Administrative Overreaction?

Did you hear the one about the 5-year-old Wisconsin kindergartner who brought a "popper" to school and was then suspended and sent home?

RACINE, Wis. -- A 5-year-old boy was suspended from kindergarten for popping a firework toy in school.

Quinn Lucier set off the popper -- which makes a loud sound when its string is pulled -- at Jerstad-Agerholm Elementary School on Monday, startling his teacher.

The principal, Cecilia Holley-Young, imposed the four-day suspension, telling the boy's mother the item qualified as an explosive device.

Rachel Lucier said she understood that her son shouldn't have brought the item to school but thought the punishment was too severe and plans to appeal it.

''I'm just worried, anything he does later in life, if this is going to come back to haunt him,'' she said. ''Is he going to be considered the bad boy?''

Ann Laing, an area superintendent for Racine Unified, said Holley-Young suspended the boy based on her interpretation of the district's student responsibility code.

I think that this is one of those cases where the kid would have been better served by bringing the parent(s) in for a conference rather than sending the kid home.

My guess is that this one will be overturned on appeal. ------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.