AreYouSoDumbYouCan'tRecognizeSarcasm? :D

Because we all know that when you put your fingers together like a gun, it becomes one.

I am beyond embarrassed for this school district...

Khalid, you earned the "Best Post of the Day" award, hands down! Captain America obviously needs his vitamins.

I hope his hands go off, and shoot the dumb asses, who are forbidding him from using his name. What caliber are his hands anyway?

I call on the entire administration to resign since they are clearly WAY too stupid to be in their positions.

A hand looks like a gun, and that's a violation of school policy? I've seen people without hands; their arms look like clubs, so should they be required to leave their arms at home? Pencils look an awful lot like missiles, so let's leave them at home too. And the district spokesperson says it's a "misunderstanding"? The school wants him to essentially change his name because his name makes his had resemble a gun. Would you ask another student to change their name because it looked like a weapon when it was spelled out? My daughter is currently learning ASL because she has a deaf friend, and they frequently abreviate their names because the only other way to do it is to spell it out every time they say it... Imagine, "Hello, my name is M-I-C-H-A-E-L" every time you introduced yourself... Stupid... *shm*

awwww, Vivian, but he's so cute and sweet looking. Gosh, didn't know we all possess weapons (our fingers) Guess all the kids should stay home.

The officials in this district are idiots. Someone can certainly tell the difference between a child making a sign with his hand and an actual weapon. The idea that they would even think that this is a problem boggles the imagination. These officials have absolutely no common sense. This is the sign representing this kids name and he should be free to use it and to expect everyone else to use it the same way a hearing child has the right to expect people to use their correct name when they speak it. I certainly hope this district wakes up and realizes the complete idiocy of their position.

So let me get this straight. This kid lives in a country that has over 300,000,000 guns floating around. He lives is a country that has almost zero effective laws governing gun ownership and a wealthy and powerful organization that pushes for more guns and fewer gun laws. He lives in a country with TV, movies and video games that present shooting deaths as everyday stuff and a media awash in violence. If he should live in a major city shooting deaths will be an everyday occurrence and no matter where he lives there will be fairly frequent mass murders by people wielding semi automatic rifles and handguns with tons of ammunition. And...his school is completely shaken by the fact that he signs his name with a hand gesture that looks like a gun formed by his fingers. This is freakin' INSANE!!! Where the hell are our priorities, our common sense?? Certainly not in the Grand Island public schools.

"Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, administrate".

Bumbling fools. This is what's passing for leaders in education? I wonder how many of them injured their jaws when their knees jerked up so hard?

Just to prove how absolutely ridiculous this decision by the school board was; imagine if a gun manufacturer decided to design a gun that was as relatively shaped like a hand as this kid's name looks like a gun - it would still be legal to own the stupid ass gun. How @!$%#ed up is that???

Maybe all the students should sign and rotate the letter L in protest. What are they going to do charge them all with carrying a concealed thumb and forefinger? Stupid stupid school system!!!

I remember when my daughter was in high school it was common to sign the letter L across the front of one's face to indicate Lame -- the school system is beyond lame.

Yoshi,

Please, that is so tired... You wouldn't care for me to say, "Those that can't *parent* expect the teacher to do it"... I didn't think so.

Here's a sign for that school's administration:

..!..

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the Headline for this story...shocked, then laughed, then dispair for this child. This school needs to learn a thing or two of sign language. I have a deaf cousin, I began learning to sign when I was in the 7th grade (not going to tell you how ago that was). I was practicing just after the class when I had to go my history class where there was a test that day. I was still practicing but the bell had not yet rang. I took my test, and did very well. The day the tests came back my history teacher pulled me out of class and told me I had cheated with another student (he thought we were signing to each other, but I didn't even know this student). This is what I did ( and got expelled for it) slugged him in the nose, broke it, ran to the principals office, told them what had happened, called my parents (while the school was calling the police).

There were two junior high schools in our town. The other school, along with my parents had to PETITION the school board for my reinstatement. We won, I enrolled in the other school which also taught american sign language as an alternative to English for those who qualified (someone in the family or yourself being deaf.

Whoever it was in that school for that little boy who made the decision that the letter 'H' in signing was offensive is clearly ignorant and should be fired immiedately and no questions asked by the any Teacher's Union!

BTW: Please sign the petition!

