Port Huron teen's gun drawing gets him kicked out of school

Student kicked out of school for sketching gun at Port Huron High School

The issue makes many think back to the Oxford High School shooter who made troubling drawings prior to opening fire on his classmates, killing four and wounding several others in November, 2021.

FOX 2 (WJBK) - A student was kicked out of school for drawing a gun - and in order to be allowed back, the family says the district is asking for something they can't allow - a home search.

A sketch of gun references is not an art project and certainly not a threat, according to the father of the 16-year-old boy who drew it, but it has sparked controversy in Port Huron.

"He plays a lot of first-person shooter games, and so he drew one of the weapons, as best as he can draw," said Jeremy Kenney.

Kenney says his teenage son was banned from Port Huron High School because of this image, appearing to show two guns and the phrases "six shooter" and "bang!"

"We had a discussion with him about it because obviously,, we want him to do his school work right?" said his father. "We don’t want him doodling in class."

The issue makes many think back to the Oxford High School shooter who made troubling drawings prior to opening fire on his classmates, killing four and wounding several others in November, 2021.

Critics say Oxford ignored obvious signs of trouble there, but Kenney says this is "nothing like that."

"It is nothing incriminating or, there’s nothing in the photo that says he’s going to hurt anybody," his dad said. "There’s not a statement, there’s not an image of dead bodies, it’s just a picture of a gun."

The family says in order for their son to get back into school, the family has to agree to a search of their house to see if they have any guns. They have a problem with that.

"I understand the climate that we’re in," Kenney said. "And I understand how other people can say they didn’t do enough, or they did the wrong thing. But you’re never going to really understand that feeling of being violated, and having somebody trying to force their way into your home."

FOX 2 reached out to Port Huron schools for comment but we have not yet heard back on this.

Constitutional attorneys are sounding off.

"It makes no sense and the world’s gone crazy," said Attorney Nick Somberg. "If the school has reasonable suspicion of a crime, they’re going to be able to search a student. I don’t know what crime a picture of a gun, a very poorly drawn picture of a gun, could possibly be, but the actions of the kid are certainly not grounds to then go and search the parent’s house.

"They have full-blown constitutional rights. Your home is your castle, so that is the most protected place in the United States. They’re going to need probable cause and a warrant to go in there."

The family says that things appear to be cooling down with the school.