Grand Island Preschooler Forbidden Sign Language for His Own Name

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Hunter Spanjer says his name with a certain special hand gesture, but at just three and a half years old, he may have to change it.

"He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy," explained Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer.

Grand Island's "Weapons in Schools" Board Policy 8470 forbids "any instrument...that looks like a weapon," But a three year-old's hands?

"Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way," said Hunter's grandmother Janet Logue.

"It's a symbol. It's an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.," Brian Spanjer said.

S.E.E. stands for Signing Exact English, Hunter's sign language. Hunter's name gesture is modified with crossed-fingers to show it is uniquely his own.

"We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child," said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson.

That's just about all GIPS officials will say for now.

Meantime, Hunter's parents say that by Monday, lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf are likely to weigh in for Hunter's right to sign his own name.

Despite whatever rules and regulations may exist, some Grand Islanders we spoke with said they don't think it's right to make a three year-old change the way he says his name.

"It's his name. It's not like he's going to bring a gun to school when he's three years old," commented Dana Schwieger.

"I find it very difficult to believe that the sign language that shows his name resembles a gun in any way would even enter a child's mind," Grand Island resident Fredda Bartenbach reflected.

But for now, that's a discussion between the Spanjers and Grand Island Public Schools officials.
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Grand Island Preschooler Forbidden Sign Language for His Own Name
 
SEE communication fail understand parents!, exactly, didn't understand person boy can't understand reason SEE.

SEE, if supposed I reading comments i believe it blocked communication!

my wrong mistake :lol:
 
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dereksbicycles said:
I don't get it. What was the name sign??
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Since the boy's name is "Hunter" I'm guessing his sign name is a variation of the sign GUN or HUNT. It said that he crosses his fingers for the sign ("R") so it's probably some kind of SEE hybrid sign. HUNT+R or GUN+R.
 
Next, the school will go really pc and say that the students won't be allowed to even say his name. After all, who knows what saying "hunter" might do to the kids' sensitivities. :roll:
 
Reba said:
Next, the school will go really pc and say that the students won't be allowed to even say his name. After all, who knows what saying "hunter" might do to the kids' sensitivities. :roll:
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:lol:
 
Bad news for any boy at that school named Gunnar, too.

In real life, I know a deaf guy whose last name is Remington, and his sign name is the R-initialized GUN.
 
BornMellow said:
Is it only me thats how I sign ROBOT in ASL. Sheesh.
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That's not how I sign ROBOT. I don't initialize ROBOT, and I use the B-hand shapes with two hands, not the GUN hand shape.
 
Reba said:
That's not how I sign ROBOT. I don't initialize ROBOT, and I use the B-hand shapes with two hands, not the GUN hand shape.
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That's another version. I sign and always have signed the R for Robot :hmm: I'm one of the backwards signers anyhow.
 
:roll:

Are they going to start indoctrinating kids even before they get to kindergarten?

"Guns are EVIL ... BAD, BAD, BAD ..... change your name to ..... Bob."
 
Thanks for the update. It's good to know that the school is leaving that alone. I know I would be outraged if the school decides to interfere with a matter like this.

As stated in the article;

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits the school district from disclosing personally identifiable information concerning any student without the prior written consent of the student’s parent.
Therefore, the school district cannot discuss any particular student or identify any particular student.
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The school should have checked that up before saving themselves from being an embarrassment. :roll:
 
Update

Deaf boy's name violates weapons policy: School | World | News | Toronto Sun

A Nebraska preschool is asking a three-year-old deaf boy to change his name because it violates the school board's weapons policy.

Hunter Spanjer signs his first name by making what looks like shooting gestures with both hands. He crosses his fingers when he does it - a modification to show it's his proper name.

But the Grand Island Public Schools board says its "Weapons in Schools" policy bans "any instrument ... that looks like a weapon." The school wants him to change the sign, a request Hunter's family says is both unfair and silly.

"Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous. This is not threatening in any way," Hunter's grandmother Janet Logue told local news station 1011.

"It's a symbol. It's an actual sign, a registered sign," said Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer.

The school board wants to work out a compromise.

"We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child," said school board spokesman Jack Sheard.

But the Spanjers say they aren't interested. They're bringing in lawyers from the National Association of the Deaf to fight for their son's right to sign his own name.

Meanwhile, local residents told the station the school is overreacting and that Hunter poses no danger
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support petition respect! http://www.change.org/hunter
 
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Update

» Deaf preschooler told to change his signed name because it ‘resembles a gun’ Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Tuesday morning, Grand Island School District in Nebraska was told the Spanjer family that they would not be requiring Hunter, a deaf preschooler, to change the way that they sign his name. Last week, it was reported that the school district wanted his name changed because they felt it violated their ‘no tolerence’ policy because his name sign kind of, sort of, maybe just a little bit, looks like a gun.

When deaf preschooler Hunter Spanjer signs his name, he does so by crossing his middle finger over his index finger on both hands and moves them up and down. His father says that this is a registered sign within S.E.E. (Signed Exact English) and he should not be made to change his name. The school board says that they feel his name is too close to the sign for a gun, which many teachers at the grand Island district feel is taking things a step too far as the signs are not similar in any way. One ASL (American Sign Language) instructor says that Hunter’s name more closely resembles the sign for ‘hurry’ than anything. Parents and community members are outraged because they don’t feel and have not yet encountered any child associating Hunter’s signed name with a gun sign.

When asked, one Portland parent had this to say about this disturbing news;

“That’s like asking me to change my son’s name because someone finds it offensive. How about we change it to a single middle finger and see how the [Grand Island] school district cares for that.”

Grand Island Schoo District says that they decided to drop the case when they started receiving hate mail and even death threats over something that the community is finding ‘above and beyond’. One letter sent to the district from an enraged parent had this to say about asking the deaf preschooler to change his name;

“A parent’s choice of name for his child is one of the most personal aspects of the parent-child relationship and the district cannot step into the middle of that constitutionally protected relationship.”

While the support for the spanjer family has been astronomical, many Portlanders are outraged that this would even be an issue, especially in a nation with a large deaf culture.
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I wonder how the school would react to Shakespeare's name sign? :hmm:
 
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