You can’t make this stuff up. The good news: 3-year-old Hunter Spanjer, who is deaf, knows how to sign his name. The bad news: His school says his hand sign looks too much like a gun and has asked him to change it.

The school, in Grand Island, Nebraska, is forcing Hunter to change the way he signs his name, because they say his gestures violate their weapons policy. Lunacy reigns supreme, America.

Hunter’s personalized name sign is a registered sign with Signing Exact English – a modified form of American Sign Language – and involves extended index fingers that the district says resembles a gun. “We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child,” said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson. Really, Jack? I have a suggestion: Take your heads out of your butts and allow him to use the registered sign for his name. Problem solved.

As reported by 1011now.com, Grand Island’s “Weapons in Schools” Board Policy 8470 forbids “any instrument…that looks like a weapon.” But a three year-old’s hands? Here’s Hunter’s dad, Brian:

“He’s deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy. It’s a symbol. It’s an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.”

Hunter’s parents say that by Monday, lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf are likely to weigh in for Hunter’s right to sign his own name.

Despite whatever rules and regulations may exist, some Grand Islanders said they don’t think it’s right to make a three year-old change the way he says his name.

“It’s his name. It’s not like he’s going to bring a gun to school when he’s three years old,” commented Dana Schwieger.

“I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child’s mind,” said Fredda Bartenbach.

First, an 8-year-old boy in Baltimore is suspended from school for allegedly chewing his Pop-Tart into the shape of a handgun. Then, a 6-year-old Massachusetts boy is forced to apologize for “traumatizing” his schoolmates on the bus by brandishing a tiny – the size of a quarter – Lego-figure gun. And now, a 3-year-old deaf child may be forced to change the only sign he knows for his name.

All because of what? Overreaction? Politically correctness? Mass hysteria among school administrators or just downright stupidity? Whatever the reason, does it really matter? The bottom line is this: This nonsense is out of control. Period. Get a grip, people.

I wonder if the sign for “get a grip” looks like an “assault” rifle

 kronk wrote:
Zero tolerance policies seem to be the cause of a lot of ignorance.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Perhaps he could carry a real gun and use that to sign his name.

 kronk wrote:
Zero tolerance policies seem to be the cause of a lot of ignorance.

 Alfndrate wrote:
I love how we have two threads for this

 Sigvatr wrote:
Just in case you guys wonder, though, here's a tidbit of info on why he chose his sign name:

Signers (aka people who use sign language) usually choose a sign that represents either a typical characteristic (e.g. the sign PONYTAIL if you got a ponytail) or, if possible, a sing that refers to their name. Since he is called "Hunter", his sign is likely to be HUNT or HUNTER. The actual signing varies from regio to region (similar as in vocal speech's dialects), but it can be signed to look like firing a rifle. Check this site, the "H" category, for the sign HUNT and you'll see it:

http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi

Still a pretty dumb move by the school, just wanted to get that info out

And please, please, do not pity Deaf or deaf people...they neither want nor need it. Pitying them for being deaf means you thinking that being deaf is a disability / obstacle for them, a medical deficit, which is, by most Deaf / deaf, considered slightly offensive. ASL (and sign languages in general) are not a substitute for vocal speech, it's just another language with its own grammar, vocabulary etc. =)

 Frazzled wrote:
he should change his name to Explodingmortarshell and the hand gesture can be both hands going wide with a boom face.

Alternatively he could change his name to a completely different hand gesture which I find to be amazingly appropriate.

 Frazzled wrote:
he could change his name to a completely different hand gesture which I find to be amazingly appropriate.

 M_Stress wrote:


Frazzled, usually I dislike/don't even read what you post.
But:

 Frazzled wrote:
he could change his name to a completely different hand gesture which I find to be amazingly appropriate.

That one was good.
Thank you.