School district to allow students to join coloring contest

GLEN ROCK, N.J. – A New Jersey school district has reversed its decision and will allow students to participate in an annual American Legion coloring contest even though the image shows guns.

Glen Rock school officials opted out of the statewide contest for fourth- and fifth-graders on Monday, citing the display of guns in the coloring page.

The Record reports interim Superintendent Bruce Watson said he received multiple emails in response and will now allow the pictures to go home for parents to decide if children should participate.

The picture features three uniformed soldiers carrying guns and a rifle near a soldier’s boots in what’s known as the “battlefield cross.” There is also a nurse.

Watson says he intended no disrespect and may have had “too much concern for the impact of the picture.”

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Information from: The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.), http://www.northjersey.com