New Orleans City Business and the Associated Press are reporting that lawmakers in Louisiana are considering a change in the state’s student discipline law because of the case of a Jefferson Parish youngster who was suspended after a teacher spotted a BB gun in the background while he was taking a remote class because of the COVID-19 pandemic panic.
Rep. Troy Romero (R-Jennings) is reportedly sponsoring a bill that has been sent to the Senate for debate after it was passed in the state House.
The 9-year-old youngster at the heart of this story was initially targeted for expulsion but then just suspended, according to published reports.
The incident does raise questions about privacy, and about overzealous enforcement of regulations. While it is certainly not allowed to bring a BB gun to school, this case involves a student who was taking a class remotely from his own home, where the possession of an air rifle would hardly be unusual in a state known as the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”
The story quoted Liz Murrill with the state Attorney General’s office who observed, “This is a very good bill because it addresses a problem that none of us really anticipated. I don’t think anyone contemplated that all of the on-campus policies would apply to your home.”
However, Romero’s legislation is apparently opposed by a state school superintendents’ group and the Jefferson Parish School System over concerns about legal action against the school system.
