Maryland first-grader suspended for pointing fingers at friends, saying 'pow'

A Maryland first-grader has been suspended for pointing his fingers like a gun at school.


The boy, a student at Roscoe Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring, was suspended for one day. The incident happened a week after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn.

The family's attorney says the 6-year-old was playing with friends, not making threats.


"Evidently, he was pointing his finger at someone and saying, 'Pow,'" said Robin Ficker, an attorney for the family.

More on this story from NBCWashington.com | Previous reports

The boy's parents were scheduled to meet with school officials Wednesday.

The school system will not comment on individual disciplinary matters. But they did issue a statement detailing their typical procedure with younger students.

"Generally, in an incident involving the behavior of our younger students, we will make sure that the student and his family are well-informed of any behavior that needs to change and understand the consequences if the behavior does not change," said Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman Dana Tofig in a statement.

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Normally I am opposed to home schooling but am starting to think it may actually be more healthy than public school. If I was that boys father, I would have used my middle finger to tell the teacher she was "number 1".

    Reply#428 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 9:39 AM EST

    Jonathan Rauch and others have written about how, if you take away a boy's toy weapons, he will make a gun out of a finger or a carrot.

    This is because boys are wired to love transportation toys and toys of war. Put two PC-parent-raised toddlers in a room with a toy-chest and the girl will likely pull the doll out of the chest and the boy will pull out the truck. Not every time, but most times.

    This is yet another example of how to criminalize being a boy.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#429 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:02 AM EST

    Irrational, absurd, preposterous, ridiculous, absolutely insane. This is what our society is headed towards under the direction of the far left, naziism, gestapoism, total control of the minds of the masses. We are begining to make the countries of the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia look like the epitome of freedom in comparison to ourselves. I see a very bloody future in store for this nation, the inevitability of it is a sad sad reality.

      Reply#430 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:05 AM EST

      Soon only first graders will have fingers...

        Reply#431 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:05 AM EST

        Well, isn't that...special?!!!

          Reply#432 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:14 AM EST

          This warrants copious amounts of public ridicule. The entire school staff should be forced to endure a rotten vegetable assault naked in the stocks for one week.

          America has turned into a bunch of barely sentient cattle and I welcome the day the Chinese run our country for us.

            Reply#433 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:16 AM EST

            Ban finger guns so that only 6 yr old criminals will have them.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#434 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:18 AM EST

            How about a vow from all these "concerned teachers" to turn off their TV's?

            www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jrJjlPH1dqo

            • 1 vote
            Reply#435 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:23 AM EST

            I skipped to the 17th page of comments on this and can't believe people blaming right, left or in-between for the stupidity of that School.

              Reply#436 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:31 AM EST

              If you do not understand this as a far left tactic, then grandpa, you definitely need to bone up on extreme liberalism.

              • 1 vote
              #436.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:44 AM EST

              Yeah I know the far right would never do anything like that would they ridr. Guess you have never watched fox have you?

                #436.2 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:51 AM EST

                Don't have time gramps, too many BS calls on this site to take care of.

                  #436.3 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 1:50 PM EST
                  Reply

                  Good thing he didn't fart; he would have been suspended for WMD!!

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#437 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:37 AM EST

                  Witness the insane world that the Liberals have delivered to us. Common sense is apparently not common any more.

                    Reply#438 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:52 AM EST

                    In 20 years when this kid who has been abused by authority goes into a school and shoots a bunch of people they won't be able to figure out that he wasn't allowed to be a child.

                      Reply#439 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 10:56 AM EST

                      I am pointing all my fingers at these administrators and saying POW right now.

                      • 1 vote
                      Reply#440 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:02 AM EST

                      Next thing you know we'll classify spitballs as WMD!

                        Reply#441 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:05 AM EST

                        Funny how everyone objects to this, but then 5 years from now when he shoots up a school we'll hear about how the warning signs were there since first grade.

                        Your kid wants to engage in pretend gun violence? Suffer the consequences.

                          Reply#442 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:14 AM EST

                          You liken this event to behaviors such as killing kittens or setting the dog on fire.

                          I played with cap guns as a child.

                          I grew up to be a combat soldier, a pilot, an army officer, a father, a husband, an Engineer, never a mass murderer.

                          You rambled but never really made a point.

                          Is your point a proclamation that finger pointing is a precursor to murder?

                          • 1 vote
                          #442.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 2:20 PM EST
                          Reply

                          What's the problem....isn't this exactly what the left wants? They want law abiding citizens to just point and say "pow" to the criminal standing over them unzipping his pants. Welcome to Obama's Amerika where it's open season on women and children.

                          • 1 vote
                          Reply#443 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:19 AM EST

                          you're an idiot.

                            #443.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:44 AM EST

                            No kidding! Tell me something I don't know.

                            • 1 vote
                            #443.2 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 1:54 PM EST
                            Reply

                            Put him on a list because some day it will be more than "pow."

                              Reply#444 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:22 AM EST

                              Guess playground supervisors will be forever on the alert for a vicious game of cowboys and indians. Whadda country.

                                Reply#445 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:27 AM EST

                                I think the key question here is whether or not the finger was loaded.

                                  Reply#446 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:28 AM EST

                                  He had his finger nail trimmed so there wouldn't be over penetration.

                                    #446.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:30 AM EST
                                    Reply

                                    This is a stupid conduct by mixed up officials in our nation. They have power and mental disorders. This kid need not be suspended. He is a child; being a child. The "real guns" need to be removed from streets; not children's imaginations and life. Crazy and insane american systems.

                                      Reply#447 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:29 AM EST

                                      REALLY? We are truly becoming a laughing stock on the issue of guns (or in this case, not guns.) On the one hand you have the NRA advocating that schools become armed camps; then on the other you have this. Clearly common sense has long since been abandoned on the subject.

                                      • 1 vote
                                      Reply#448 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:54 AM EST

                                      Suspension? Has common sense taken leave of this country altogether?

                                      • 1 vote
                                      Reply#449 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 11:54 AM EST

                                      Do you get suspended for doing the bow-and-arrow imitation in MD as well? With idiots like this running their schools, no wonder they're producing uneducated morons after 12 years....hope these parents get this kid in a real school, in a real state (try Virginia, but stay away from DC) before MD totally screws him up.....

                                        Reply#450 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 12:05 PM EST

                                        I feel as though it's not the fact that the child put his index finger out and said "pow." It was the fact that he'd been asked not to do so in the classroom numerous times and was told he'd face consequences if he did it again. The school is only following through with their threat of punishment. It would be the same if a child was making fun of another child and was warned to stop. Also, if he's pointing his finger at other kids and saying "pow" then I'd imagine it could get annoying to other students. If he doesn't want to listen then he should be suspended. What happened to punishing children for not listening?

                                          Reply#451 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 12:11 PM EST

                                          Check out this story on other news sites. It will tell you that the boy was told 3 times to stop. He chose not to.

                                            #451.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 1:10 PM EST
                                            Reply

                                            If his family is a hunting family, and comes from a long line of hunters of course he is going to play. We all did growing up, but we knew it was just make believe and nothing more.

                                            AND that is the problem.

                                            Too many video and other play games that are not for a child, like war games, where killing is so real one has to wonder how these images are playing out in our children impressible minds. Parents need to start asking themselves, are the games my child plays, age appropriate.

                                            Guns are not going away and children don't need to be kicked out of school in first grade. They need to be educated as to why with the parents.

                                              Reply#452 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 12:12 PM EST

                                              As in so many other aspects of our lives, parents are the most important people in the world.

                                                #452.1 - Thu Jan 3, 2013 12:18 PM EST
                                                Reply
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