Mass. 2nd-grader sent home for crucifix drawing
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) - An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and came up with what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child’s father said Tuesday.
Chester Johnson told WBZ-TV that his son made the drawing on Dec. 2 after his second-grade teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of the holiday.
Johnson said the teacher became upset when his son said he drew himself on the cross. Johnson, who is black, told WBZ he suspects racism is involved. He said he thinks the school overreacted and wants an apology.
Johnson told the Taunton Daily Gazette, which first reported the story on Tuesday, that his son gets specialized reading and speech instruction and has never been violent in school.
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Mass. 2nd-grader sent home for crucifix drawing
*Johnson, who is black, told WBZ he suspects racism is involved. He said he thinks the school overreacted and wants an apology.*
To a point, I agree with Johnson, the school DID overreact, and an apology would have been very much appropriate, right up until the time that Johnson threw the RACE CARD! Your credibility just went out the window Mr Johnson. If you had stuck to the REAL issue, and left RACE out of this, I would back you 100%. Not now.
The REAL issue being the school thinking it violent and dangerous because your son drew a stick figure of Christ on the cross.
I have NO idea WHY everything in this nation has to take on a RACIST tilt just because it happened to a Black person, or any other person of ANY color. Not everything in life is racist or race based, well, unless you’re a racist yourself, and looking for that opportunity to cash in like the good Reverends, Jack$on and $harpton.
I guess the next thing we’ll see is how this little dust-up was nothing BUT racially motivated and had nothing to do with an attack on Christianity. Imagine that…
WOW- how did we get from point A to point B? Racism my butt.
The school is nuts and the father is a moron.
What a complete idiot, and what a completely idiotic school. They deserve each other.
This is a teacher not understanding that a religious symbol and a second grader getting the holiday confused does not psychosis make! If you are black in America and something happens you don’t like, well, it’s got to be racially motivated. I’m with Gawfer, the school and the race card playing moron father deserve each other.
The complaint against the school was valid until this father decided to make it about race. I know I am not the only one that wants poeple to stop whinning about what damn race they are and voice their opinions as human beings. Race is used so often as an excuse not to succeed. Never the less I hope this father fights tooth and nail.
Gawfer has it right, they do deserve each other but the school bears the lions share of the blame for starting this mess. Say it happened in Mass, thats a clue in itself. This was an attack on Christianity, but the race card is what drew the attention as the black father obviouly knew it would. Is Jessie on his way to Mass…..? The race card draws the press like flies to sh*t, it works everytime and blacks know this only too well—American 2009!!!!
What I detest here,,,,is the father showing his son exactly how to play the race card. Another potential Jesse Jackson University graduate.
Damn the father for this,,,as his son is only 8 years old.
Oh F**k it…
Fred, I know that you don’t like it… BUT this is;
“STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!”
What next? Fred does something like has a White Boys Saturday Morning Rifle training Session for Young Marines?
Makes Fred a racist sure as hell.
Gads, WTH will the real raciest come up with next..?
This reminds me of when my son was 6 years old an attending school kindergarten.This was in the 60’s when the hippies were in full bloom. The teacher, who was a fullfledged flower girl, requested after the first 4 weeks, that we should have a meeting with her about grasshopper’s actions in school.
After meeting with her and finding out what he was doing in school, we took her reccomendation and had a physological evaluation taken. He first talked to grasshopper and then to me and my wife and recommended highly that WE should insist to the school board that THE TEACHER was the one that needed the evaluation, not grasshopper. He was a normal 6 yera old and that she was so used to being laid back and being “cool man”, she didn’t have any idea what a 6 year old boy that’s just full of energy can be like. She could just not figure out why a little boy would rather go play with a hammer and pound sticks instead of wanting to set and listen to someone read about how to make tofu. We took the psychologists advice and today, grasshopper is general manager of a furniture and cabinet mfg. business. Need I say more about teachers & schools. No race card played here.
Todays schools and teachers???? I don’t want to get started.
PS She was transferred to another grade and finally quit a year later.
Robin in Texas~
I feel the same way you do, you’re not alone. But what a sad thing to happen to that poor innocent kid. I feel sorry for him and he drew the crucifix from his heart. What kind of message does this send to a little guy?? Poor thing!!
Not at all surprised it was Massachusettes! I believe that is the bluest state of them all!
The REAL issue being the school thinking it violent and dangerous because your son drew a stick figure of Christ on the cross.
Exactly.
Race should have no part in this “controversy” in Taunton.
Yep, I was all ready to unload on the school, but the race card trumps my anger at the school policy….Screw em both with a ripe pineapple.
I am angry at the school for their stupidy, but now I am furious at the Dad for HIS racism. He should have kept his mouth shut!
I agree with you that the father should never have played the race card, it undermines what happened. He also mentioned a monetary settlement. This does take away some of the anger that I had about the story as we can see that this father is trying to gain something from it, but I still am upset with the school for this over-reaction in the first place.