There appears to be no end in sight to this kind of behavior from administrators. From The Washington Times:

A 13-year-old New Jersey boy was suspended from school Thursday for twirling his pencil around in math class and making another student uncomfortable.

Ethan Chaplin, a 7th-grader at Glen Meadow Middle School in Vernon Township, was twirling around a pencil with a pen cap on it when a student behind him yelled, ‘He’s making gun motions, send him to juvie!’ a local news station reported.

How exactly the pencil was twirled like a gun, even with a pen cap, is unclear. The school’s defense:

Vernon Schools Superintendent Charles Maranzano said school policy requires an investigation when anyone in the school feels uncomfortable or threatened by another student. ‘We never know what’s percolating in the minds of children,’ he told the news station. ‘And when they demonstrate behaviors that raise red flags, we must do our duty.’

Ethan claims the boys who accused him had a history of bulling him. The 7th grader was also required to undergo a psychological evaluation, and had his blood drawn and urine samples taken. No psychological disorders were found. If there is evidence that the school has looked into the boy’s claims of being bullied by his peers it has not yet come to light.

Forty years ago the boyish game of cops and robbers would be considered unremarkable, even when played with toy guns and not pencils. But today the mere twirling of a pencil by a boy sitting alone at a desk is enough to interrupt his education.

Perhaps Superintendent Charles Maranzano should be the next one to undergo a psychological evaluation?

Launched by Michael Chaplin, Ethan’s father, there is a petition underway to expunge this incident from Ethan’s record. If you believe in petitions and would like to contribute to this particular case, I invite you to do so.