Not right at all that his mother gave him a stun gun, and rules are rules. But if you complain and basically the victim is blamed, for the way he dresses and accessorizes, I guess you'd feel desperate. If you follow that logic isn't any and all bullying based upon appearance (that falls outside of any one individual's definition of "normal") justifiable by a bully or a school admin? Some studies say that appearance is the number one "reason" for bullying.
indystar.com
The 17-year-old Arsenal Tech High School student who brought a stun gun to school to scare away bullies has been expelled.
Darnell "Dynasty" Young and his mother, Chelisa Grimes, found out late Monday that an independent arbitrator who presided over an expulsion hearing last Wednesday decided to expel him until Jan. 7, 2013. He cannot finish his junior year and he will miss the first semester of his senior year.
"I couldn’t believe that they did it," Grimes said. "They really kicked him out."
Grimes and Young can appeal to the Indianapolis Public Schools school board and the courts if necessary, but Grimes said they're still weighing their options. Young said he plans to get his GED and go to college.
Young, who's openly gay, was suspended pending expulsion April 16 after he brought a stun gun to school, raised it in the air and fired it to scare away six kids who threatened to beat him up during a passing period. Grimes said she gave him the stun gun to protect himself from students who repeatedly called him names and threatened to beat him up. Some students threw rocks at him as he walked home from his after-school job one day. Grimes said she and her son complained to the school staff about bullying several times throughout the school year, but staff members told them that Young called attention to himself because he liked to accessorize his outfits with Grimes' jewelry and purses.
Young's story has gained national attention. He and Grimes have appeared on CNN and "Good Morning America." Kris Jenner, the mother of the Kardashian sisters, tweeted a message of support to Young on Sunday.
Young said he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received. Some of his supporters in Indianapolis are planning a rally before an IPS school board meeting May 15 to raise awareness about Young's case and to pressure the school board to take more steps to prevent bullying. School Board member Samantha Adair-White has called for an independent investigation into the incident, but she said last week she's not sure if enough school board members will support her request to proceed.
The spokeswoman for IPS could not be reached for comment this morning, but Mary Louise Bewley issued a statement. It concluded, "While the district does not condone bullying, it also does not allow weapons to be brought on our school campuses for any reason. Students who violate this rule will be held accountable."