’s suspension ended on Friday but his parents are refusing to allow him to go back to Grand Mountain School.

He is currently on a waiting list at a charter school.

‘Having toys in my house is something I thought I never had to think of,’ she said. ‘It never crossed my mind that toys could be seen as a threat.’

Grand Mountain School also gave an update about the incident last week.

‘We understand there are many questions regarding an incident that took place during distance learning. There are also several inaccuracies being spread on social media. While we cannot get into details due to privacy laws, we want to clear up a few misconceptions.

‘We never have or ever will condone any form of racism or discrimination. Safety will always be number one for our students and staff. We follow board policies and safety protocols consistently, whether we are in-person or distance learning,’ the school’s statement reads.