child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

Thoughts?

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TAUNTON, Mass. – 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.

An educational consultant working with the Johnson family said the teacher was also alarmed when the boy drew Xs for Jesus' eyes.

A call to Johnson was not immediately returned.

The boy was cleared to return to school on Dec. 7 after the evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others. But his father said the boy was traumatized by the incident and the school district has approved the family's request to have the child transferred to another school.

"They owe my family an apology and the kid an apology and they need to work with my son (to) the best of their ability to get him back to where he was before all this happened," Johnson told New England Cable News.

The father said in the days before the incident the family had gone to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, where there are crucifixion statues.

"That was fresh on his mind," he told NECN. "And that was a good thing that he saw."

Superintendent Julie Hackett said she could not discuss an individual student and did not address the drawing specifically or the teacher's reaction to it, but did say the school has safety protocols in place that were followed.

Hackett did not return multiple calls from The Associated Press on Tuesday.

In June 2008, a Taunton fifth-grade student was suspended for a day for a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate.

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

wrong holy day

but really, his parents should be proud that he actually thought of Jesus when they mentioned Chistmas, sounds like they taught him well and the school officials should really be more aware of various religions.

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

They were asked to draw a picture about Christmas. How is drawing a picture of Jesus in response to the assignment (although on a cross and not in a manger lol) a red flag that he may be a danger to himself or others?

This makes no sense, I must be missing something.

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

ITA, its weird. Technically it was a pic thet represented the worng holiday but he is 8. I would be proud if my kids first thought of christmas was Jesus and not just gifts and Santa.

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

I applaud the boy for knowing that "jesus is the reason for the season", but the thing that struck me as is that the boy said that he drew HIMSELF on the cross. That I would find a little odd...

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

Posted by 1stimemom

I applaud the boy for knowing that "jesus is the reason for the season", but the thing that struck me as is that the boy said that he drew HIMSELF on the cross. That I would find a little odd...

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

I think that the person who sent him home for that should be "ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation"

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

Posted by Tilde

wrong holy day

but really, his parents should be proud that he actually thought of Jesus when they mentioned Chistmas, sounds like they taught him well and the school officials should really be more aware of various religions.

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

Posted by Sash

Posted by 1stimemom

I applaud the boy for knowing that "jesus is the reason for the season", but the thing that struck me as is that the boy said that he drew HIMSELF on the cross. That I would find a little odd...

i didnt catch the last part, but yes thats very odd

Re: child sent home from school for crucifix drawing

Posted by Jax430

Posted by Sash

Posted by 1stimemom

I applaud the boy for knowing that "jesus is the reason for the season", but the thing that struck me as is that the boy said that he drew HIMSELF on the cross. That I would find a little odd...

i didnt catch the last part, but yes thats very odd

It is odd, but he receives speech-language therapy, so it is possible that he had difficulty expressing himself appropriately.

Personally, although it's the wrong holiday, I think that drawing a picture of Jesus was very appropriate!