Please save students at Harding Charter Preparatory from being suspended for a full year for playing with Orbeez guns. It’s understood the offense wasn’t right, but for a full year ? Most of these students are upperclassmen who have never been in trouble their entire time at Harding.  These last few years are an essential time for their future. Most of these students are seniors! It was a majority of the student body that participated so if you suspend a select few you should suspend everyone as well? But then again that would be too many students to suspend, so it should be an offense where we are warned but if we do it again then we can be punished because we weren’t even given a warning. Their education and future is on the line for simply having fun and not harming anyone. This isn’t right and change should come. God Bless and please help out if you can.

More details are down below:

The number 1 charter school in Oklahoma, Harding Charter Preparatory, is looked to be one of the best schools, but it is deceptive. Recently, 3 minority students were suspended for a full calendar year for playing a game with a very popular toy, the Orbeez gun. This occurred Wednesday, September 21, 2022 after school. For weeks, there has been an ongoing game between the students with Orbeez guns. There have been a large majority of the student body, mainly consisting of upperclassmen, who have participated in the game, yet only 3 were selected to be suspended for a full calendar year. The game was very playful, and no one was hurt. The game was also consensual which is why the punishment was very excessive.  
    The students that were suspended were excellent students who have not been punished throughout their entire time at Harding Charter Preparatory. The game was started by a group of students which caused other students to purchase Orbeez guns so that they could have fun and participate as well. There have been teachers outside who watch the game occur, and they sit and don't say anything, yet, now, the administration wants to engage and punish students when they have let this happen for weeks.
    The punishment that was given to the students was very excessive as well because there have been many offenses that have occurred at Harding Charter Preparatory that have been more severe, but those students were given lighter punishments. For example, there has been an instance with a student that sexually assaulted another student at the school, yet that student was still able to be at the school, and they were not suspended even after authorities were involved. There have been occurrences with students constantly causing trouble and disrupting the learning environment, but are able to remain without punishment. 
    There have even been many drug related instances where students have possessed, distributed, and/or used drugs, especially marijuiana. These students have constantly been in trouble throughout highschool and have been caught on many occasions, yet those students are still able to attend school. There have even been school threats made to the school, yet those who proposed the threat are still able to attend the school. Many students have been racially slurred especially with being called a “nigga.” Even when the problem is presented to the administration, they are very light and dismissive about it. 
    There has also been many instances regarding the staff at Harding Charter Preparatory with violating students to check for skirt length, discrimination, and not even having a cirriculum to teach students. On multiple occasions teachers have violated the ladies by physically messing with the girl’s skirts because they were not “long enough.” The teachers are also very discriminatory towards the minority students at the school compared to the white students. Some teachers do not even teach in class because they don't have a curriculum to teach the students, yet they are supposed to be teaching at a preparatory high school. There is no punishment in place for that but students are being suspended for a whole year over having fun. Which is crazy because if the teachers can’t lead by example how do they expect the students to ?