Mississippi mom says 7-year-old son was written up for saying ‘Jesus Christ’ at school

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The reason for the notice was "Unacceptable Language." (Credit: Shonna Coleman)

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - A Mississippi mother claims her 7-year-old son was written up because he said "Jesus Christ" at school earlier this year.

Shonna Coleman, a resident in Southhaven, said she received a phone call from her child’s first-grade teacher, who reported that he said "a bad word" after dropping his Lego toys. Her son was also sent home with a document titled "Parent Notice of Disciplinary Incident."

"I was shocked and surprised," Coleman told FOX Television Stations. "I said, "She actually sent it home.’"

According to the form, the reason for the notice was "Unacceptable Language." Other boxes were check-marked on the form including, "Had Conference With Student" and "Telephoned Parent."

Teacher has students say positive affirmations

In a video, which has quickly gained national attention, a fourth-grade teacher is shown holding a mirror while her students say positive affirmations to themselves. (Credit: Cierra Levay Broadway, @levaymusic)

The mother uploaded the document to Facebook, which has since garnered thousands of reactions and comments.

"He’s a first grader," Coleman continued, adding, "It’s kind of unfair that he didn’t get a warning. It went straight to a write-up."

She added, "I understand if he did it a second time, and then you write him up."

FOX reached out to the DeSoto County School District for a statement.

"DeSoto County students would not be reprimanded for simply saying Jesus Christ," a spokesperson for the district said in a statement, but added, "It is possible that a student could be corrected for a disrespectful use of Jesus Christ's name."

Coleman said, "He didn’t get a warning. He got talking to, she called me, and they put a note out there. This type of stuff follows a kid in their record."

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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