MAYDAY

An Institution More Suitable and Equipped 
by Alissa Hattman 

Contributed By:

"Swing Sets Cordoned Off" by Sophia
Image Courtesy of Sophia

Friday, January 27, 2017 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Douglass-Saad,  

This is to advise you that pursuant to the provisions of Section 24 of the School Act and  Administrative Procedure—Student Discipline and Expulsion—your son, Jean-Pierre  (JP) Douglass-Saad, age six years, a student in Grade 1 at Thomas Jefferson Elementary,  has been expelled due to conduct injurious to the mental well-being of the students and staff at the school, effective immediately.  

The decision was based on suspicious evidence found by Grade 1 Teacher Kevin  Swanson. The following is a thorough analysis of the evidence [a drawing] that has been  brought to the attention of the Committee of Discipline and Expulsion:  

  1. In the drawing, there are two men and one child. The medium is green crayon on paper.
  2. The first man has very long legs and wears green slacks. We can see his smiling mouth, but we cannot see his eyes. He stands with his hand behind his back. A classic depiction of resentment towards authority.  
  3. The second man is shorter. He wears pants like the first man, except his pants are colored with violent, green slashes. The short man wears a top hat. He is also standing with this hands behind his back. It is not clear what the men are hiding.  
  4. The child is wailing, but the two men do not seem to care. It is obvious that the baby is unhappy. There is no mistaking it. The baby has dark green rings around his eyes and a gaping mouth of teeth. So many little teeth. 
  5. Behind the men is an ocean of small, hostile sea creatures that resemble the baby.

We request that JP further his tenure at an institution more suitable and equipped to nurture his special talents while also providing him with the correct disciplinary recourse. 

This request will be heard and ruled on by the Thomas Jefferson Board of  Trustees. In accordance with ISEP, you have a right to appeal the decision to the  Superintendent. The receipt must be appealed within ten (10) working days of the receipt of this decision. It must be written in English and the grounds to the appeal must be set out fully.  

Respectfully,  

Kenneth Williams, Principal
Kevin Swanson, Chair of Thomas Jefferson Board of Trustees 

ALISSA HATTMAN‘s writing has appeared in Carve, The Rumpus, Gravel, Hobart, Propeller, Big Other, Atticus Review, Shirley Magazine, and elsewhere. In 2009, she received her MFA in  Fiction at Pacific University and, in 2013, she completed a MA in English Literature from  Portland State University. She teaches writing at Chemeketa Community College in Salem,  Oregon. More at www.alissahattman.com, on Instagram, and on Twitter.

Filed Under: Fiction

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