Suspension Rescinded for 6-Year-Old Who Made Shooting Gesture

The boy was sent home for one day after making a hand gesture in the shape of a gun.

A 6-year-old boy at Roscoe Nix Elementary in Silver Spring no longer has a suspension on his school record after his principal decided to rescind the punishment Thursday, the boy's lawyer said. In late December, the student's teacher said the child formed his hands in the shape of a gun and pointed at another student, saying "pow." He was suspended for one day as a result.  Robin Ficker, attorney for the student's family, said Principal Annette Ffolkes sent a letter to the boy's parents on Jan. 3 stating that the suspension had been taken off of his record.  Roscoe Nix made national headlines earlier this week when news outlets reported that the school sent a letter to the boy's parents detailing his one-day suspension and citing a …

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Craig

7:33 am on Friday, January 11, 2013

No way he should've gotten suspended. This was a knee-jerk reaction without stepping back and truly assessing the situation. Punished and parents contacted? For sure. Suspended? Seems pretty harsh.   more ›

Reports: Silver Spring Boy Suspended from School for Gun Gesture

Family's lawyer tells local news outlets the school overreacted.

A 6-year-old boy was suspended from Roscoe Nix Elementary in Silver Spring for one day for making a hand gesture in the shape of a gun, aiming it at another student and saying "pow," local news outlets have reported.  A Jan. 2 meeting on the suspension was scheduled, the Washington Examiner reports. "What they're doing is looking at the worst possible interpretation of a young, naive 6-year-old," Robin Ficker, the family's attorney, told the Examiner. "This is a little child who can't form the intent to do anything like that." Ficker told NBC4 the school overreacted because of the killing of 20 children and 6 staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT.  In a letter sent home about the suspension, the school cited a previous …

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Maryland Leaders Ask for More Money for Free School Breakfast

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin led a group of state lawmakers to increase funding for a school breakfast program.

Nearly every student at Roscoe Nix Elementary in Silver Spring eats a free and nutritionally balanced breakfast.  Teachers serve hot meals in the classroom before the first bell instead of the usual busy cafeteria. It's an unconventional approach to feeding students, but one that lawmakers from Montgomery County hope will become the norm in more schools. Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring) joined students and members of the Maryland General Assembly Wednesday to tout the success of the Maryland Meals for Achievement program at schools like Roscoe Nix. She penned a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley and State Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery that calls for an additional $1.8 million in funding to put the program in 130 …

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County Launches TV Show ‘Mosaic,’ Honors Late Roscoe Nix

The 30-minute cable show will focus on African-American community topics.

  Kicking off with a 30-minute tribute to late Silver Spring activist Roscoe Nix, Montgomery County’s newest cable show, “Mosaic: An African American Perspective,” will focus on topics relevant to black people. The show will be hosted by Deborah Milo, who will discuss different topics and interview different leaders each month. The premiere show, to air Monday, April 23 at 1:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., talks about Nix's life and work. Nix was the second black person to serve on the Board of Education when he was elected in 1974. He was president of the county’s NAACP for 10 years and co-founder of the Montgomery County African American Festival of Academic Excellence, which recognizes African-American students. Guests for the first show include…

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Reports: Silver Spring Civil Rights Activist Roscoe Nix Dies

The Gazette newspaper reports that one of the people who helped to desegregate downtown Silver Spring died Wednesday night.

Roscoe Nix, namesake of Roscoe R. Nix Elementary and one of the people responsible for desegregating downtown Silver Spring died at age 90, according to the Gazette.  Nix served on the Montgomery County Board of Education from 1974 to 1978 and was president of the county NAACP from 1980 to 1990. He was also the co-founder of the Montgomery County African American Festival of Academic Excellence, which recognizes African-American students, according to a statement from Montgomery County Public Schools. MCPS named an elementary school near Hillandle for Nix in 2006.  He moved to Riverdale, GA in 2010 and died there on Wednesday, Jan. 4, his daughter told the newspaper. He is survived by his wife, Emma Nix, 95, and daughters Veretta Nix, 58, …