Going too far? School disciplines kids for imaginary sword fight
»Play Video
HILLSBORO, Ore. – Two 7-year-old boys got in trouble at school after using imaginary weapons at recess. Now the family of one of the boys disciplined said the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
The kids were copying a computer game where players fight off zombies.
They used "air" swords and axes to pretend to stab each other, but they didn't have anything in their hands – not even a stick. Still, the Hillsboro School District said it was inappropriate.
But Ronald Doney, the grandfather of one of the boys, said he doesn't get it.
"Society is getting out of hand. They aren't letting kids use their imagination," he said.
Doney's grandson, Kaden, was sent to the principal's office at Butternut Creek Elementary School for pretending to fight with a friend. They were emulating the video game Minecraft.
The game is about building structures and protecting them from monsters, but the Hillsboro School District doesn't allow that type of play – not even at recess.
"Students have been asked not to do that," said spokeswoman Beth Graser. "These students in particular have been spoken to on multiple occasions about this specific type of behavior."
Graser said with only a couple of supervisors and dozens of students, it's tough to tell what's real and fake.
"In some ways I do (see the district's perspective)," Doney said. "But there's a point where kids don't play anymore. It's kinda sad – seven year olds, they just want to play."
"You are definitely going to have kids with their imaginations and wanting to replicate things they've seen," Graser said. "That's perfectly natural, and I think just trying to give consistent reinforcement as to what the expectations are and what some better ideas may be."
She feels the punishment fits.
"The consequence is a loss of a 15-minute recess. That's probably pretty appropriate," she said.
Doney disagrees. He feels it's confusing for the kids to play one way at home and another at school.
"They've carried it too far," he said. "I could understand if there were sticks involved or something like that."
The district's handbook doesn't have an explicit policy about imaginary fighting. It only talks about weapons. But Graser feels the district is consistent and clear on the issue.
Wow! America, is slowly but surely, turning into one giant vagina.
This is the sort of crap that happens when some bureaucrat or other proves himself incapable of reasoned thought. "The rulebook says....." substitutes for having the guts and brains to make intelligent decisions
 I like your opinion, and agree with it. I would like to ask a question to all who comment on here though... ask yourselves WHY do we have an increasingly violent society ?
Where has common sense gone? Some may think I'm sexist-but kids, and boys in particular-have always and will always have pretend sword fights, play cops and robbers, slay monsters and other similar behaviors. It is normal for children to make sense of their world through play. The issue is finding the balance between pretend and real. In the interest of non-violence we are missing valuable teaching moments. How about talking to the boys who are sword fighting and commenting that it's a good thing the swords are just pretend because a real sword could really hurt someone and that wouldn't be okay, etc.  We live in an increasingly violent society. I get that. But the issue isn't going to be solved by patting ourselves on the backs everytime we enforce a perceived violation of an ill thought out non-violence/no weapon policy and think we have successfully curtailed violence.Â
Poor kids. I hope this doesn't warp them psychologically and make them want to take real weapons to school when they are teenagers and take out their frustration on the sick, twisted social environment that is forced on them. Sorry kids, no playing. Next they'll be saying there's too much "shooting" and violence in school sports.
Maybe it's time to abolish the public school system. It's becoming a larger waste of taxpayer money every year.Â
This sounds like a real problem, how do you take away their weapons if they're imaginary?
Perhaps shock treatment would disarm these violent children.
These kids are being punished for impure thoughts.
Â
This is an attempt to pacify a species that is inherently violent within a culture that celebrates violence. It makes absolutely no sense at all; it will just confuse these kids.
Â
These kids will learn to lie and explain their actions as acting out parts of a happy play they made up where they were catching fireflies rather than acting out a sword fight from a video game that some overburdened bureaucratic psychologist determined was violent. Â If it was explained that way nobody could punish them. Â Â In stead of making a clearly violent "finger gun" kids will learn to point their elbows as a flame thrower or bazooka and say; "yeah" rather than "bang". Â The school will teach these kids to lie because their natural thoughts they will learn are unacceptable and that leads to a whole other set of problems.
@Icarus in other words, they'll become politicians
so much for letting kids use their imaginations. whats next ? being arrested for playing a bad air guitar?
i also wonder, what would the punishment of been if they were using lightsaber's?
Between "reality" TV, "realistic" video games, "life-like" shoot 'em up movies, ratings-driven "news", and then getting spanked for "imaginary" swords, paper guns and pointing fingers, is there any wonder that young people today have trouble distinguishing reality and fantasy?
So, two boys are being boys with imaginary swords and the spokesperson says "..it is tough to tell what is real and what is fake."Â I think we have found the problem and it is not the boys.Â
lmao....this seriously made the news?? Then again I see anything retarded does anymore.
