Sexual Harassment: First Grader Suspended for Kissing a Little Girl on the Hand

A school in Canon City, Colorado has made it clear that they won’t put up with sexual harassment…even when the “perpetrator” is a 6 year old.

Lincoln School of Science and Technology has suspended first grader Hunter Yelton  for two days.  His punishable offense? The young boy kissed a female classmate on the hand.

“It was during class yeah. We were doing reading group and I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That’s what happened,” Hunter, a first grader, told broadcaster KRDO.

Hunter wasn’t at school on Monday because of the suspension. He expressed remorse over his actions.

“They sent me to the office, fair and square. I did something wrong and I feel sorry,” he said. (source)

According to Wikipedia, “Hand-kissing is a gesture indicating courtesy, politeness, respect, admiration or even devotion by a man towards a woman.” The school, however, has put a very sinister spin on the innocent kiss and said that Hunter “sexually harassed” his classmate. Hunter’s mother is very displeased with the overreaction and intends to go to battle to have the accusation removed from her son’s school record.

“She was fine with it, they are ‘boyfriend and girlfriend,’” said Jennifer Saunders. 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.”

Saunders said she’s going to fight for the charge to be taken off her son’s record.

“How can you do this? How can you say this about my child? Remove sexual harassment, remove it from his record. I’m going to stand up and fight for him because that’s not the case, that’s not what happened at all,” said Saunders. (source)

In a ridiculous double standard, two recent sexual harassment in school incidents in the news come to mind. There was the New Jersey teacher who harassed female students, referring to them as “dirty hos” and suggesting that he’d “tap that” when a middle school girl bent over to pick up an item that had been dropped. He got away with this behavior for nearly a decade before losing his job, despite numerous complaints. Prior to that, there was the case of the California teacher who photographed his students being fed his semen on cookies and from spoons while they were blindfolded. Also with a history of complaints, he kept his job for 30 years before he was apprehended and charged with a crime.

It is amazing how schools are so quick to punish children for silly things, citing “zero tolerance”, but the teachers get away with actual life-changing abuse for years.