Sometimes, you’ve gotta call the cops on dangerous people.
Violent people.
Armed people.
I’m talking, of course, about six-year-old Down syndrome girls with stick-’em-up forefingers.
According to Maggie Gaines, in November, her daughter — Margot — was frustrated and pointed her fingers at her teacher. She said, “I shoot you.”
The Tredyffrin-Easttown School District responded the only way they could: They called the police.
Maggie explained to CBS Philadelphia:
“My daughter got frustrated and pointed her finger at her teacher and said, ‘I shoot you.’ At that point, they went to the principal’s office, and it was quickly assessed that she didn’t even really know what she was saying.”
As noted by the mom in a letter to the school board, Margot may not have the best grasp on firearms and mortality:
“She really didn’t understand what she was saying, and having Down syndrome is one aspect, but I’m sure all 6-year-olds don’t really know what that means.”
In response to potential murderer — I mean, tiny, powerless human — Margot, the school system performed a “threat assessment.”
Yes — protocol, everyone.
As per CBS3:
It was concluded nobody was in harm’s way as a result of Margot’s statement and her words were labeled a transient threat, which Gaines explains was an expression of anger.
*SHEW*
However, the district said its policy still demanded the po-po be involved.
🙁
Valley Forge Elementary also contacted Maggie.
“[I] was fine with everything up until calling the police. And I said, ‘You absolutely do not have to call the police. You know, this is ridiculous.’”
In January, mother Maggie decided to go public. She appealed to state Senator Andrew Dinniman, who — get this — thought tax-funded employees should use their brains.
A statement:
“As a state senator, an educator, and a parent, I am concerned when I hear that such important decisions appear to be guided blindly by written policy or legal interpretation without those in positions of authority using their judgment, experience, and commonsense to weigh in. Furthermore, I am alarmed that a school seems to be acting as an extension of the police department in promulgating data and records on children as young as kindergarteners.”
Sounds right. Oh, wait, no, it’s all wrong — the school’s smarter than that, so they explained why:
When an individual parent concern related to our school safety practices was brought to the attention of the District two weeks ago, we agreed to review those practices in the School Board Policy Committee meeting. When developing the current practice, the District worked collaboratively with parents, law enforcement and private safety/mental health agencies and legal consultants to ensure our safety measures reflected considerable input from both our local community and experts in the field of school safety.
At Friday evening’s school board meeting, Maggie plans to appeal the policy.
She might wanna leave Margot at home, though — if that chick barges in there and points her fingers, they might have to call the S.W.A.T. team.
-ALEX
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