Students Reportedly Suspended For Posing With Replica Guns, Posting Pictures To Facebook

Apparently, one high school couple wanted to bring in homecoming with a “bang,” but unfortunately, things didn’t go according to their plans. According to CBS Boston, 16-year-old Tito Velez and his girlfriend, Jamie Pereira, have been suspended from the Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School in Taunton, Massachusetts. The young couple reportedly took pictures posing with airsoft guns before their homecoming dance, which took place on the evening of Friday, Oct. 24. But, that’s not all. They even decided to post the pictures on Facebook.

“We wanted something unique and different instead of using flowers like everyone else,” Velez told WCVB. We were like, ‘let’s use something we like to do on the weekend as a prop.'”

However, school administrators didn’t learn about the pictures until students returned to school on Monday. So many faculty members and students were reportedly discussing the pictures, administrators expressed all of the chatter caused a “disruption” throughout the day.

Superintendent Richard Gross explained why administrators decided to take action and reprimand the students for the offensive pictures. Although airsoft guns are considered non-lethal replica firearms designed to fire pellets, Gross argued that the pictures were still relatively disturbing.

“It has nothing to do with free speech. Their behavior caused a significant disruption in the school,” Superintendent Gross argued. “We had our homecoming event on Friday and following that the students were looking at Facebook and, of course, it caused a tumult in the building.”

However, Velez, Pereira and their parents feel suspension is a bit extreme for replica firearms. Pereira recounted the day she and her boyfriend were suspended.

“When I asked if I could call my mom they said, ‘No,’ and they were doing it for me and then they had a police officer come talk with me,” Pereira recalled. “It wasn’t even like at school or on school grounds it was on private time at a private house,” she argued.

Her parents, Jailes Pereira, also voiced his frustration over the school’s decision.

“I think it’s ridiculous, basically it’s a toy gun,” said her father said. “It wasn’t done on school property, it was done in the house. It’s nothing to do with school or scaring or whatever it is. This is like making a molehill out of an anthill. I don’t think it’s right at all. Getting a day off or a warning is more than sufficient than going to this extent. That’s my bottom line,” he said.

“‘I think they took this way too far. Suspending us for 10 days and possible expulsion is way too much,” her mother told CBS Boston.

But, Superintendent Gross refuses to budge. With all of the school shootings that have taken place over the past year, he takes any situation involving students with guns very seriously.

“They are juniors, they should have known better. You have Newtown, you have what just recently happened. This happened right on the heels of what happened in the Pacific Northwest.”

Velez and Pereira have been suspended for up to 10 days. They are also tentatively scheduled for a hearing to decide if they’ll even be allowed to return to school. Do you feel their suspension is necessary or extreme? Share your thoughts.

[Image via Facebook]