Autistic Student Suspended For Picture Of Game Cartoon Bomb

Autistic Student Suspended For Picture Of Game Cartoon Bomb

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) – An Upstate mother is upset after she said her special needs son was suspended for drawing a picture of a bomb. Amy Parham said her son, Rhett, had made the hand-drawn picture of the bomb during the weekend at home. Parham said her son is a fan of the video game Bomber Man and drew the cartoon-ish like explosive. Parham said her son took the picture to Hillcrest Middle School, and that’s where problems arose.

Parham said she was told that her son showed the picture to some older children, who reported him to school administration. She said her son was suspended indefinitely by the school. “They actually reiterated to me they knew he was non-violent,” said Parham. “They knew he was not actually having a bomb, creating or making a bomb. But that they could not go with out making an example of him and take some type of action because they were worried about their perception. Perception is actually the word he used. Perception is reality, and parents might think you have a bomb or [might be] violent.”

When asked for comment, Greenville County Schools spokesman Oby Lyles released this statement saying, “We cannot comment about an individual student. In global terms, a special education student is suspended pending a manifestation hearing which determines if the behavior is due to the student’s disability.”

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