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GRAND ISLAND, Neb. — A school district is under fire after a deaf student was told he would have to change how he signs his name because the sign violated the district's weapons policy.
Hunter Spanjer, 3, uses Signing Exact English, not American Sign Language, to sign his name with a gesture that resembles a gun. His dad told local station KOLN the symbol is not meant to be threatening.
"It's a symbol. It's an actual sign, a registered sign, through S.E.E.," Brian Spanjer said.
Spanjer started a Facebook page, "Let this Deaf Child Keep His Name Sign," to drum up support for Hunter. The page had received more than 8,100 "likes" as of Wednesday morning. He said he was surprised at how the issue has evolved.
"I am shocked this is an issue," he told NBC News. "As a parent you never think anyone would take issue with your child's name. When someone is named Christian, people don't automatically go to religion."
"I want to make sure this doesn't happen to any other deaf child or special needs child."
District officials released a statement Wednesday saying they were working with the Spanjer family to come to a solution.
"The sign language techniques taught in the school district are consistent with the standards of the Nebraska Department of Education and ASL," communications coordinator Jack Sheard told KOLN. "Grand Island Public Schools is not requiring any current student with a hearing impairment to change his or her sign language name."
Officials said they have received hundreds of calls and emails about the issue, as well as death threats. Spanjer turned to the facebook page he created to implore a stop to the negativity.
"Please if you feel the need to contact them be polite," he wrote. "You can still get your point across. And please pray not only for Hunter but for those in authority at the school that God will show them the right way to proceed in this."
