Student suspended for drawing stick figure with gun

ROSEBORO, NC (WRAL/CNN) – A middle school student was suspended over doodles of stick figures holding guns and knives.

James Herring, the student’s father, said he couldn’t believe his 13-year-old son was suspended for drawing the pictures.

“I see him holding his gun – he’s a deer hunter – I see him with a magician and I see him as a Ninja Turtle,” Herring said. “Just expressing himself, nothing violent.”

Herring’s son, a seventh-grader at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School, was suspended a few weeks ago for two days.

Herring said he’s not surprised by the drawings because his son is a hunter. He added that the guns in his home are kept under lock and key.

“When I see that, I see a normal 13-year-old boy. I drew pictures like this,” Herring said. “You know, any other person that’s of age drew drawings like this. You know, it’s nothing to get expelled from school from.”

He believes the principal overreacted because of all the recent news about school shootings in the U.S.

School officials are just being extra vigilant due to the recent shootings, said Eric Bracy, superintendent of Sampson County Schools.

Bracy wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the suspension, but he said punishment for students for a variety of offenses are outlined in the student handbook.

“There are some things that list possible threats or things like that. We have categories – category one, two, three and four – which sort of grades potential incidents and the level of seriousness,” Bracy said.

Drawings could fit into one of the school’s threat categories, Bracy said.

While there have been no incidents at the school, Bracy said the suspension should serve as a message for all parents to be very concerned about what their children are doing.

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