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Education

School Allegedly Asks Deaf Preschooler to Change His Name Because Sign Language Version Resembles ‘Weapons’

Aug. 28, 2012 1:00pm Erica Ritz

Deaf Preschooler Hunter Spanjer May Change Name Because Sign Resembles Weapons

Hunter Spanjer demonstrates the sign for his name. (Photo: 10/11)

A deaf 3-year-old from Nebraska is being asked by the school district to change his name, his family alleges, because the way he refers to himself in sign language resembles “weapons.”

Apparently the Grand Island school district has a policy that prevents students from bringing “any instrument…that looks like a weapon” to school, and now hands can be considered “instruments.”

“Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way,” Hunter Spanjer’s grandmother Janet Logue said.

Brian Spanjer, the boy’s father, added: “It’s a symbol. It’s an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E. [Signing Exact English]”

Hunter signs his name by crossing his middle and index fingers– leaving his thumbs up– and then wagging his hands.

Watch an interview with the family, and a demonstration of the gesture:

The school is claiming the entire matter is a “misunderstanding” — but still wants Hunter to change his name.

Administrators say the issue has nothing to do with guns or weapons, just that the gesture is “not an appropriate thing to do in school.”

School spokesman Jack Sheard told the New York Daily News that rather than the condensed sign he uses now, they want him to spell out his name, letter by letter.

“We want to do what is best for every student in our district, and we care more about that than everything else,” Sheard remarked. “We are working with the parents to find the best solution we can.”

Apparently, local residents are not pleased with the school district.

Grand Islander Dana Schwieger said: “It’s his name…It’s not like he’s going to bring a gun to school when he’s 3-years old.”

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Comments (271)

let4570
Posted on May 8, 2013 at 12:48pm
America is about to go over the cliff and the liberals are pushing for the fall!
It is a tug of war!
If you are a silent conservative then you are helping the liberals by your silence!

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let4570
Posted on May 8, 2013 at 12:39pm
Folks!
This story is the icing on the cake!
This demonstrates what a bunch on insane, brain dead liberals are capable of!
They are so possessed with their disarming america agenda they will stop at nothing to further their agenda!
There is no limit to their stupidity or their socialist resolve!
It ‘boggles the mind”!
I simply cannot wrap my mind around how insane and stupid they can be!

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skydogx4
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:15pm
The real reason is probably that they do not want to have to spend the time and money to have this child in their school. He will need an interpreter or the teachers will need to learn sign…prob against job description and/or union rules

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- let4570
  Posted on May 8, 2013 at 12:44pm
  skydogx4
  
  OBVIOUSLY YOU WERE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!
  THIS WAS ABOUT THE KID MAKING A HAND SIGN THAT LOOKED LIKE A WEAPON SHAPE PERIOD!
  IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HANDLING THIS TYPE OF CHILD OR FUNDING FOR SAME!
  OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE WAS THERE WHO COULD TALK TO HIM IN HAND SIGNS OR HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THERE TO BEGIN WITH!
  
  Report this comment
SunnyRai
Posted on February 5, 2013 at 3:38pm
If I were these kids’ parents, I’d be raining hell. And I say this comment every time I comment on an article about public schools. Every time I read something else about a school, it makes me all the more happy I am choosing home school. By the time my daughter is old enough to start school, I am happy to know that I will not have to deal with shenanigans that school districts, union thug teachers, and jackass parents and their jackass kids will cause. If I sent my child to anything other than home school, I would be the school’s worst nightmare, so I’m doing them the favor of choosing to home school.

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kiddirt
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:46pm
Here we go. This is a direct violation of his freedom of speech. It is the only way he can speak and they are taking that away. Real people I know are named Gunner, Rifle, Colt, Kimber, and Hunter. Should they change their names? What about all those Smith and Wessons out they? They must be very violent people. I can’t believe we allow these dumb azzes to teach our children. JEEZ!!!!

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RSHLUVER
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 5:40pm
The family have a real good civil suit against the school.

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bigjake25
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 2:04pm
a parent whos child would get upset by a finger being pointed at him/her needs to home school that child, because he/she is not ready for the real world

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dumoudan
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 12:22pm
The Fleabaggers Party aka Demoncrats have taken reality out-of-context.

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2BRKnot2B
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 11:53am
Zero tolerance = INTOLERANCE! Keep letting leftist legislators, school leaders, college presidents, and professors rule our children, and this is the nonsense you will get. Let us recall that almost every shooting involving a school, or college campus, even the Aurora. CO movie theater, were gun free zones. What Hunter should be doing is packing real heat to protect himself from the lame brained authorities who come up with these ignorant policies.Stand up right wing, and middle America, or you are soon to be rounded up.

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Chi-Fawn
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 10:49am
Don’t all deaf kids have to spell out their names letter by letter even if there’s a sign for it? There are TONS of names that are regular words.

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Pompeiijazz98
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 7:17am
What is a three year old doing going to school anyway?

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- Chi-Fawn
  Posted on August 30, 2012 at 10:58am
  Don’t know how it is usually but when you’re disabled starting school when you’re three years old is pretty much a normal way of life. It’s always been that way.
  
  Report this comment
- Budrow
  Posted on August 30, 2012 at 12:49pm
  The child (three years old) is/was being enrolled in a pre-school. Turns out that in Grand Island Nebraska there is only ONE pre-school that is sanctioned by and operated by the Grand Island School District and this is it.
  
  The school’s superintendent is beginning to back-peddle currently and is changing his story. Attorneys are now involved on both sides and money is being spent needlessly. Not unusual for a government agency to spend money needlessly.
  
  Report this comment
aurora53
Posted on August 30, 2012 at 1:00am
I’ve never heard of anything so inane. These communists are really mentally ill!

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