The article doesn't say if Hunter's fingers were loaded?

The school should be grateful that the kid's parents didn't name him "Dick"!

This article coming a week after we read about the bonehead principal in Oklahoma who withheld a 4.0 GPA student's diploma simply because she used the word "hell" in her valedictory speech, ... well, it makes me wonder about the standards for hiring school administrators? Are intelligence and common sense even considered?

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,.....(sigh).....ha,ha,ha,ha,ha. Stupid can be funny.

They're upset that he's waving two fingers now, wait til he hits his teens years and starts waving one at them!!!!!!

Sad to see so many with here S.D.D.

Sarcasm Deficit Disorder

#1.1

Gosh, a lamp could be used as a weapon...has the school banned the children from being around lamps? How about rubber bands? Spitballs, too. Craft scissors, play dough (when thrown), hockey sticks, and baseball bats. Oh, my God! Our schools are bristling with potential weapons! We're doomed, I tell you, doomed! We're all going to die! </sarcsm>

Sad to see so many with here S.D.D.

Sarcasm Deficit Disorder

Ah, I was going to say Stupid Dumb@ss Disorder

Nebraska is an Open Carry state... As long as he keeps his hand out in the open...no problem!

it makes me wonder about the standards for hiring school administrators? Are intelligence and common sense even considered?

Intelligence and common sense are strictly forbidden by the Politically Correct Nazis, as they imply that people can be trusted to think for themselves.

I am never surprised at what I read here every day.

I hate to think what the school would have done and if the poor kid was of American Indian decent and they would have named him Two Dogs Screwing.....

As i said on another site, Many many of us are getting really tired of the pc bull$hit. Someone need to slap the head of the schol district. *slap* YOUR AN IDIOT.

Bluelake

So let me get this straight. This kid lives in a country that has over 300,000,000 guns floating around. He lives is a country that has almost zero effective laws governing gun ownership and a wealthy and powerful organization that pushes for more guns and fewer gun laws. He lives in a country with TV, movies and video games that present shooting deaths as everyday stuff and a media awash in violence. If he should live in a major city shooting deaths will be an everyday occurrence and no matter where he lives there will be fairly frequent mass murders by people wielding semi automatic rifles and handguns with tons of ammunition. And...his school is completely shaken by the fact that he signs his name with a hand gesture that looks like a gun formed by his fingers. This is freakin' INSANE!!! Where the hell are our priorities, our common sense?? Certainly not in the Grand Island public schools.

Now how did I know some liberal was going to use this story in a shameless attempt to push their anti-Second Amendment agenda? Stay classy, moonbats.

NStiz

"Vivian PLEASE stop trolling. MSN please ban this!"

Vivian was using sarcasm. Where's your sense of humor (and maturity)? You must have been a delight as a child, "PLEASE stop it. I'm going to tell Mommy if you don't stop it."

the anti gun idiots have gone too far this time

May be best for hunter to get a CCW permit

Did anyone read the article? This case really has nothing to do with guns, gun rights, or weapons except for the fact that the father apparently wishes to engage the NRA and other pro-gun folks in his cause. This is about two signing languages, SEE and ASL. The school is approved and sanctioned to teach ASL, but the kid only knows his name in SEE, and the school wants to teach him how to sign his name in ASL. The father apparently would like the school to change their curriculum to accomodate his kid. How do the other parents feel about this? And what's wrong with the kid knowing his name in two languages? You people are suckas to get tricked into taking his side on this issue.

This is about two signing languages, SEE and ASL. The school is approved and sanctioned to teach ASL, but the kid only knows his name in SEE, and the school wants to teach him how to sign his name in ASL.

I agree... I see nothing in the article stating that the school actually asked the kid to stop signing his name. It's probably just a sensationalized misrepresentation of the facts.

Finally an intelligent post which gets to the heart of the matter.

This situation would be similar to a student who spoke Spanish at home and would want the school to teach him only in Spanish, and not to learn English in a country which knowing English is required in order to succeed in his education and life.

It does not sound like the parents are native deaf signers so I wonder why they have not tried cochlear implants so the child could hear and communicate orally?

Oh and by the way I have two children who were born deaf, and I learned basic ASL and SEE prior to them receiving cochlear implants. Now my kids are in 4th grade and kindergarten and communicate exclusively in spoken English.

