Due to the novel coronavirus, schools nationwide have opted to go online in an effort to stop the spread of the pandemic. Children across the country are attending virtual classes, many in spaces they normally play in. In an incident clearly escalated due to race, a 12-year-old boy was suspended in Colorado for picking up a toy gun while attending a virtual art class. According to the official suspension letter obtained by BuzzFeed News, the grounds for suspension included “behavior on or off school property which is detrimental to the welfare, safety, or morals of other pupils or school personnel.” That’s right: The school suspended a Black child for playing with a toy gun labeled with the words “Zombie Hunter” because that is allegedly a risk to the safety of the child, his peers, and school staff.
The incident occurred on Aug. 27 when the seventh-grader, identified as Isaiah Elliott, was attending a virtual art class. According to the child’s parents, at one point during the session Elliott picked up a “neon green toy gun,” moving it from one side to another, which was caught on screen. As a result of moving the toy on camera, the Grand Mountain School in Colorado Springs not only suspended the child but called police into his home to conduct a welfare check—without his parents’ knowledge.
Both Elliott’s mother and father expressed frustration and concern with the school’s decision. “I never thought: ‘You can’t play with a Nerf gun in your own home because somebody may perceive it as a threat and call the police on you,’” Dani Elliott, Isaiah’s mother, told The Washington Post. She also shared that she was not notified that deputies were called to her home until they were already on their way. The sheriff’s report indicated that the teacher assumed it was a toy gun, but was unsure. “If her [the teacher’s] 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 told FOX News affiliate KDVR.
Given the current political climate and movements to end police brutality, Curtis Elliott, Isaiah’s father, expressed his worries about how the incident could have played out. “It was really frightening and upsetting for me as a parent, especially as the parent of an African American young man, especially given what’s going on in our country right now,” Curtis told KDVR. He expressed his fear for his son’s life should deputies have overreacted to hearing a Black boy was potentially armed with a gun. Isaiah too was afraid when deputies arrived. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know if they were going to bust down the door," Isaiah said. "My heart was beating super fast."
According to Dani, an unexpected visit from law enforcement especially frightened the family because Isaiah is the same age as Tamir Rice, who was shot by police in 2014 for carrying a toy gun. “Parents of African American children go above and beyond to protect our children and ensure their future,” Dani told Buzzfeed News. “Until you’ve lived this life, until you’ve experienced discrimination and hardships that come along with being born a certain skin color… I thank God that it didn’t go another way and my son is still here with me."
Curtis noted that Isaiah did not realize his teacher and other students could see the toy gun. According to KDVR, neither parent knew the school class would be recorded and the district refused to provide them video when requested. The sheriff’s deputy showed Curtis footage recorded on his body cam, which depicted Curtis’ son sitting on the sofa and briefly picking up the toy gun, moving it from one side of the sofa to another, not waving it as the teacher alleged. “Just flashed across the school computer screen for maybe one or two seconds at the most,” Curtis said.
According to a redacted report from the sheriff's office, Isaiah and a peer had been playing during the class. The peer was in the family’s home at the time of the incident. The name of the other child is unknown at this time, but footage showed that the boy pointed a toy gun at the screen and pulled the trigger.
Black children often face extreme punishments compared to children of other races. Daily Kos reported in July how a young Black girl was sent to juvenile detention for more than a month for not completing her school work. These incidents of violence in the form of school punishment severely affect not only the health and education of a child, but their potential to succeed. “This could potentially impact his future... look at everything that’s going on in the world today,” Dani said. “God forbid something happens to my son down the road, people could look at this and decide he doesn’t deserve justice. I know that sounds extreme... it’s a very real reality for us.” Isaiah was not only suspended for five days, but has a mark on his school disciplinary paperwork from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office noting that he brought a “facsimile of a firearm to school.”
After receiving criticism on its social media pages, the district denied its response to the incident was racially motivated. “We never have or ever will condone any form of racism or discrimination,” the Grand Mountain School said in a Facebook statement. “Safety will always be number one for our students and staff. We follow board policies and safety protocols consistently, whether we are in-person or distance learning.” The school added that while “several inaccuracies” are spreading online, privacy laws prevent it from issuing clarifying information. Although it did not confirm whether or not all classes are recorded, the school acknowledged it is working to become familiar with Zoom and it is not “current practice” to record classes, adding that parents will be notified if any changes in policy are made.
Isaiah’s suspension ended on Friday, but the family “has no intention of him going back” and plans to withdraw him from the school on Tuesday, BuzzFeed News reported. Dani added that she hopes the next school he is enrolled in understands how to work with students who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) better, a diagnosis the Grand Mountain School was aware of. “I wish the world could see my son through the way I see him. He’s funny, compassionate, caring, goofy, and yeah, he gets distracted easily, but he’s a kid,” Dani told the Post. “I hate that the world doesn’t see him that way. It’s not fair.”