A Colorado school district suspended a student for five days and called the police last week for allegedly pointing and “waving” a toy gun during an online video class, according to local media.
Isaiah Elliott, 12, was virtually attending an art class at Grand Mountain School in Colorado Springs when his teacher says she saw him, along with one of his friends, playing with a toy gun. The teacher, Danielle Selke, contacted the vice principal, Keri Lindaman. The principal contacted the school resource officer who requested a deputy from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office visit the home.
Elliott’s mother, Dani Elliott, was not there when the police arrived at her home, and she told KOAA that she feared for her son’s life when she found out the police had been called.
“Especially with the current events, with Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy getting killed over a toy gun, you know these things are very scary and they’re very real,” she said. “This is not the first time my son has faced racism or discrimination or anything like that.”
She wondered why the school didn’t simply call and talk to her about the incident rather than calling the police.
“If the school was so concerned with my son’s safety, why not just call me first. If they were so concerned with his safety, why call the police and give them this preconceived notion that my son is some sort of trouble maker?” she asked.
There is some discrepancy between what Dani Elliott claims happened during class and what the school district and sheriff’s office claim.
According to a redacted incident report obtained by KOAA, the recording “clearly” shows Isaiah Elliott and his friend “playing around and pointing what appears to be a black handgun at the computer screen and pulling the trigger. On the video, is [sic] hear saying something to about a ‘pistol’ and ‘grabbing his BB’s.’”
But Dani Elliott told BuzzFeed News that both her husband and Lindaman told her that Isaiah just picked up the toy gun from the couch and moved it from one side of the screen to the other.
The school district was recording the class, but they have not made the recording public, and Dani Elliott says she hasn’t seen it.
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In addition, while Dani Elliott claims that Lindaman acknowledged that she knew it was a toy gun, Lindaman told the sheriff’s deputy that “she assumed it was a toy gun but was not certain.”
When Deputy Steven Paddack arrived at the Elliott residence, he spoke with Isaiah’s father, Curtis Elliott, about the alleged incident. He confirmed the gun was a toy, and “expressed the seriousness of the situation,” according to his incident report.
He also told Cutis Elliott that if his son’s actions continue, he could potentially face criminal charges “for Interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.”
Isaiah Elliott was suspended for five days. In his notice of suspension, which Dani Elliott provided to BuzzFeed News, the school said he was guilty of “violation of district or building policies or procedures” and “behavior on or off school property which is detrimental to the welfare, safety, or morals of other pupils or school personnel.”
This isn’t the first time a school has requested law enforcement involvement for the appearance of a toy gun during on online class.
Earlier this year, the police were called to a home in Pennsylvania after a parent spotted a toy gun in the background of a student’s screen. The child did not receive disciplinary action, but his parents reported that the police visit left him terrified.
I think that this student gun issue I blown way out of proportion! I can remember playing with toy gums in school at reassess 60 years ago. Kids need gun education not a felony record. Wake up america
The BlueFly is an accurate, body-worn gunshot detection sensor
Just another overreaction by politically correct adults that are not as intelligent as the children they are condeming. The kids simply need to be taught the difference between real and fake situations and shown the proper fundamental safety requirements. You don’t simply hide the matches from the children, you teach them the dangers and results of mishandling both matches and guns. It’s never too early to teach gun safety, not just simply hide them. No matter how hard you wish it to be, guns will never just go away,
IT IS SAD THAT YOU LIBERALS ARE SO STUPID , BLOOD GUTS AND GUNS HAVE PROVIDED THE FREEDOM THAT YOU ENJOY WHILE YOU SET BACK SMOKE A JOINT AND THINK OF WAYS TO MAKE THIS NATION INTO A SOCIALISTS BUNCH OF WIMPS. READ THE HISTORY YOU TEACH AND DO NOT TWIST IT
Are these leftist educators the same idiots that want to defund the police?
Does anyone remember the words common sense? Take the BB gun and put it up, and sit his ass the corner all day.
STUPID REACTIONARY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. PEOPLE, GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF SAND !!!!!!!!!!
Well, the 1911 in question is definitely a Zombie Hunter. Teacher probably saw an ad for Hornady Zombie Max 9mm ammo sometime in life and put two and two together. But this time it equaled three. DAMN ZOMBIES !!
