A 6-year-old accused of sexual harassment had charges against him dropped by school officials embarrassed by punishing the first-grader for kissing a girl on the hand, CNN reports.
Hunter Yelton was allowed to return early to his elementary school in Canon City, Colo. and downgraded the accusations against him from sexual harassment to misconduct, CNN said.
Last month, Yelton, who is 6, allegedly stole a peck from a girl he has a crush on during a reading lesson.
The girl's mother, however, said that school officials had initially made the right move by disciplining Yelton, according to WPTV. Jade Masters-Ownbey said the school did a "great job" by slapping the first grader with a two-day suspension, because he kissed her daughter repeatedly without permission, according to the station.
Because of previous disciplinary problems, including another instance in which he smooched the girl, theLincoln School of Science and Technology imposed the harsher allegation of sexual harassment to his record. The case was a school matter, and the boy was never charged with a crime.
Yelton's mother cried foul earlier in the week and said that the two youngsters were boyfriend and girlfriend. She denounced the administration for its strict handling of the case.
Negative publicity against the Lincoln School of Science and Technology was swift and overwhelming. The Wall Street Journal published a "Free Hunter Yelton" opinion piece today.