New Jersey Student in Trouble For Pencil Twirling

[Kannap]

A 13-year-old boy was the most famous kid in school for a few weeks.

A simple pencil twirling incident landed Ethan Chaplin in hot water with his school, which threatened to suspend him after a classmate claimed he was spinning the writing utensil like a gun.

But after media attention from PIX11 and around the world, school officials backed off.

Letters to Ethan’s father, Michael, show the school found his son did nothing wrong at all, there would be no disciplinary action and the Superintendent was even confident the issue would be behind all of them.

And that’s exactly what happened, until Ethan’s father received startling communication from New Jersey’s Department of Child Protection and Permanency and Department of Children and Families.

“I received a letter from them saying they had found an incident of abuse or neglect regarding Ethan because I refused to take him for psychological evaluation,” Michael said.

In an effort to play along and clear his name, Michael did take his son to be evaluated.

Ethan was seen by a social worker, had his blood drawn and urine taken.

In the end, no behavioral problem was ever found.

The state, it seems, is ignoring that set of testing, demanding even more and this time if Michael doesn’t comply, they are threatening to terminate his parental rights and free Ethan up for adoption.

“All I can do is keep fighting. keep telling the truth and presenting the evidence. That is all I can do and hopefully the state does the right thing,” Michael said.

He has even reached out to Governor Chris Christie’s office, who replied they would contact the Dept. of Children and Families to investigate.

“…I’m scared because they have a habit of running away with things unchecked and that’s exactly what’s going on. They’re operating unchecking,” Michael said.

PIX11 tried to get a comment from DCPP and NJ Department of Children and Families but hit a road block there.

We were told they agency can’t discuss the allegations or even acknowledge they have involvement with the family.

http://wgntv.com/2014/06/11/dad-nj-thre ... -incident/

So, what do you think? Is the United States education system becoming worse each and every year? Are simple rules being wrongfully enforced? Should this student have been put through this ordeal for simply twirling a pencil? Since it is something that students across the nation twirl pencils, i'll admit my guiltiness of the "crime."

I hardly believe this child should have been put through this trouble because of simply twirling a pencil in class. Also, I don't see how it ever becomes serious enough for the state to threaten to take the child away from the father for being allowed to twirl a pencil in class.

[R the Zombie]

This is one of those stories that makes me cringe, actually. I mean the State of New Jersey has no right to decide whether or not it likes the test results. If the Social Worker is a licensed individual with the credentials to declare whether or not a child has behavior problems, the State of New Jersey, who undoubtedly approved this social worker's credentials in the first place, should take their word for it.

[Kannap]

This is one of those stories that makes me cringe, actually. I mean the State of New Jersey has no right to decide whether or not it likes the test results. If the Social Worker is a licensed individual with the credentials to declare whether or not a child has behavior problems, the State of New Jersey, who undoubtedly approved this social worker's credentials in the first place, should take their word for it.

Exactly, why would any state - in their right mind - license a social worker and then not listen to the decision they make upon what they've been licensed to make a decision upon.

[MERIZoC]

What the hell? My god, that's ridiculous. It completely delegitimizes cases of actual neglect. Fucking incompetence.

[Ionian Knights]

Let's point the fact that there was a dumb ass little child who said twirling a pencil looked like a gun.

If anyone needs testing, it's that little brat.

Honestly, ever since Columbine, school admins have gotten insane, but at least this one didn't push it any further, but something tells me the brat's parents called CPS to get the little kid pulled. Children don't just become brats like that, it's usually from their parents.

(keep in mind, I'm talking about the kid who reported the incident, not Ethan)

[The Sotoan Union]

Live in a country where school shootings are common, expect to have the schools become paranoid.

[R the Zombie]

This is one of those stories that makes me cringe, actually. I mean the State of New Jersey has no right to decide whether or not it likes the test results. If the Social Worker is a licensed individual with the credentials to declare whether or not a child has behavior problems, the State of New Jersey, who undoubtedly approved this social worker's credentials in the first place, should take their word for it.

Exactly, why would any state - in their right mind - license a social worker and then not listen to the decision they make upon what they've been licensed to make a decision upon.

Well, I mean, it is New Jersey, after all. The state that the governor shut down lanes on a bridge because they had an issue with someone. Seems like the State of New Jersey has, and no pun is intended here, an attitude problem as of late. Still, this whole incident is probably a symptom of a much larger problem. With all the school shootings as of late, they State is probably worried that this kid could, perhaps, pull the same stunt.

Really, though, this should be a non-issue.

[Mkuki]

I'm confused on how twirling a pencil can look like twirling a gun. And even if it did, so what? This school should have better things to do than harassing a student and his family.

[Kannap]

Live in a country where school shootings are common, expect to have the schools become paranoid.

But this is just plain insane.

