Cops Called, 12-Year-Old Suspended for Toy Gun During Virtual Class

A 12-year-old boy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had the police sent to his house and was suspended for five days after he inadvertently showed a neon-green toy gun – with the words "Zombie Hunter" printed on the side – on his computer camera during a virtual art class.

Isaiah Elliott said he was "super scared" when police arrived at his home Aug. 27 during the day because his teacher at Grand Mountain School notified the principal who, in addition to issuing the suspension, called the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, local Fox network affiliate KDVR reported.

Isaiah explained he was merely moving the toy, which was black and neon green with an orange tip, from one side of the couch he was sitting on to the other, when it appeared on screen. That prompted the school to call police for a welfare check without notifying his parents first.

Once at the home, the police supposedly told the boy the incident could have resulted in criminal charges and might in the future if he did something similar.

"For them to go as extreme as suspending him for five days, sending the police out, having the police threaten to press charges against him because they want to compare the virtual environment to the actual in-school environment is insane," said the boy's mother, Dani Elliott.

KDVR said the sheriff's office's incident report noted the teacher, who was not identified, thought the gun was a toy, but was not certain.

"If her main concern was his safety, a two-minute phone call to me or my husband could easily have alleviated this whole situation to where I told them it was fake," Dani Elliott said.

The school district declined KDVR's request for an interview, but issued a statement.

"Privacy laws prevent us from sharing students' personal information which includes disciplinary action," it said. "We follow all school board policies whether we are in-person learning or distance learning. We take the safety of all our students and staff very seriously. Safety is always our number one priority."

Isaiah Elliott's father, Curtis Elliott, also was upset with the school for its reaction, and KDVR said the district has received dozens of critical comments on its Facebook page.

"The virtual setting is not the same as the school setting," Curtis Elliot said. "He did not take the toy gun to school. He's in the comfort of his own home. It's a toy."

Isaiah Elliott was eligible to return to school Friday, but his parents said they intended to transfer him to a charter or private school instead.