A group of kids in school does something silly, and next thing you know it’s international news- sixth graders involved with hate-crimes against Jews. Not that it’s ok for kids to do that; it’s absolutely not. But in sixth grade, it’s not quite a hate crime… Now they want to suspend the kids and give them counseling… TOO MUCH! Give them a lecture, put them in detention a few lunchtimes, and move on… The more people blow things like this up, the worse it is for the kids who get all the attention.
It began with an unofficial “Spirit Week” among sixth-graders that started harmlessly enough with a “Hug a Friend Day.” Then there was “High Five Day.”
Soon, though, the days moved from friendly to silly. Next there was “Hit a Tall Person Day” and, finally, “Hit a Jew Day.”
USA today goes further:
Several sixth-graders from suburban St. Louis are being disciplined for creating “Hit a Jew Day” and then hitting Jewish classmates.
Four or five students at Parkway West Middle School in Chesterfield could be suspended and undergo counseling for last week’s incident, school officials told the Associated Press. Others who taunted Jewish students or encouraged others to participate face lesser punishment.
Officials said fewer than 10 of the school’s 35 Jewish students were hit. One was slapped in the face and the others were hit mostly on the back of their shoulders.
