A school called police after a kindergartner with Down syndrome pointed a finger gun at her teacher. The girl's mom says they went too far

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by i_am_chewbacca

(CNN) A Pennsylvania elementary school called the police after a kindergartner with Down syndrome made a finger gun at her teacher. Officials concluded there wasn't a threat, but the girl's mother said they went too far.

Maggie Gaines called on the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District to update its threat assessment policy after her 6-year-old daughter Margot was questioned by administrators for making a gun gesture at her elementary school teacher and pretended to shoot her.

Gaines said it was a harmless expression of anger. But Margot's school in southeast Pennsylvania determined her actions appeared threatening, so they conducted a threat assessment.

A family photo of Margot Gaines (center) and her mother, Maggie (right).

Administrators concluded that Margot made a "transient threat" and didn't intend to harm anyone, but they still called Tredyffrin police.

The district said calling law enforcement is part of its safety protocol. But Gaines said that in her daughter's case, the district misinterpreted its own policy.

Master_Magus on February 13rd, 2020 at 03:15 UTC »

People that waste resources like this should be fined.

FeathersRuff on February 13rd, 2020 at 01:47 UTC »

Remember back in like 2001 when the police were called to a school cause a kid held a chicken finger to a teacher and went bang bang?

Berniethedog on February 13rd, 2020 at 00:00 UTC »

And to think how carelessly we used to throw out the ol’ finger gun.