Monday, December 5, 2011

Calling Teacher "Cute" Leads To Suspension

A Gastonia mother says her son was suspended for calling a teacher “cute.”

Chiquita Lockett said her 9-year-old son, Emanyea, spent the last two days at home.

Lockett said the principal of Brookside Elementary called her Wednesday to say the incident was a form of “sexual harassment.”

Emanyea told Eyewitness News a substitute teacher overheard him tell another student a teacher was cute.

Then he was suspended.

“It’s not like he went up to the woman and tried to grab her or touch her in a sexual way,” Lockett said. “So why would he be suspended for two days?”

It's a fair question.  Is that all the little boy said?  Even if it isn't, his mother needs to have a clear understanding of what he said so she can help him  understand.  If "cute" really led to this, there is a problem.  It's perfectly natural for little kids to adopt crushes on "safe" adults, and "cute" is a safe word for a little boy to use.  We can't expect kids to be politically correct, their unfiltered view of the world keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously.  If this is all an overreaction, what has he been taught?

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