A Missouri mother, Riley Grunden, is outraged after her 13-year-old son was suspended from Liberty Middle School in Mountain View for posting an image online that school officials deemed threatening. The photo, which showed Dr. Pepper cans arranged to resemble a high-powered rifle, led to the student receiving a three-day suspension. Grunden believes the school overreacted, stating that her son was simply being creative.
According to Grunden, her son arranged the soda cans to look like an AK-47 as a form of artistic expression and never intended for the image to be seen as a threat. “Dr. Pepper cans—this is a threat?” she told local news outlet KY3. “I feel like kids can’t be kids anymore.”
Despite her defense of her son’s actions, school officials saw the situation differently, leading to the suspension. The school required the boy to turn himself in at the district’s central office. Upon returning to class, he had to undergo a search, and his permanent school record was updated with charges of “cyberbullying” and “making a school threat.”
Grunden expressed frustration at the severity of the school’s response, particularly because there had been no direct threat made to the school or other students. “If my son had made an actual threat, I would understand,” she said. “But this wasn’t that.”
The incident has sparked a debate about the boundaries of student behavior on social media and the appropriate disciplinary responses to perceived threats. Grunden pointed out the inconsistency she sees in the school’s approach, noting that some staff members post pictures of real firearms when hunting with their children, yet her son’s post involving soda cans was treated as a serious threat.
Liberty Middle School released several statements addressing the situation, explaining that at least one student had felt fear as a result of the post, prompting their actions. Superintendent Lanna Tharp emphasized the importance of ensuring school safety, stating, “We have enough information to believe the video had caused fear to at least one student, and understandably so.”
In a broader statement to the community, the school urged parents to stress the seriousness of social media posts that involve weapons or violent imagery. “Posts of this nature are not funny or entertaining and will not be considered a joke,” the statement read, emphasizing that even posts made outside of school hours can have significant consequences if they disrupt the learning environment.
Grunden remains adamant that the school overreacted. “My son did nothing wrong,” she insisted, adding that the incident has left her questioning how schools handle such situations and whether students are being unfairly punished for innocent actions.
