Two Teens Suspended for 10 Days Over This 'Provocative' Photo Taken Off Campus

Two high school students in Taunton, Massachusetts were suspended after posting a photo of themselves on Facebook Friday holding Airsoft rifles capable only of shooting plastic pellets.

Tito Velez and his girlfriend Jamie Pereira did not bring the guns to campus and said they never intended to do so. But according to Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School, the photo's caption, "Homecoming 2014," ties it a school activity.

“These students know what is provocative. To tie that to one of our school events kind of puts it over the top which brings us into it," Superintendent Richard Gross said.

Police would have cancelled the homecoming dance if they had known about the Facebook post on Friday, Gross added.

Pereira said she understands the concern but still thinks the school overreacted: “Suspending us for 10 days and possible expulsion is way too much," she said.

“This isn’t dangerous, you can’t kill someone with it,” said Velez, who considers shooting a hobby. “We didn’t shoot anyone; we were pointing them at the floor," he said.

Meanwhile, others have chimed in on Facebook, some agreeing and others disagreeing with the school's handling of the situation.

(H/T: WBZ-TV)

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