PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – A second-grade girl from Pittsburgh was suspended this week from her public elementary school for saying the word “hell” to a boy in her class.
But 7-year-old Brandy McKenith says she was only warning the boy about the eternal comeuppance he could face for saying: “I swear to God.”
“I said, ‘You’re going to go to hell for swearing to God,”‘ Brandy was quoted as saying in an article that appeared on the Web site of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review on Wednesday.
School officials were unavailable for comment. A Pittsburgh Public Schools spokeswoman told the newspaper that the student code prohibits profanity but does not provide a clear definition of what profanity is.
The girl’s parents, who said they believed their daughter’s version of the story, were flabbergasted by the suspension and complained to the school principal.