Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Crucifixion

[Err]

Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Crucifixion

A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.

He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.

The student drew the picture shortly after taking a family trip to see the Christmas display at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette, a Christian retreat site in Attleboro. He made the drawing in class after his teacher asked the children to sketch something that reminded them of Christmas, the father said.

“I think what happened is that because he put Xs in the eyes of Jesus, the teacher was alarmed and they told the parents they thought it was violent,” said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant with the Associated Advocacy Center.

Saunders is working with the boy’s parents after a mutual acquaintance referred them to her.

“When I got that call, I was so appalled that I had to do something,” Saunders said.

“They weren’t looking at the fact that this is an 8-year-old child with special needs,” she added. “They made him leave school, and they recommended that a psychiatrist do an evaluation.”

The school, in fact, required the evaluation before the boy could return, the father said.

Maxham School principal Rebecca Couet referred all questions on the matter to the superintendent’s office.

Superintendent Julie Hackett said district policy prevents her from discussing a “confidential matter regarding a student.”

“Generally speaking, we have safety protocols in place,” Hackett said. “If a situation warrants it, we ask for outside safety evaluations if we have particular concerns about a child’s safety. We followed all the protocols in our system.”


Hackett refused to specifically discuss the student’s drawing or the school’s reaction to it.

The father was flabbergasted when he learned his son had to undergo an evaluation.

“When she told me he needed to be psychologically evaluated, I thought she was playing,” he said.

The man said his son, who gets specialized reading and speech instruction at school, has never shown any tendency toward violence.

“He’s never been suspended,” he said. “He’s 8 years old. They overreacted.”

The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.

The boy, however, was traumatized by the incident, which made going back to school very difficult, the father said. School administrators have approved the father’s request to have the boy transferred to another elementary school in the district.

This is not the first time in recent years that a Taunton student has been sent home over a drawing. In June 2008, a fifth-grade student was suspended from Mulcahey Middle School for a day after creating a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate.

The Mulcahey teacher also contacted the police to take out charges in the 2008 incident.

[normalicy]

I'll admit, the Catholic fascination with the crucifix is a bit disturbing. That said, this is definitely an over reaction.

[TheSovereign]

stupid school overreacts to something as common as money, film at 11.

[FlyingPenguin]

Over reaction, but I think it warranted a private talk with the folks just to touch base. Religious symbol or not, a crucifiction is a disturbing image for a 2 year old to be drawing.

[MidnightSin]

Over reaction, but I think it warranted a private talk with the folks just to touch base. Religious symbol or not, a crucifiction is a disturbing image for a 2 year old to be drawing.

He was 8 not 2 and whats the differance between drawing a stick figure of Christ on the cross or drawing a stick figure of a person being hanged (Hangman)?

[b-man1]

funny that it's ok to show them statues of it in a church day in, day out, including wounds and blood, but if the kid draws a stick figure it's violent. silly church people.

[FlyingPenguin]

Sorry I meant to say 2nd grader not 2 year old.

BTW those of us raised in Christian religions (especially catholic with it's heavy use of very explicit crucifiction renderings in statuary) don't really appreciate how disturbing it looks to some people.

[EvilHorace]

Guess I'd have to see the drawing to have an opinion on just how bad it was.
Kids draw all sorts of stuff and to someone who goes to church on a regular basis (assuming?), I'd think that subject matter would seem fairly normal then.
I do remember that by 5th, 6th grade in our days, we drew some pretty bizarre, off the wall stuff.

[FlyingPenguin]

Yeah, I agree. A lot depends on the actual drawing. Was it extremely cartoonish? Was there blood dripping from the wounds? From that article it sounds like the main issue was the "X"s in the eyes which, when you think about it, is a bit disturbing because that's not just a rendering of what the child saw - he was expressing the understanding that Christ was indeed dead which is a bit heavy for a 7 year old. Most kids don't really have an understanding of death until later in life.

I can see how it could be interpreted as a possible red flag, but a suspension is WAY over-reacting. I can understand if someone just wanted to touch base with the parents though, to make sure the child was not having any issues with death or death-obsession, etc.

Me? I was drawing swastikas on EVERYTHING in 4th grade, honestly because I just thought it was a cool logo. I knew nothing about WWII, Hitler, and the Nazi's yet and I had no clue why people found it disturbing.

[Err]

I give the teacher the benefit of the doubt for covering her rear. However, they should have sat with the boy and asked him what he was drawing or at least dropped the issue after talking to the parents.

Side Note: I changed the title of the article when I posted this. The like goes to "...suspended for drawing a picture of Jesus." That's not exactly true. I see this all the time in the media.

I tried to think back to what I drew when I was 8. I remember drawing planes, cars, snowmen, etc. This is unusual for an 8-year old. Like FP said, those not exposed to Catholicism or other Christian denominations may not get this. Personally, as a Christian, I prefer the Cross empty because Jesus is no longer there. I don't have things like crosses and fish around because I feel it may be borderlining on idol worship.

[Err]

Delivered:

[normalicy]

That isn't anything. Heck, my 4 year old daughter makes stuff up that is scarier than that.

[Err]

That isn't anything. Heck, my 4 year old daughter makes stuff up that is scarier than that.

Post it. I need to post some of the stuff my daughter comes up with.

[FlyingPenguin]

I gotta say that if that's the cartoon, the teacher/principal has a major bug up their arses. I don't see any problem at all with that. Sure at first glance it might be a bit disturbing but a simple question to the child of "what is it?" and a response of "Jesus on the cross" and that's settled in my book.

[EvilHorace]

Yeah, not too disturbing IMO.