You have removed every post I have made here for months. Nothing was against your demands of what a post should be. I am a Life Member of the NRA and a gun nut. It absolutely bothers me that you treat me like a Demwit site. I don’t want to unsubscribe but it is time.
Here’s a link to the police report, for anyone who wants to learn more about this incident before they get out their torches and pitchforks:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s3KGXZAqYBGTbgkMuwB-x-C9rW1mbPTn/view?usp=sharing
During online class, the kid was pretending to shoot at his teacher with an Umarex airsoft pistol, pictured at the top of the article, not one of those cute Nerf guns they show him standing next to in the other picture. Umarex makes some pretty cool replica BB guns, so I can see where the teacher might have their doubts.
Teacher knows they can’t be shot through a TV screen; is concerned 12 yr old kid might have unsupervised access to a firearm.
Quick summary of events: Teacher calls cops, cops go to house, dad is at home. Cops talk to dad, dad is cool, dad confirms that son’s just playing with toy, shows cops toy, cops are cool with this, cops go home, son probably has some explaining to do for dad.
Mom finds out, goes straight to race card, calls cops to house next day, cops return to house, cops listen to mom complain how teacher is racist.
My conclusion: teacher had reasonable concerns, son was being a disrespectful little jerk who probably won’t do it again, dad’s cool, cops are cool. Mom’s a Karen pain-in-the butt who wants to make this into a race issue, which I find particularly disgusting at this moment in time.
Don’t like my conclusion? Read the police report for yourself and make your own decision, but don’t just knee-jerk this without getting some facts first. If you do that, you’re just as bad as those idiots in Portland who are burning down their own city.
The teacher is an hysteric closet racist and should not be allowed near children.
Effeminate, p^ssy ass rationalizations like yours are just exactly how BS nonsense like this was ever allowed to get started in this country and no I don’t need to read any damn report to see that. Stop being such a cry-baby and grow a pair!
It’s good information to have the report but I want to see the video….if the incident was recorded as stated. Nothing better than indisputable video evidence.
You can drown someone with a SUPER SOAKER!
And yet here we type. I hope my computer camera doesn’t (that’s secretly recordingand live streaming to the NSA) doesn’t show my CCW sitting on the dresser behind me. Probly get me red-flagged AND suspended.
Might have escaped some notice but our education system has been hijacked by leftist propagandists who are brainwashing all susceptible. Colorado among the worst.
He was disrupting class with a toy gun. If he were physically in class and had the toy, he would be in for the suspension. I think this was more than moving the handgun out of view, like was claimed. It isn’t like the camera picked up a gun hanging on the wall. It appears the kid was playing with the gun and disrupting class, especially if he was talking about getting BBs.
The kid doesn’t need a visit from the police, but he does need some discipline.
I think both sides are a bit over the top. First of all if the child is suppose to treat the virtual classroom as a real one and behave appropriately. He would have been in more trouble if he had brought even a toy gun to school. If it turns out that he did point the the gun at the screen, understand that from the teacher’s point of view it was pointed at her. I am not sure if other students could see it. So I think we could all agree that the action during school , virtual or not, is not appropriate. Also the student should be playing with any toys during school. As far as the teacher and the school goes, I feel that she went way too far. The teacher stated that she thought it was a toy gun. Even if it wasn’t, the parents should have called immediately to deal with the situtation. Then there should have been a virtual meeting about the situation and the rules discussed and what if any reprimand there should be. The whole situation should have been handled much better.
“ ……….. Especially with the current events, with Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy getting killed over a toy gun, you know these things are very scary and they’re very real,” she said. “This is not the first time my son has faced racism or discrimination or anything like that. …………….”
If there should have been any contact at all, the school should have called the parents first (I don’t think it’s any of the schools business what goes on in someone’s home and there shouldn’t have been any contact over some nerf guns) ……………….
And of course, let’s play the race card at every chance we get ……………
“…….. Isaiah Elliott was suspended for five days. In his notice of suspension, which Dani Elliott provided to BuzzFeed News, the school said he was guilty of “violation of district or building policies or procedures” and “behavior on or off school property which is detrimental to the welfare, safety, or morals of other pupils or school personnel. …………….”
Behavior off school property is none of the school’s business ………………….
You’re right, but it’s the idiot parents who will hold the schools accountable when something happens outside of school. SMH
Welcome to COMMUNIST Colorado, the state is OVER RUN with Wackos from Commiefornia, All of those people need to be put in to a cage by themselves, or ship them all to Commiefornia and build a 50ft wall to keep them in.
typical hood rat earning his cred virtually instead of on the playground. good thing the eagle eyed teach caught it, probably saved countless white lives in the hood.
