Cy-Fair ISD
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 13-year-old girl was suspended from school after she was accused of threatening her teacher. Her family says it's a misunderstanding under a zero tolerance policy.
Bleyl Middle School student Taylor Trostle and her parents say it's a classroom game that got her kicked out of school, and now has her labeled as a "terrorist."
"I was shocked because it just seems ludicrous and appalling," Bleyl Middle School student Taylor Trostle's mother, Kristin Trostle, said.
When Kristin Trostle and her fiancee got a phone call from the principal's office at her daughter's school, they knew something was wrong. But the story they got blew them away.
"I mean, terroristic threat, to me that's a serious statement," Kristin Trostle said. "That's one of the most serious things you could say to somebody."
Taylor was wearing an NYPD shirt at school. She says in the last moments of math class, she and some friends were pretending to be police officers.
"I was shooting the markers at the front of the board," Taylor Trostle said. "It was just like this and I was like 'pow pow' and then she just turned around."
Taylor was sent to the principal's office and immediately suspended for three days. Her write up says the finger gun was pointed in the teacher's direction.
"That was considered a terroristic threat because the teacher feared for her life," Kristin Trostle said.
According to Cy-Fair ISD's code of conduct, a terroristic threat is a level four violation, which is on par with assault, public lewdness, or selling alcohol or drugs at school. Any threat to a teacher falls under a 'zero tolerance policy.'
"Now she's got a very serious mark on her record and she's labeled," Kristin Trostle said.
Cy-Fair ISD denied our repeated requests for comment, so did Taylor Trostle's 7th grade math teacher. Now- Taylor Trostle says she's being mocked at school, for a silly game that got her kicked out.
"They all say that I'm gonna kill somebody, and...they know that I wouldn't do that," she said.
Her mother wants the school district to take a hard look at policies because she believes can tarnish the reputation of an honor roll student like Taylor.
"Really and truly make an honest decision -- is this a legitimate threat, do i really feel threatened by what this child just said?" Kristin Trostle said.
(Copyright ©2010 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
