Video with CC (english transcilbed) - Deaf Preschooler Forbidden to Sign Own Name Because Gesture Resembles Gun.
Grand Island, Nebraska (1011now) School Sign Language Controversy - Steve Ross Reports at 9. Grand Island Preschooler Asked to Change the Sign for His Name in School.
School demands that boy must change his name from Hunter because it violates its weapons policy. Hunter Spanjer says his name with a certain special hand gesture, but at just three and a half years old, he may have to change it.
"He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy," explained Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer.
Grand Island Public Schools's "Weapons in Schools" Board Policy 8470 forbids "any instrument...that looks like a weapon," But a three year-old's hands?
"Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way," said Hunter's grandmother Janet Logue.
"It's a symbol. It's an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.," Brian Spanjer said.
S.E.E. stands for Signing Exact English, Hunter's sign language. Hunter's name gesture is modified with crossed-fingers to show it is uniquely his own.
"We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child," said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson.
That's just about all GIPS officials will say for now.
Meantime, Hunter's parents say that by Monday, lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf are likely to weigh in for Hunter's right to sign his own name.
Despite whatever rules and regulations may exist, some Grand Islanders we spoke with said they don't think it's right to make a three year-old change the way he says his name.
"It's his name. It's not like he's going to bring a gun to school when he's three years old," commented Dana Schwieger.
"I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child's mind," Grand Island resident Fredda Bartenbach reflected.
But for now, that's a discussion between the Spanjers and Grand Island Public Schools officials.
Deaf toddler told by school to change his name sign
by Sameer Vasta
In a horrible case of political correctness gone wrong, a
deaf boy is being told he's not allowed to sign his name at school
anymore. School officials need a lesson in common sense.
Hunter Spanjer is like any other three-year-old
boy: he goes to pre-school, plays with friends, and learns new things
every day. If the local school district has its way, Hunter may have to
learn how to say his name, all over again.
The officials at the school
district seems to be the only people who feel threatened by Hunter's
name; the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of
the Deaf have both urged the school board to reconsider its situation,
and the general feeling is that the school is reading too much into an
innocuous sign.
They are absolutely right.
Forcing Hunter to change the way he signs his name is like changing his
name itself. No school should be able to force a child to change her or
his name because of an over-extension of political correctness. Hunter's
signing of his name is not a threat to anyone at the school or in the
school district; it is his way of connecting with people, making
friends, and forging his identity.
I have no
doubt that the school district will realize its folly and reverse their
decision soon, if not today. Their knee-jerk reaction was made without
any common sense or any concern over the well-being of their student — a
contrarian behavior from an organization that is supposed to have the
well-being of the student as their primary concern.
Until
then, let's make sure that the school officials realize that sometimes
decisions need to be made with a little thought and a little context,
rather than in a vacuum from up high. And let's make sure little Hunter
knows that his name is his own, and he should be proud of it and proud
of who he is.
Source:
http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/Grand-Island-Preschooler-Forbidden-Sign-Language-for-His-Own-Name-167394325.htmlRelated - Tubers Repsonses:
School says deaf boy's name sign looks too much like a gun @ Hunter SpanjerSchool asks deaf preschooler to change his sign language nameChild's name violates the school board's.... well, you won't believe me3 year old Deaf boy Hunter Spanjer is told by pre school to change the way he signsHunter Spanjer's School Won't Let Him Sign His Name?!Deaf Preschooler Hunter Spanjer is Forced to Change Sign NameSchool wants deaf 3-year-old to change name because the way he refers to himself in sign language.School asks deaf preschooler to change his sign language nameVideo source: CrazyNews88