I feel sorry for the school administrators who are only trying to do right by the child and now they have to deal with an internet backlash.

This tops the stupidity of the American school system's obsession with eradicating anything that even most remotely resembles a gun... while at the same time extolling the virtues of signing up kids for the US military and participating in wars of aggression far away from our country. Unbelievable...

Thank you Andy, James and Sanitycheck. It was a poorly written article to throw that in at the end, but damn it is disheartening how few commenting on here have the reading comprehension skills to pick that up.

Max. Read the comments directly above yours.

Is his name an ACTUAL gun? If not, there should be no discussion of this.

What would they do if his name was "bird"

Agreed, Captain Hammers. I'm pretty sure the heart of the issue is actually that the school system teaches in ASL, while the family is wanting him taught in SEE. The article could have expounded upon that a little better.

Andy - your point is valid-

This situation would be similar to a student who spoke Spanish at home and would want the school to teach him only in Spanish, and not to learn English in a country which knowing English is required in order to succeed in his education and life.

Taking your metaphor further, would you expect a Spanish speaking child, let's call him Jose, to change his name to the English equivalant Joseph? Do you not think it would be unnecessarily confusing to a child to go to school every day and have his teachers insist on calling him "Joseph" when his entire life he has been told his name is "Jose"? I am also the parent of a special needs child, though he is not hearing impared. IMO the purpose of special needs education is to do what is best for the child. By all means teach him ASL. But don't change his name, that's absolutely foolish.

What concerns me the most is why the 0-3 early intervention program that taught this child isn't consistant with what the children are learning in the preschool handicap program. The Special Education system in this district is coming off looking very disorganized IMO.

Just when I think our society, government, and educational system just CAN'T get any more idiotic then I read this article.................... Sometimes I wake up and wonder what kind of "Bizarro World" am I living in? What kind of "Bizarro World" have we become?

@Flatiron:

Bluelake

So let me get this straight. This kid lives in a country that has over 300,000,000 guns floating around. He lives is a country that has almost zero effective laws governing gun ownership and a wealthy and powerful organization that pushes for more guns and fewer gun laws. He lives in a country with TV, movies and video games that present shooting deaths as everyday stuff and a media awash in violence. If he should live in a major city shooting deaths will be an everyday occurrence and no matter where he lives there will be fairly frequent mass murders by people wielding semi automatic rifles and handguns with tons of ammunition. And...his school is completely shaken by the fact that he signs his name with a hand gesture that looks like a gun formed by his fingers. This is freakin' INSANE!!! Where the hell are our priorities, our common sense?? Certainly not in the Grand Island public schools.

"Now how did I know some liberal was going to use this story in a shameless attempt to push their anti-Second Amendment agenda? Stay classy, moonbats."

Now how did I know some conservative was going to take a truthful statement and:1) Whine because he doesn't want it to be true; 2) Whine about his precious guns; and 3) Make this about politics at all?

For those of us that don't know sign language, why isn't there a picture of the sign for his name?

Happy liberals? Has what remains of America become enough of a joke for you yet?

They're upset that he's waving two fingers now, wait til he hits his teens years and starts waving one at them!!!!!!

Best comment ever, Ginger. You win the internets All of 'em!!!

The little guy should obtained a Concealed Carry Permit, that would make it legal. But then again, this is a case of open carry, which is allowed almost anywhere. This is confusing.

PPCA - Pathetic Politically Correct A$$holes.

These anti-gun nuts have gone too far when they start harassing parents about their son's name that he has to sign. Get a life people. Leave the baby alone, leave his family alone and get a new teacher.

I disagree with the school board's request, but I do not read this to be about making the child change his name. I read this as the school board asking him to sign his name in ASL versus SEE. The child's name would stay exactly the same.

I am not sure how to sign it but.........

F*CK the school you Morons. What the hell is wrong with people.

The adults and teens at the movie theaters are the current problem.

Not deaf 6 yr olds.

My God people the kid's name is HUNTER!

Actually Jame and SanityCheck - it isn't about the two different sign languages in the orignal story by the local news station - 10/11 (10/11now.com) on August 24, in Lincoln NE it does state that the sign is in violation of Grand Island School policy 8470. Here is a link to the original story.

Do research before you spout off - I have been following this story since inception.

