A mother from Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is speaking out after her daughter's school called the police on her 6-year-old daughter, Margot. Maggie Gaines accuses Tredyffrin-Easttown School District of mishandling an incident last year, in which her daughter allegedly pretended to "shoot" her teacher with her finger. She says she's especially appalled that the matter would be taken so seriously, considering her daughter has Down syndrome and is only in first grade.
The incident happened in November 2019, after Margot became frustrated with her teacher.
The little girl, who is a student at Valley Forge Elementary School, "got frustrated and pointed her finger at her teacher and said, âI shoot you,'â her mother told CBS 3. âAt that point, they went to the principalâs office, and it was quickly assessed that she didnât even really know what she was saying.â
A phone call was still made to police.
Although the school concluded that Margot was not, in fact, threatening real violence, the district still holds a policy that it must call police if a student threatens a teacher in any way.
âI get this phone call and I was fine with everything up until calling the police,â Gaines told CBS 3. âAnd I said, âYou absolutely do not have to call the police. You know, this is ridiculous.'â
Police confirmed to the mom that record of the incident would remain confidential.
Gaines, however, still feels like the school overreacted.
âThey were asking her questions, and she was saying, âOh, I shoot Mommy,â laughs, or, âI shoot my brother,â" she said. "The principal asked, âDid you mean to hurt your teacher?â And she said no and it seemed like she didnât even know what that meant."
Margot will not receive an official police record, but her name will appear in a report about the incident.
Last month, Gaines went public with a letter to the school board that claimed officials misinterpreted policy and state law.
The mom told the news station that although her daughter's Down syndrome did play a part in her actions, she meant no malice by them.Â
"She really didnât understand what she was saying," Gaines insisted. "Iâm sure all 6-year-olds donât really know what that means."
Gaines added that she ultimately took action because, "Now, there is a record at the police that says she made a threat to her teacher.âÂ
Ultimately, that's something the mother finds blatantly unfair.
Gaines made a second appeal to the school board to amend this policy in a meeting February 4.
The family even contacted Pennsylvania state Sen. Andrew Dinniman about the incident, who agreed the district's policy is concerning.
In a statement, Dinniman wrote:
âAs a state senator, an educator, and a parent, I am concerned when I hear that such important decisions appear to be guided blindly by written policy or legal interpretation without those in positions of authority using their judgment, experience, and common sense to weigh in. Furthermore, I am alarmed that a school seems to be acting as an extension of the police department in promulgating data and records on children as young as kindergartners."
The Tredyffrin-Easttown School District also released a statement that stated it will be reviewing Gaines' case.
"When developing the current practice, the District worked collaboratively with parents, law enforcement and private safety/mental health agencies and legal consultants to ensure our safety measures reflected considerable input from both our local community and experts in the field of school safety," it said.
It isn't clear what the final verdict is, and police have yet to comment on the incident. Gaines, meanwhile, is hopeful the matter will be resolved in her favor soon.
