Schools and school districts are famous for over-reacting after the fact. Everyone (I hope) is familiar with the shootings that occurred at Sandy Hook elementary school last December. Such a horrific incident would, understandably, provoke strong overreactions from anyone with ties to a school.

In my mind, such was the case in a New Jersey school district about a month later. A 5 year old kindergarten student was detained and questioned by school officials for three hours because she was overheard saying that she was going to shoot her friends and herself with a hello kitty bubble gun. Apparently, the person who “overheard” the conversation reported it to school administration who pulled the child out of classes the next day and questioned her. The girl never actually brought the bubble gun to school, but only talked about it with her friends.

As a result of their investigation, the principal labeled the girls words a “terrorist threat” and suspended her for ten days. According to the article from the hometown newspaper, the police were never contacted or involved. Understandably upset, the girl’s parents hired a lawyer who got the suspension reduced to two days and the infraction reduced to “threatening another student.” She was allowed to return to school after undergoing an independent psychological evaluation. The parents want the incident stricken from the girl’s record along with an apology from the school officials involved—threatening to sue if not satisfied.

The school officials refuse to comment, citing the fact that they are not able to say anything about a student’s discipline publicly. If there is a justification for their action it is not supported by the facts we know. There could possibly have been something that came out in the interview with the girl that legitimately could have justified their action. If the case goes to court, they will probably have to disclose this information. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I will not draw any lasting conclusion until the legal proceedings are conducted. For now—the school acted in an unbelievably stupid way—so stupid in fact, that the administrators involved should be fired for their actions. Unless, of course, there is something more that we are not net privy to.

My biggest problem with the school’s actions is that the police were never notified. If the principal really believed that the girl was a threat to others the fact that she was out of school would not have protected her potential victims at home or in the mall. At the very least, the girl’s home should have been searched for weapons.

In fact, I will go as far as to suggest that if there are facts not in evidence that justify the principal’s actions, she should be fired for not alerting the authorities of the potential danger.