NEW KENSINGTON, Pa., June 6 (UPI) -- A first-grader in Pennsylvania is facing expulsion after turning himself in for accidentally bringing a toy gun to school.
According to 7-year-old Darin Simak's parents, Darin left his backpack at a friend's house and had to be sent to school with a backup. When he discovered the toy in the bag, knowing it was illegal, Darin turned the contraband into his teacher.
"He found the toy gun on the outside pocket," Darin's father Chris Simak told local reporters. "He took it straight to the teacher and said that he wasn't allowed to have it."
Darin's teacher followed protocol and brought the first grader to the principal, where he was immediately suspended pending an expulsion hearing. According to the school charter, the punishment for bringing a toy weapon to school is expulsion for "a period of not less than one (1) year."
"He did the right thing, and we're trying to teach him the right way," Simak said, "and now they're teaching him the wrong way."
When Darin was brought to school the following day he was promptly placed in on-campus suspension, prompting his father to pick him up for the day.
"I'm just going to send him to [an amusement park] so he can have a nice day and so he doesn't feel like he's punished."
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