Darnell “Dynasty” Young, the 17-year-old openly gay student who was suspended for bringing a stun gun to school to ward off bullies, has now been expelled, MSNBC reports.
In a statement obtained by the network, Indianapolis Public Schools said Young will not be able to re-enroll in the district until January 7, 2013.
The incident in question occurred on April 16, when six students allegedly surrounded Young, called him names and threatened to beat him up. Young then pulled the weapon from his bag and fired it in the air. Minutes after, he was handcuffed.
In an appearance on CNN yesterday, Young's mother, Chelisa Grimes, told the network she believes she did the right thing by giving her son the weapon.
"I do not promote violence -- not at all -- but what is a parent to do when she has done everything that she felt she was supposed to do," Grimes told CNN. "I did feel like there was nothing else left for me to do, but protect my child."
Executive Director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network Carolyn Laub told MSNBC she believes the district made the wrong call.
“Dynasty, like many other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people, was pushed out of school by an administration that failed to keep him safe and by school discipline policies that remove students instead of resolve the problem,” Laub said in an e-mail statement obtained by the network. “When schools use a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to school discipline, they unfortunately reinforce an environment of fear and punishment and fail to create a climate of inclusion, safety, and respect for all students.”