The board is now saying they won't require any current student to change his/her name sign and that they do teach ASL at the schools. That being said - If my child's name was Jose they wouldn't make me change it to Joe (different languages). So why are they making Hunter change his name (SEE instead of ASL)

They wouldn't make a hearing child change his name and they shouldn't make a deaf child change his name sign. They also should not make him SPELL IT OUT in ASL - When I talk to people I don't say "hi, my name is J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R" Why should he. All deaf people come up with name signs to shorten/or get their name across. Why should Hunter be different? What if his name was Gunnar or something else? What might the signs be then?

The school is trying to back peddle by saying it is a misunderstanding - If you have the whole story from the beginning - it makes way more sense. Also if the the school is saying the sign resembles a gun (and they did at the beginnin) what about other signs?? Tthe letter h, g and the number 21 all in ASL resemble the hand in the shape of a gun. If the sign is in violation of the school policy 8470 then so is a large number of the ASL signs.

I am so ashamed of my country. I can't believe anyone took this seriously. Put away your lawyers and go about your business. Somebody should be fired for this. I've so had it with this post-columbine hysteria.

If this school administration has nothing better to do than pick on some deaf child signing his name, I'd say they have a bit too much time on their own hands. Perhaps they need to keep themselves busy with more important matters or move over and let someone more competent do their jobs. Really now!

I am not sure how to sign it but.........

F*CK the school you Morons. What the hell is wrong with people.

You use the middle finger, imrightnotyou. Both of them if you're really mad. :)

These school officials are an embarrassment to the community and themselves. Next, they'll ban signing completely because they'll contend much of it looks kind of like they're flashing gang symbols. These fools represent a danger to the children and need to find other occupations.

Many schools forbid children for "shooting" one another during recess with a "gun" made of their extended index finger and thumb with the other fingers curled up (or with the index and middle finger--as if it were a two-barreled pistol).

As far as I know, both ASL and SEE "names" are individualized signs that are made up for each person. The child I knew had an "M" sign that moved across the chest in a sign similar to that for "love." These are personal name signs, and they are a part of deaf culture.

Changing the sign to spelling it out--H*U*N*T*E*R--is both laborious and a tad insulting. If my husband's name is "Timmy" (on his birth certificate) and people choose to call him "Thomas," then the other people are wrong. Spelling the name out is not the child's name--he has a personal name-sign.

It is clear that the school tried to get the parents to allow the teachers to spell out the name--though the "H" in "Hunter" is a sideways "gun" anyway--and the parents are telling them that this confuses the child. I am too lazy to look up all the other signs that appear to be "guns," but I am sure that there are more than a few.

This kind of mindset is actually quite conservative--it is conservatives who enjoy the side-effects of zero-tolerance policies, mostly because it allows them to expel children of color in large numbers because the parents are often poor and don't have access to legal help and don't understand that most zero-tolerance policy rulings can be reversed or at least modified if one has a clever lawyer. Zero-tolerance policies are beloved of people who aren't exactly in favor of diversity in schools. In any case, it's Nebraska. Not exactly a hotbed of liberal activity.

The school doesn't want to have to hire an SEE interpretor. They are trying to get the kid expelled so that they don't have to. They have underestimated the parents, and they will probably back down quickly. However, they will turn around and get rid of this kid in some other way. It's just the way it works. If I were the parents, I'd move. Poor child is going to get bullied right out of that system soon enough.

This same group of administrators would have to have the kid committed for suicidal tendencies, then, if he ever made the mistake of trying to pick a booger I guess. - sigh - I think Nebraskans have eaten too much of the corn they've grown; they're starting to think like chickens.

Maybe he should change his sign to a raised index finger, really get them excited!

Jack Sheard, nitwit.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard come out of a school system.

So far, Darkwolf! But don't despair, I'm sure someone else can do even better.

Jack Sheard, nitwit.

Not exactly. An ABC affiliate in the area is reporting that the school district (via a statement) did NOT forbid Hunter to use his "shorthand" name-sign. His instructors apparently want to teach him to spell his name letter-by-letter which seems like an appropriate activity for a preschooler--hence Sheard's characterization of the situation as a "misunderstanding".

Hunter's father and/or grandmother were pretty quick to get on the horn with the ACLU. Instead, they should be thankful that they can avail themselves of a free public-supported preschool program which will offer a special-needs child every possible advantage--including learning the alphabet.

