US School Suspends 6-Year-Old Boy After He Bites Sandwich Into Gun Shape, Points It at Classmate

A six-year-old first-grade student in the US state of Georgia was suspended after biting his sandwich into the shape of a gun and pointing it at a classmate during lunch. The boy's parents say the incident is part of a broader pattern of disciplinary action against their son, who has autism.

The incident took place in March at Sara Harp Minter Elementary School. According to his mother, Kristin Medina, the school informed her over the phone that her son had been suspended.

"They informed me over that phone call that he was getting suspended for it," said Kristin to NYPost. "And you're just, like, baffled."

According to reports, John Medina has been disciplined at least 33 times since 2023, including 14 suspensions. School records reportedly show he was previously suspended for pointing a water bottle at someone while making gun noises and was also disciplined for drawing a pilgrim shooting a turkey. US Education Department Investigates Washington, Colorado School Districts Whether Teacher Forced Same-S*x Kids To Kiss.

"I think he feels like he's a bad kid. There were definitely times when he would come home and say 'I'm a bad kid' and that's really hard to hear as a mom,'" Kristin said.

His mother has urged the school to follow his Individualized Education Program (IEP), which includes accommodations such as taking him for a walk when he becomes overstimulated. US: School Director in Arkansas Accused of Being ‘Ringleader’ of Makeshift Child Fight Club.

The family has hired former special education director Donna Reynolds to represent them in meetings with Fayette County Schools. Referring to the sandwich incident, Reynolds said, "When you're dealing with six-year-olds in general, I don't think they have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions and kids will use their fingers."

She added, "They need to look at the whole picture. You need to look at his age. You need to look at his disability. You need to look at past behavior, and you need to determine whether this is more of a teaching moment or is this something that really needs discipline, and is that discipline then going to change the behavior?"

Responding to the controversy, Fayette County Schools Superintendent Jonathan Patterson said the district is "committed to meeting parents to try to work through these challenging situations that maybe we agree on, that maybe we don't agree on, but we're committed to keep coming back to the table and trying to resolve those things."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2026 11:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).