Well all I can say is I'M glad I grew up when I did ( 45 now ) Cause society has changed big time.....and not for the good either. Just get out on the road and drive a few miles to see how self centered people have become. It's a me me me culture now folks. Very sad.........
every year 25,000 kids die in imaginery sword fights, think about that
 @PhuzzÂ
Â
I think that your estimates are exceptionally low....my finding indicates that American kids alone suffer 100 million imaginary deaths as a result of imaginary sword and light saber fights. Last year alone, I myself lost at least 35 imaginary light saber fights...I always loose because I'm always forced to use the dark side of the force....resulting everytime in the imaginary death of my imaginary dark character.
Â
BTW---Neither myself or the young Luke that always defeats me has been involved in any violent interaction.....ever.Â
oh yeah, forgot about those. are you a professional star wars reenactor?
I wonder if the Presidents daughters are allowed to have Pillow Fights?
 @Razor1 ~  Real pillows or "air" pillows..?
Who names a school Butternut ? How did that get past everyone ?
It is named after the creek & neighborhood that it resides in. Â Doesn't take much to do a quick google search....
Â
 @dougrpdxÂ
Â
Good question; of all the gourds the Butternut is the most sexually explicit.  Some bunch of pervs on the school board.... must result in an investigation and somebody should be disciplined for sexualizing the school grounds and exploiting children.
This is the very reason kids hate school.. The teachers make a big deal of nothing, some things never change.
When I went to school my first grade teacher swatted my left hand with a ruler saying " it's evil to use you left hand"...
The logic of these people is astonishing !
 @dougrpdxÂ
Â
Ridiculous that this is news but the reality is most kids do not 'hate" school-quite the opposite especially at the elementary level.
I can't believe that this even made the "news".
 This is part of the Social Engineering that is being done in the public school system. If you indoctrinate children into the socialist mindset, then it will be easier to manipulate the population as a whole.
Â
I don't know if everyone can see the ad right above the comment section for "Genuine Japanese Sword dealer shipped worldwide". But isn't this sort of ironic? ;>)
After reading 3 or 4 articles of harsh disciplinary actions being given to children for imaginary play with imaginary weapons, I believe school administrators are over stepping their boundaries. I believe school officials are grossly overreacting to situations that do not have anything to do with children. There are 3 million guns in this country and children see guns in their daily lives; they see guns on television. The problem is the guns not the children. School officials that insist on placing a black mark on a child's record for imaginary play are overreacting. Reactionary school officials are acting like a bad cop dealing out severe discipline that will and has affected children in the long term during the child,s elementary schools years are not benefiting the children or solving the problem.Â
Â
@Lori Norman
Â
"The problem is the guns not the children. " Lori I could have sworn this article was about "Imaginary Swords". Are all of your ilk this attentive, or should we ban "Imaginary Swords" also?
 @Razor1  @Lori Norman We need to impose mandatory sentences for imaginary swords because some day, one of these kids will grow up (not knowing the difference between reality and fantasy) and we'll have a mass mall-slashing.
 @Razor1  @Lori Norman Razor1, don't even bother with Lori N., look on her profile on her past comments to any other story, she's one of those gun psychos that goes looking for anything to do with guns so she can be offended.
 @Chris Murphy  @Lori Norman Thanks fer the heads up Chris! I should have known.
Yea minecraf t is so bad  that a SCHOOL TEACHER started this program http://minecraftedu.com/  oh it must be so badÂ
Remember when kids could play "cops and robbers", play on monkey bars, play in streams, go exploring through the woods, stay outside, play dodge ball and "Red Rover"? I'm surprised that the kids aren't marched around in a circle around the schools' campuses these days for their form of "exercise" because they can't even use their imaginations anymore!Â
@washcomom a song comes to mind: 'We don't need no education....'
 @washcomom Imagination is counter productive to the social experiment the school system is using our children for.
 @Razor1 And people are wondering why we are slipping so far down the education scale.Â
"Graser said with only a couple of supervisors and dozens of students, it's tough to tell what's real and fake."That is the biggest crock! It's not tough to tell what's real, unless you're STUPID. This is just utterly crazy, not allowing a child to imagine. It's sick and disgusting and ridiculous. When you turn your child over to 'the system' for them to raise, your child loses, big time.Sad.
Oh - this is ridiculous. Â When my kids were young they would go over to friend's houses that were "weapon-free" zones - no play guns, etc. and they would then find something to pretend they had a weapon. Â Including a high-heel shoe. Â The parents would be shocked. Â If these situations keep occurring - weapons will be the "forbidden fruit" - thereby making them MORE appealing. Â Let kids play - and imagine - maybe even try to incorporate it in the lesson plan. Â History is full of examples - unless you like to revise it and remove the facts to suit your own agenda. Â
I can only hope that the school district also confiscated the 'air swords' and is going to dispose of them properly. Sen Burdick is also, I can only presume, introducing legislation aimed at making these weapons illegal.Â
Â
I would also hope that they applied the same punishment to the zombies, since they were obviously complicit in the behavior as well....