Thank you, keeter. I was beginning to think I was the only one who could read. Nowhere in this story does it say that the school is forbidding this kid from using his "name sign." There's no story, here - the kid's parents are just mistaken.

keeter and EarlyOut....so you were in the classroom when this took place? You have both been personally involved in this incident from the beginning? Is that how you know "the kid's parents are just mistaken"? You know for a fact that the school administration is not now just covering their own @55es because they are afraid of getting sued?

Well?

wylde, the school's explanation sounds perfectly plausible. The father's account where he is demanding an SEE translator rather than have his child learn ASL seems to jibe with what the school is saying. There is no story here.

My sister is an elementary teacher and in her school (and most likely thousands like it) the zero tolerance policies are insane. No toys with guns, no gun noises made by mouth, no gun gesturing, no contact sports at recess, the word "stupid" is considered an F bomb. All of these things can get a child suspended. There are no losers in races or games - everyone is a winner. Bull@!$%#! When I was kid my soccer team lost a tournament and they gave us participation trophies. We were embarrassed and humiliated by the patronizing award. I was 7 and knew the difference between winner and loser and didn't appreciate the gesture one bit. My mother would display the trophy and I hated it. I am a moderate liberal, but I have never ever agreed with creating this kind of environment to keep children safe or make them feel "special." It goes against human nature and confuses children. Let them play whatever games they play, teach them to stand up to bullies and not to pick on each other - that's it! Kids are tough and resilient. How do you think humans survived this long?

Every time I travel abroad I marvel at the "risky" behavior and freedom of other peoples. My friends and I have coined a term: America-safe. At national parks we have wheelchair access to old faithful, while in other countries you have to hike at your own risk to see natural wonders. Children play with sharp rocks, get dirty, and climb trees - not at all "America safe!" Our children sit on clean blankets at stare at the grass they wish they could run around on except for the fear of getting dirty and getting a boo-boo. There is something missing in America - the risk and joy of being alive.

Let this kid have his damn name. None of the other kids are threatened by it. Sheesh!

About a decade or so ago, a very young girl was threatened with expulsion under the weapons code for bringing a Tweety Bird key chain to school. At the time, I joked that next they would be throwing kids out of school for pointing "finger guns" out of each other (I actually drew a political cartoon to this effect for a class assignment). I never thought it would actually get that far.

This is pure insanity. It's like telling a German-American kid named Hans Glock that he has to change his last name.

So the school wants him to learn ASL, the father is demanding they give him his own SEE translator and tries to make it seem like a gun issue to get the NRA folks on his side. He counted on you to be unable to read well enough to see through this ploy. Congrats to him, he was right.

NRA? Are you that paranoid of that organization?

What kind of school would want him to learn ASL?? If you're under the age of 40 you've most likely been taught SEE from birth

th original story (ran locally) did state that the name sign was in violation of Grand Island School Policy 8470 - resembling a weapon -

The administrators are now back peddling due to the bad press and the fact that the story has gone national!

So the parents prefer SEE to ASL - that isn't the story - its the ridiculous school policy and that got lost as the story gets copied by various news agencies (ever play operator as a kid? The story always changed by the time it got around the circle - and so has this one)

Whether it's the original story or the updated one, here is a quote "School officials say they haven't asked any deaf students to change how they sign their names."

Maybe you missed that part. Also, it IS about SEE a little bit. Again a quote from the article "The preschooler's father, Brian Spanjer, took to Facebook Sunday to garner support to allow his son to continue using the S.E.E.".

Now, let's look at another scenario; a person from a foreign land comes to the U.S. but his name sounds like "F— — — " when he pronounces it. Would the school board be wackos if they asked the boy's parents to alter/ anglicise it, so that it didn't sound like a curse word?

Making him spell out his name is like asking someone to say all the letters in their name instead of just saying the word. I"m surprised he's allowed in school at all with a name like Hunter. Imagine if his name was Gunner? Or Ruger? Or Winchester?

Yeah, darciesdaddy. We certainly wouldn't want the schools to start teaching children how to spell, now would we? They can just say "dog" and "cat," so why do they need to learn how to spell them?

EarlyOut, you are just ignoring his point because you are an advocate of this PC nonsense. Maybe not this specific incident, but you are just the type of person I would expect to enforce something like this.

