6-Year-Old Suspended From School For Kissing Classmate
CANON CITY, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - A 6-year-old has been suspended from school for kissing a classmate on the cheek.
Hunter Yelton attends the Lincoln School of Science and Technology in Canon City. It's the second time Yelton has been suspended for kissing the girl.
"We were doing reading group. And I leaned over and kissed her on the hand. That's what happened," said Hunter.
Hunter's mom Jennifer says the little girl had no problem with her son's actions but the school did.
The school says Yelton's behavior matches the district's definition of sexual harassment.
"Now my son is asking me questions, 'What is sex mommy?' It should not ever be said 'sex' in a sentence with a 6-year-old," Yelton's mother Jennifer Saunders said.
According to Saunders, it's a crush and the two children like each other, KRDO in Colorado Springs reported.
"But I have a lot of energy. Six-year-olds have a lot of energy," Yelton said.
The district hopes the tough standards will force Yelton to change his behavior. His mom disagrees.
"Remove sexual harassment. Remove it from his record. I need to stand up and fight for him," said Saunders.
The girl's mother, Jade Masters-Ownbey, told the Canon City Daily Record that the school district did a "great job" protecting her daughter from repeated harassment from the boy.
But Masters-Ownbey says the kissing was "not once, but over and over." She said she hoped people would not "start bashing the school that is doing a great job protecting my child from what is sexual harassment."
School officials insist the boy was repeatedly warned and that the punishment was warranted.
Lincoln Elementary School Principal Tammy DeWolfe said the school would "never suspend a student for one minor little violation."
No criminal charges have been brought against the boy.
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