(Updated) Kissing A Classmate On The Hand Got This First Grade ‘Sexual Offender’ Suspended

6 Year Old Suspended For Kissing ClassmateThere should be a way we can get these extremely overzealous school officials who suspended this first grader for kissing his “girlfriend” on the hand to swap places with all of the school officials in high schools and colleges who are reluctant to report actual crimes of rape. Can we do a swapsies on this?

Little six-year-old Hunter Yelton has been suspended from school in Canon City, Colorado for kissing his “girlfriend” on the hand. His mother, Jennifer Saunders, claims her son and his friend refer to themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend and are good pals in first grade. This is the second time Hunter has kissed his friend, the first time was on the cheek (and touched her hand) and now the school has suspended him and included the term “sexual offender” in his school records. From KRDO.com:

“She was fine with it, they are ”˜boyfriend and girlfriend’. The other children saw it and went to the music teacher. That was the day I had the meeting with the principal, where she first said ‘sexual harassment’. This is taking it to an extreme that doesn’t need to be met with a six year old. Now my son is asking questions”¦ what is sex mommy? That should not ever be said, sex. Not in a sentence with a six year old,” said Hunters’ mom, Jennifer Saunders.

 

Hunter’s opinion on the case is:

“It was during class yeah. We were doing reading group and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That’s what happened,” said Hunter Yelton. “They sent me to the office, fair and square. I did something wrong and I feel sorry,” he said.

What I don’t get is why they couldn’t call the parents of the other student in this case along  into the office and discuss this before suspending Hunter, for what looks like to me was a simple act of affection between little kids. It wasn’t like he was behaving in an overtly sexual or harassing manner. I’m all for schools discipling kids who display aggressive acts towards other students, or who show signs of not understanding boundaries, or who act in ways that can be interpreted as sexually harassing, but kissing another student on the hand just doesn’t seem like a grave offense to me. If you want to see a video of this dangerous criminal, you can hop on over here. In the video the mom admits that Hunter has had issues with being disruptive in class, but I side with Hunter who says “Six year olds? They have a lot of energy.”

There are so many things to get upset over in this world. There are kids who are bullied physically and mentally ever day, and rape cases where we all have the victims involved in the case receive more harassment than the perpetrators. It scares me that we live in a world where a tiny kid can get labeled an offender for kissing a friend on the hand, when we have so many serious crimes that are basically met with a slap on the hand.

UPDATED: 

Some of our readers found another article after my original article was published, which explains more of the “victims” side of the story via her mom. Via the Canon City Daily Record:

The girl’s mother, Jade Masters-Ownbey, spoke out on a Facebook page and gave permission to the Daily Record to publish her response.

“Not once, but over and over…not with her permission but sneaking up on her…not without warning and consequences prior to suspension,” she stated.

Superintendent Dr. Robin Gooldy said under the district’s sexual harassment policy, the fourth definition fits both circumstances, which reads, “Unwelcome touching, such as patting, pinching or repeated brushing against another’s body.”

Ownbey stated there originally were two boys who had “kept her (daughter) from playing with other kids and fought with each other.”

“After they got in trouble, one boy stopped but the other boy apparently didn’t get it,” she stated. “I had to put restrictions on her about which she was allowed to be around at school. I’ve had to coach her about what to do when you don’t want someone touching you, but they won’t stop.”

 

So, there is more to the story, as I think we all assumed. I still stand by my original opinion, the boy should be disciplined, but labeling him a sex offender is a bit extreme. In my opinion.

(Image: KRDO.com)

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