No, EarlyOut has the reading comprehension skills to realize the only issue here is a difference in two different types of sign language. The teachers are instructing (oh the horror) the boy in how to spell out his name in ASL instead of using the shorthand SEE. What is so horrible about that? They are doing the same with ALL the children in class, not just the ones that have a SEE sign that looks like a gun.

SEE is NOT shorthand! SEE is signing exact english ASL would be the shorthand for example in ASL you would sign store I go, where-as in SEE you'd sign I'm going to the store. This school is seriously behind if they're still teaching ASL

Its not about SEE or ASL - Its not about teaching a child to spell - all kids learn to spell - I know my name is Jennifer - but I don't spell it out instead of saying it.

The story is about Grand Island School Policy 8470 that prohibits the use of anything resembling a weapon and in the orignal story the administrators said that the sign was in violation of the school policy. That got lost whent he story went national

No he wouldn't. Because the name doesn't have a darn thing to do with it. If you could read you would know that.

(Enough-2735007) Maybe you need go back the beginning, Because it has everything to do with his name. The school is making him spell his name out because they say his name sign looks like a weapon. The school is trying to back paddle on what they said to save face. (Grandma G)

That's what some people here seem to be missing. They are asking him to change how he's recognized. And even if the story is now that they are trying to teach ASL instead of SEE, it's still not right. It's not about them trying to teach him to read, or anything like that. They are uncomfortable with what his name sign look alike (according to the original release the other day, it violates their school policy), not the fact that the parents prefer SEE over ASL.

You would not spell out a 3 year old HEARING child's name every time they are called on. It is the same concept. ASL is much more shorthand than SEE, since SEE uses signs for every word, in the order you would normally speak or write it. ASL changes the order, much like many foreign languages, and cuts out or combines many of the smaller or unnecessary words.

Having hearing loss, I attempted to take a couple of ASL classes, and just couldn't get my head around the order change. I do much better using SEE when i do sign.

Also, why are they just NOW having an issue with it when he's been in the program since he was 6 months old? You'd think that it would've been brought up by the school before then if it really was a violation of their gun policies.

You're an idiot. The article clearly says it is the administration. Administrators are not members of teachers' unions because they are not teachers. Nor do teachers' unions set district policies. That would be the Board of Education, an elected body.

Please buy a clue.

Go troll somewhere else, it was the administration that wanted to change...and probably an isolated incident. It even says that this is a "misunderstanding". No unions involved, troll.

When you have time to unplug from the hate machine, do some research and find out that it wasn't teachers who got us into this mess, it was bankers, hedge fund managers, executives and their greed, and ignorant people unable to critically think their way out of an online text box.

Repub point of view of unions: Those guys went to school, earned a degree in a field I knew about and got fair pensions, health insurance and benefits...screw them, let's drag them down to my level. C'mon fellow Americans, let's demonize those who work hard and have it better than I do, it's easier than actually trying to improve my lot in life. The rich guys hate them, so I will too...maybe they'll make me rich someday...please?

Dem point of view: Wow, those guys have it better than we do, maybe if I study, work hard, apprentice and put in my dues I can have a fair shot at a decent life. C'mon fellow Americans, we all can do it.

Stop the hate, educate.

Dem point of view of rich people: Those guys went to school, earned a degree in a field I knew about and got fair pensions, health insurance and benefits...screw them, let's drag them down to my level. C'mon fellow Americans, let's demonize those who work hard and have it better than I do, it's easier than actually trying to improve my lot in life. The Union guys hate them, so I will too...maybe they'll make me rich someday...please?

Republican point of view: Wow, those guys have it better than we do, maybe if I study, work hard, apprentice and put in my dues I can have a fair shot at a decent life. C'mon fellow Americans, we all can do it.

Stop the hate, educate.

Administrators are not part of the teachers union, dimwit. They are more akin to CEOs.

How about leaving the teachers and the unions out of this? Of course you had to get your silly agenda in where it didn't fit, didn't you?????

For the record I am in fact a Democrat and as much as I hate to say it I agree with Bubba. It is the child's name and sign language is designed to have full word symbols for words. There is no intent from this little guy to use his fingers as a pretend weapon and therefore he is not violating the policy of the Grand Island Public School. MSNBC posted the link to the actual policy maybe you should read it as I did Ram.

