In yet another example of a school’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy for guns, a Rhode Island 7th grader has been suspended for having a tiny fake gun keychain in his backpack.
As the local NBC News affiliate reported, the keychain — which 12-year-old Joseph Lyssikatos had won at an arcade — fell out of the boy’s backpack at Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School on Thursday. A classmate then picked up the two-inch-long toy and started showing it to other classmates before a teacher confiscated it.
Lyssikatos was issued a three-day suspension for bringing the fake gun to school. The boy told NBC 10 that he would have to make up homework for his advanced math class as a result. But his punishment didn’t stop there, since the school also ruled Lyssikatos wouldn’t be able to participate in a class field trip to Salem at the end of the month.
The boy’s stepmother, Bonnie Bonanno, is outraged by the punishment.
“That’s disgraceful because, OK, being suspended for three days, and this big punishment is enough for him mentally,” Bonanno said.
The school has remained relatively quiet on the issue.
“Because this is a student discipline issue, we cannot comment on any specifics, but we will gladly send you a copy of the policy,” Assistant Superintendent Mike Convery wrote in a statement to NBC 10.
The school’s policy is as follows:
The boy’s father, Keith Bonanno, told WPRO radio that school administrators said the boy was lucky he wasn’t suspended for 10 days or expelled.
Mr. Bonanno said he was a “normal kid” with perfect attendance.
“This is bordering on insanity over here,” he said of the school’s reaction.