OMG!!! IF that were a “real” gun, and IF it were loaded, and IF he pulled the trigger, why, then, he would have killed a computer screen!!! Have people gone completely nuts?? Would love to see the school’s recording of this event. Too bad that many teachers in this day and age, ain’t got the brains God gave a Billy Goat!!
Howard don’t insult the Billy Goat.
Time to fire the over the top lunatics . There is something terribly wrong with that type of teacher and system . Neither are worthy of existing. . How do they like that ?😩😭😢
99% of the teachers are VERY LIBERAL and they are ALL Brain washed with the communist mindset to destroy our children so they can make the USA a Communist Hell Hole. every teacher needs to be fired and Re-Educated.
I counter your “speaking in totalities” with an “ad hominem”. Your grammar indicates that you may still need a teacher. Now that that’s done.
A significant number of educators in my mostly rural Indiana locality are Republican as are the major of Hoosiers.
Teachers don’t dictate the curriculum, the school board and school administration does.
We still say the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
These three points are verifiable. Are yours?
Mark, you are fortunate to live in a part of Free America. In the LA Unified School District (California), the Pledge of Allegiance is no longer recited at the beginning of the school day. It started 50 years ago, when students were told the y didn’t have to say the words “under God” during the pledge, Three or four years after that, the Pledge was done away with. In the University of California, Dominguez Hills, the United States flag is no longer posted in front of the classrooms. They have flags from Mexico, China and several other countries, but the US flag was deemed too intimidating for attending foreign students. All of these points are verifiable. Please don’t let your state become like ours! God Bless…
My comment above applies to you as well, no verification needed, you are also a big wuss!
NUH-UH!
But you can’t suspend a kid for physically fighting with his teacher.
I don’t think the video of a minor during a school session should be publicly released. It should, however, be shown to the parents. Kids will lie if it reduces the trouble they’re in, we all can remember doing that even if there is evidence to the contrary!! He’s 12…. If there was doubt about the gun being a toy or not calling the police might have been appropriate, depending on how it was being played with. If the teacher was reasonably sure it was a toy then the parents should have been called instead. we were shown a green gun and some Nerf guns, but a black gun was mentioned (probably an airsoft BB gun). I don’t like it when these “reports” show one thing but mention another. The left isn’t the only one manipulating media… The incident in PA is definitely unfounded. A gun was seen in the video in the background, kid wasn’t handling it.
Five days suspension for basically cutting up “in class” though???
Nice arsenal, kid! Remember: Breathe, Relax, Aim, Slack, Squeeze! Now you have 5 days to practice!
Never occurred to me that this school Karen’s call to cops was for a black kid, but I wonder if that had something to do with it? In instances like this, it could’ve been equal opportunity overreach (I was gonna say overkill, but too punny). But, just goes to show how scared teachers are and to a degree understandable. But, a warning would be in order here perhaps?
I totally agree with the mother. Let’s get the school to release the video. I’m sick of these Henny-Penny school teachers.
My wife is an elementary educator, so my comments may be somewhat subjective. Let me preface with this. I wholeheartedly agree with the mother. The family should have been the first and primary contact.
That being said, the teacher most likely did exactly what she was required to do. The school system and school board set the triggers, requirements, and steps to take in these instances. Not the teachers.
Here’s my objective take on the story. If I saw what appeared to be an minor student handling a firearm during a school sanctioned activity, I would have reviewed the school policy in regard to the event and proceed to take further steps if warranted.
I would also like to comment that too many times we have seen school administration ignore or downplay warning signs only to have future tragic events occur that may have been prevented with simple oversight.
the kid is in HIS HOME. the over reach is that now the School wants to Dictate what goes on in ones home is total BULL SHIT. this virtual School crap is just another Ruse by the LEFT to spy on everyone to find out more info than they need to know. in his home the kid can point what ever he wants to at the computer screen, there is NO law against that. and in this kids home he can play with what ever gun he wants to, this is still AMERICA and we still have rights that the State can’t take away. even in Communist Colorado he can still do what he wants to do inside of his home.
The you and your wife are just “policy followers”. When the gubberment says jump, you say how high. WUSSES!
Big brother is watching 1984