Thank you TARA! Someone who actually read the policy and knows the real story. The part about the policy violation has gotten lost when the story went National (I live in Nebraska)

It's all about the sign being in violation of Policy 8470 - has nothing to do with SEE or ASL - other than the fact that the school uses one and the child the other. Regardless that is how he signs he name - that is the way it should stay. If I go to another country my name stays the same regardless of the language they or I speak - when I went to Mexico they still called me Jennifer - and when foreign exchange students come here they don't change their names - Hunter's sign is his name - leave it alone!

They didn't tell him to stop using it either. They are trying to teach him something new, how to spell his name out using ASL. As part of a general class in ASL. All the other deaf people in the world don't necessarily know SEE, so unless he has another means to do so, how is he going to communicate his name to them?

Unless I missed something you have that backwards Enough, ASL is the original form of sign SEE is the new form kids should be learning in SEE for example ASL would be store I go and SEE would be I'm going to the store.

Yes They did tell him he could not sign his name. Enough. The parents have no problem letting him use ASL. You really need to go back to the beginning. If the school would just apologize and say theey made a mistake everything would be over. But no they just decided to lie on national news instead of saying they were wrong. Hunter's name sign is his own and no one has the right to take it from him.

Enough, you're missing the basic point of the story (the original one). They stated it was a violation of their policies because it looks like a gun. Also, how would you, at 3, be able to really understand why the teachers are suddenly spelling out your name instead of using your name sign? It'd be like spelling out a hearing child's name every time they are called on. Its just absurd. They would not expect a hearing child to do this, why not wait until he's a bit older so he can really understand why they are changing it, no that I think they should change it.

It isn't an unusual education method to use a new way of doing the same thing exclusively until it is well learned. They just want him to be able to spell out his name, should the need to do so arise, so they are discouraging the use of the old sign until he learns to do it the long way. Sort of like taking the kids calculators away until they can do multiplication without it. Then they get them back. I don't see anything wrong with this, the other children who have a SEE sign for their names are, I'm sure, doing the same thing in class right now.

Enough - well, having Hunter learn both his SEE sign and spelling out his name is an OK idea, but that's not why they are doing this.

If this was only a teacher wanting Hunter to learn multiple ways to sign his name, that would be OK. But they clearly have a ''looks like a gun'' policy that clearly should not be applied to Hunter.

In hindsight, the parents should call the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and raise Cain. It's illegal for school officials to discriminate on this agenda.

They can't teach the version of sign language they are certified to teach? This is discrimination? There is no problem here, they just are teaching the kid how to spell out his name and are discouraging the use of the shorthand sign until he learns it. So what?

Teaching ASL is like teaching "text speak" I missed the meeting that we've gone back to it

Thank you! I can't tell you how irritating it is to read these posts! Where were these people educated?

OK, so your theory is that an administrator was walking by, saw the child sign their name, and immediately called a conference with the other administrators to discuss it? It's much more likely that another child, a parent, or the teacher thought it looked like a gun and brought it to the administration's attention.

As a teacher, how much time do administrators spend in your classroom? For most teachers it almost never happens after they've been given tenure (in California, obviously other states may vary). I spent a few years working at a public high school. I saw examples of some of the finest people I've met teaching, but I also saw some examples of people who were getting in the last years to get their full pension and not caring anymore.

Which group of teachers do you think the union has to protect in that situation? The high quality teachers are more likely to leave to do something more rewarding, not get laid off or fired. And many of those same teachers will eventually leave, due to the quality of education the children who show up in their classrooms have received from others who aren't as dedicated. I've watched it happen with my best friend, who was one of the most amazing HS math teachers I've ever seen.

I've been in a high school classroom for 13 years and we get 2 formal evaluations a year plus drop-in "walk throughs". Plus there's windows in our rooms so anyone walking by can see what we're up to. We have no union but plenty of goofy rules meant to make the school welcoming and educationally neutral to everyone. So someone, at any given time, has a dispute with one of our "stupid" rules. I don't agree with some of them but it's my job to make ALL of my students feel safe and ready to learn, period. I have students with probation/parole officers, some who have worn ankle monitors for various reasons, etc, and I teach shop class which is full of potential weapons. The last person anyone should be judging is me.