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Catholic school suspends six year old for playing an “imaginary” game with his mates.

Matthew Miele took to Facebook to express his disappointment at the decision to suspend his son, Malachi Miele, for playing with an imaginary bow and arrow.

Malachi Miele was suspended from his Catholic school in Cincinnati, Ohio

“What I find unacceptable is that this school is so scared that they are unable to distinguish the difference between a credible threat and a six-year-old boy pretending to be a Power Ranger, playing with an imaginary bow and arrow,” Matthew Miele wrote.

“Make Believe Bow and Arrow = 3 Day Suspension”.

bow and arrow

The school has a zero tolerance policy and stands by their decision whole heartedly.

school letter

Matthew and Martha Miele, told WLWT their son was playing a game of Power Rangers at recess on Thursday when it happened.

“I think he’s a good principal. I just think a bad decision was made,” Matthew Miele said.

“I didn’t really understand. I had him on the phone for a good amount of time so he could really explain to me what he was trying to tell me,” Martha Miele said. “My question to him was ‘Is this really necessary? Does this really need to be a three-day suspension under the circumstances that he was playing and he’s 6 years old?'”

The Mieles sent Crachiolo an email Thursday evening and met with him Friday morning asking him to reconsider.

“He told me that he was going to stand firm and that he was not going to change it,” Martha Miele said.

Being a mum of a six year old boy myself I think this has gone a bit too far.  Love to hear what you think? Share your thoughts below.

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  • Seriously the school needs to look at their policy. I’m totally for zero tolerance policy against violence and bullying but being a mum of three boys and even my daughter I can see that imaginary games are just that, pretend. My kids always playbimaginary games including cops and robbers etc where one pretends to arrest the other and pretend they have handcuffs, so if they were at the school they be suspended all the time.

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  • Oh my goodness…. my son is turning 4 and he has the biggest imagination ever. He has pretend swords, bow and arrows, he pretends to battle but he wouldnt hurt anyone. What happened to the “let the kids be kids and use there imagination” i can understand if he was going to hurt someone but seriously from the sounds of it it was just reenactment of his lil mind and imagination. This is really poor i wouldnt be putting up with that… looks like i will be going thru this with my kids then…..

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  • Oh my god you can’t be serious?!?! There would have been no boys in the school playground when I was a kid if this happened back them! It’s political correctness gone berserk! I’m speechless

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  • as i started reading this i was wondering if this was in australia but it wasn’t. how ridiculous is this situation though! he was just playing!

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  • Quashing imaginary play and punishing a child for imaginary play is utterly ridiculous. Did they provide the parents with a guide for acceptable play! ;) Surely there has to be intent and at the age of 6 I do not imagine a child has intent to harm people with an imaginary bow and arrow. Kids mimic play and this child was probably mimicking play that was seen on TV or some other medium – it was a game. A round table and not telephone discussion would have been a grown up way of handling this situation. Maybe some of the grown ups need to learn a few valuable life lessons!

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  • The school may have a zero tolerance policy, but they also seem to have a no common sense policy as well.

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  • I have a 6 year old and I think this is too far!! I do not like my son playing with imaginary weapons, although I do let it slide as long as he isn’t right in anyone’s face with his finger “gun”, or swinging his arm too close with his “sword” whilst playing as a pirate. 3 days suspension is definitely rediculous!!

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  • this stinks, how can kids use their imaginations and play pretend games imitating their favourite characters that they see on tv without fear of being suspended – back when I was a kid we played cowboys and indians – imagine the uproar if kids played that today! – society needs to remember their childhoods and realise that not every kid who plays with imaginary bows and guns is going to turn into a monster human when they are older!


    • Totally agree with you Taynik46.

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  • Wow. That is way over the top. I bet the poor kid doesn’t even know what supposedly was wrong about it

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  • Are they serious!?!? Cant believe this how ridiculoius…kids cant have fun anymore.

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  • For pretending to be a Power Ranger? Suspended? I find it quite absurd.

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  • I’d be giving that school the imaginary bird and walking out. No wait …. I’d be giving them the real bird and be walking out. How ridiculous.


    • I was also thinking the same thing.

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  • Lke nh

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  • Lke gs

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  • can’t they play no violent based games? doesn’t the school have an obligation to ensure the other kids aren’t frightened?

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