An 11-year-old boy has been expelled from school after taking a gun from a classmate and pulling it apart in what his mom calls an act of courage.
The expulsion has sparked outrage, with his mother insisting her son should be seen as a hero, not a criminal.
The case unfolded in May at Dwight Rich School in Lansing, Michigan. The boy allegedly spotted another student with a firearm inside the building and intervened to avoid a tragedy. Using skills he learned from hunting, the seventh grader reportedly managed to disarm the classmate, dismantle the weapon, and dump the bullets.
However, when school officials learned he had handled the gun, the boy was expelled under Michigan’s strict laws on weapons in schools.
“He’s 11 years old. Seventh grade. Never been in trouble before,” his mom, Savitra McClurkin, told NBC affiliate WILX.
McClurkin said her son was acting out of fear for his classmates’ safety and thought he was helping.
“It’s devastating because he’s a bright kid and all he wants to do is be a kid,” she added.
The mother admitted her son did not alert adults right away, explaining that he was scared and did not want to get the other boy in trouble.
“He didn’t want to implicate himself in it, nor did he want to tell on the person that actually brought the firearm,” she said.
Back in May, police confirmed a disassembled, unloaded weapon was recovered from the school and a 12-year-old boy was arrested. His name has not been released.
McClurkin has since appeared at a Lansing School Board meeting demanding answers after weeks of silence from the district.
“I’m frustrated. I’m at my wits’ end. I don’t know what to do,” she told WILX.
A GoFundMe launched by family friends claims the boy’s “first instinct was not to run away, it was to protect his classmates.”
The page says that “instead of being recognized as a hero, [he] is now being treated like a criminal.” The fundraiser adds that the sudden expulsion has forced McClurkin to homeschool her son, leaving her with financial strain after cutting back on work.
“On what could have been a tragic and devastating day … [he] acted out of courage and compassion,” the GoFundMe states.
However, Lansing School District officials say the decision was unavoidable.
In a statement, administrators said: “After a thorough investigation, and in accordance with Michigan law regarding dangerous weapons on school property, the Lansing School District determined that expulsion was necessary.”
They stressed that the case included “statements and video evidence” and said “expulsion is never a decision the district takes lightly.”
“The Lansing School District has both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safety of all students and staff,” the statement continued.
McClurkin, however, says her son has been barred from all school platforms, leaving him isolated from his education. She said that even online schools have refused to accept him, citing the district’s decision.
“They are setting my child up for failure,” she said. “They’re setting him up to being a statistic, and I’ve been doing everything in my will and my power to keep him from that.”
For now, the boy remains enrolled in a non-accredited online program as his family fights to have him reinstated.