Â
Zombie-Â the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.
Â
Oh, wait... the zombies are the ones running the freakin' school.Â
Â
*facepalm*
Ban imaginary swords!!!!!
 @hankhandsomeÂ
Â
That will never make the people safe: Ban free thought! Stupefy all children with drugs.
Hey, why stop at suspension? Why not jail? Why not federal prison? Hey let's arrest the whole damn family since you fools are so damn paranoid! At least if these kids were in jail these cowardly, easily intimidated school marms would feel so much safer! Anyone who thinks this is reasonable needs to crawl back under the carpet like a good little cockroach and hide! Those of us who aren't cowards and don't live our lives in constant fear will let you know when it's safe to come out!
The school district may seem ridiculous on this issue. But the bottom line is they don't want to get sued. Ever since the litigation culture started taking root in the 80's we've increasingly seen this kind of intolerance concerning natural and normal behavior. And it really does boil down to not letting any lawyers catch your scent through a parent whose launched into conniptions when they're precious little snowflake trips over a rock and gets a scratch on their forehead.Yes, it's ridiculous.  But the kind of pressure professional educators in the US are under is what produces this kind of result.
 @Sam Iredale Excellent point Sam.
 I was sued by one of my renters because her refrigerator went gunnysack while she was on vacation. She said because I owned the house I was responsible. By the time all was said and done it would have been cheaper for me to just have bought her a new refer.
 @Sam Iredale ~  To a large extent, true... and this is yet another important area that we need to work on; that is, injecting some common sense and rational thinking back into our legal system...  This convoluted way of thinking... "If something bad happens, regardless of the circumstances, it HAS to be somebody else's fault and they HAVE to pay me money for it..." has taken deep root in our country, and somehow, we need to UP-root it and throw it into the trash-bin where it belongs.  Â
Sometimes, I think the best thing we could do is to get Judge Judy on the Supreme Court..!
Crazy schools. These are 7 year olds playing outside and using imagination. I used my grandfathers army gear and toy guns when i was a kid. I can understand something unsafe like sticks or rocks but you can't hold a young child to a "no imagination" policy that isn't even a policy in the first place!
Ridiculous! The EXTREMES people go to....no common sense or balanced perspective. And these are our teachers! Sheesh. They don't even understand basic child psych. Here, take this course "The Anthropology of Childhood." Â At UW Seattle. You might learn something about kids playing and gender roles and how boys all over the world play some kind of combat games.Â
Wow, when I was a kid I watched Hop along Cassidy, The lone Ranger etc, I also had a gun and holster (Roy Rogers), stick horse etc. I played cowboy and Indians with my cousins. I grew up fine with a very good imagination and not a criminal, never even had a traffic ticket. Kids need to imagine, they need to run around and burn off energy. There are schools that won't let them play dodge ball because they might get hurt....hello....kids get hurt, they recover, they learn. This whole thing is so stupid. The PC Police are taking the "kid" out of our children, then they wonder why they become bullies, and criminals. Look back in time, there were less problems in schools when children were allowed to be children and play and use their imaginations.
 @CWM When graphically violent games, movies, "reality" TV substitute for imagination, the results don't seem too surprising.
Â
Let's blame and ban inanimate objects instead.
 @CWM There were less REPORTED problems in schools back then. Also, this has nothing to do with being politically correct. More like, the schools strict policies are taking the "child" out of our children.I agree with everything else though.Â
 @abc123unmegrrl  @CWM There was less population also, but parents where allowed to be parents then also! The bigger the population, the more one see's of all the bad things. Parents have not been allowed to be true parents, they get in trouble for actually swatting a behind when its needed.
If the school asked the boys not to engage in this type of behavior, they probably had a good reason for it. In this situation, it is the parents' responsibility to let the kids know how to behave at school, and reinforce that behavior at home. If the parents want to have different rules at home, fine, but they have no right to accuse the school system of sending a mixed message.Â
 @correct How do you tell 7 year old boys to not use their imaginations, humans are instinct driven, the male instinct is to hunt, protect and defend his family and territory. So how I see it is the education system is brain washing the future generation into little robots instead of individuals.
 @correct Disagree here.  It is the school that is undermining the parents.  If I am teaching my kids to act and behave a certain way and the school says that that behavior is unacceptable, then I have issues with that.  I don't want my children scared to have an imagination because some idiot adult thinks that playing with IMAGINARY things are violent.  Seriously, we are now wanting to squash all imagination, unless it has been pre-approved by a school district.  Unreal....
 @correct You might want to take a look into the game in question.. there is a link posted above. I find it interesting that it is made by a teacher.
 @correct If the school superintendent said it then it has to be the correct policy. (sarc).