Michigan mom claims 11-year-old son was expelled from school after disarming another student

Savtira McClurkin has been trying to get her son re-enrolled in school in Michigan after he was expelled in May. 

A mother in Michigan is desperately trying to get her 11-year-old son enrolled in school after he was expelled for dismantling a peer’s gun in school. 

Savitra McClurkin said her son Sakir was kicked out of Dwight Rich School of the Arts in Lansing in May, and ever since, she’s been trying to work with the district to get him re-enrolled in school, to no avail, WILX 10 reported.  

“I’m upset with everybody,” she told NBC News. “I’m not just mad at the district, I’m mad at some of these teachers, administrators, as well as the city, because they did not handle this right.”

Representatives from the school district maintain their decision was made after a “thorough” investigation that included reviewing video footage and a disciplinary hearing.

“Disciplinary action would not have been warranted for disarming another student,” the district said, per NBC. “Please know, however, that the safety of our students and staff remains our paramount interest, and decisions will continue to be made in accordance with that principle.”

Last school year, McClurkin said another student, who has not been identified, allegedly brought a gun to school and showed it to her son in the bathroom. He then proceeded to give the firearm to her son to hold. Knowing guns aren’t allowed in school, but also working with hunting knowledge and experience around guns, Sakir then dismantled the gun, tossed the bullets, and hid the weapon in a heater. 

“He didn’t want it on his person, but he didn’t want anybody to mess with it,” the mother explained, adding that her son had never been faced with a situation like that before. He didn’t know what the right thing to do would be in that moment. 

Eventually, other students who witnessed him dismantling the gun started to notify teachers. The student who brought the gun to school was taken into police custody. According to the district, “the full account of the incident has not been reported.”

In the months since, McClurkin has been left with the challenge of trying to get her son enrolled in another school. However, with the expulsion on his record, he has already been denied admission to four schools. The frustrated mother said the district has not given them an alternative or any guidance. Presently, the family is making do by keeping him engaged in sports and busy with an unaccredited online program. Meanwhile, McClurkin is continuing to fight to have the matter resolved. 

During a Lansing School Board meeting on Thursday, per WILX, she told the board, “He’s 11 years old. Seventh grade. Never been in trouble before.”

She added that the situation is “devastating because he’s a bright kid, and all he wants to do is be a kid.”