Experts Question School’s Decision To Suspend 6-Year-Old Boy For ‘Sexual Harassment’ Kiss On Hand [View all]

[Purveyor]

As a result of kissing a fellow student on the hand during class, 6-year-old Hunter Yelton now has a permanent record.

His Colorado school district has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, which school officials maintain the boy violated with his peck. The boy was suspended from first grade at Lincoln School of Science and Technology in Canon city, Colo. His mother is protesting the school’s actions as extreme and not age-appropriate.

The case is gaining national attention through social media, with many suggesting the response is a zero-tolerance policy taken too far. School officials, who are not responding to further media requests, have told local media that the boy’s buss fits district standards for sexual harassment.

While some education experts say this may technically be true, the assertion lacks proper perspective, especially with a child this young.

“Zero tolerance policies in schools have not been shown to work,” says Nadine Block, a child psychologist and author of “Breaking the Paddle: Ending School Corporal Punishment.”

“This is just another example of going overboard on rules in schools that need to be more flexible,” says Ms. Block, who spent two decades working as an educator in schools. Rather than a rush to punishment, she adds, “schools should be looking for ways to teach appropriate behavior instead.”

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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/12/experts-question-schools-decision-to-suspend-6-year-old-boy-for-sexual-harassment-kiss-on-hand/