Plus, like Ion said, if any kid needs to be tested here, then it would need to be the child who reported the twirling pencil to appear to look like a handgun.

[The Enclave Government]

How much do we want to bet the kid who reported Ethan was a minority?

[Upper America]

This is worse than when that kindergartner got suspended for biting the corner off of a pop tart. He twirled a pencil, and now he could lose his parents. We need to get rid of this zero tolerance crap before it goes any further.

[The Serbian Empire]

Let me call New Jersey for what it is... a dystopia. With policies like these in the schools, I would almost expect bunker construction for bus stops in New Jersey. Oh wait, that's Albania. Still doesn't change the fact that school admins seem more paranoid than Hoxha during the Cold War.

[Kannap]

How much do we want to bet the kid who reported Ethan was a minority?

I am not sure what him being a minority would have to do with this, do you care to explain that to me?

[MERIZoC]

How much do we want to bet the kid who reported Ethan was a minority?

And that is relevant why?

[The Sotoan Union]

Live in a country where school shootings are common, expect to have the schools become paranoid.

But this is just plain insane.

Plus, like Ion said, if any kid needs to be tested here, then it would need to be the child who reported the twirling pencil to appear to look like a handgun.

I think most school policy is based on not taking shit from parents. Maybe the school's rationalization was that if kids went home and informed their parents that other kids were pretending to have guns, the parents could complain. But you're right this is really stupid.

[The Kingdom of Glitter]

I'm confused on how twirling a pencil can look like twirling a gun. And even if it did, so what? This school should have better things to do than harassing a student and his family.

That's exactly how I feel about the issue. Yet I know of a child, from this same state, that has a pellet gun that actually looks like an M-16, it was all over the South Jersey papers I'd say a yer ago. Plus the kid has threatened to kill multiple children and his children, even though it's not actually a real gun. That part was omitted from the papers, however. Simpliy because they didn't know the child had done so.

Granted, the above happened in Catholic school and the school pretty much covered it up, something catholic grade schools always do. I only know about it because I still talk to my old teachers and they told me about it.

However, even with the child and his pellet gun all over the papers the state completely ignored it, and they probably would have done the same if they knew about the threats because my state's government is beyond broken.

[Mkuki]

How much do we want to bet the kid who reported Ethan was a minority?

None?

[Viritica]

What the hell is wrong with this country? Even here in PA so much as talking about guns in school could get you in trouble.

[The Serbian Empire]

This is worse than when that kindergartner got suspended for biting the corner off of a pop tart. He twirled a pencil, and now he could lose his parents. We need to get rid of this zero tolerance crap before it goes any further.

I have a solution... take all children from the Department of Children and Families employees. The reasoning is that if they are this paranoid of having a child twirl a pencil then they might be paranoid enough to be unfit parents given the same reasoning.

[Blazedtown]

What the hell is wrong with this country? Even here in PA so much as talking about guns in school could get you in trouble.

And yet my old school has started a trap shooting team in the last two years.

[Spoder]

I know exactly what happened:

Ethan is a good, normal kid.

Kid X who reported him is an asshole.

Kid X doesn't like Ethan because of past events, so to spite him reports Ethan for the stupidest shit.

Or:

Kid X is a hard-ass left winger, who doesn't understand what fun is and who thinks that if somebody makes a finger gun, they will become a psychotic shooter.

[Corvus Metallum]

This is just plain stupid.

[The Serbian Empire]

I know exactly what happened:

Ethan is a good, normal kid.

Kid X who reported him is an asshole.

Kid X doesn't like Ethan because of past events, so to spite him reports Ethan for the stupidest shit.

Or:

Kid X is a hard-ass left winger, who doesn't understand what fun is and who thinks that if somebody makes a finger gun, they will become a psychotic shooter.

In New Jersey... it's probably the last of those. And that's the left wing politics.

[MERIZoC]

I know exactly what happened:

Ethan is a good, normal kid.

Kid X who reported him is an asshole.

Kid X doesn't like Ethan because of past events, so to spite him reports Ethan for the stupidest shit.

Or:

Kid X is a hard-ass left winger, who doesn't understand what fun is and who thinks that if somebody makes a finger gun, they will become a psychotic shooter.

Huhuhu, let's bash liberals with unsubstantiated claims, everybody!

[Kannap]

I know exactly what happened:

Ethan is a good, normal kid.

Kid X who reported him is an asshole.

Kid X doesn't like Ethan because of past events, so to spite him reports Ethan for the stupidest shit.

Or:

Kid X is a hard-ass left winger, who doesn't understand what fun is and who thinks that if somebody makes a finger gun, they will become a psychotic shooter.

In New Jersey... it's probably the last of those. And that's the left wing politics.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina:

"Pencil twirling looks like a gun? Make pencil twirling a mandatory course to graduate high school!"