An autistic first grader was suspended from school after biting his sandwich into the shape of a gun and pointing it at a classmate during lunch, according to a report.

John Medina, 6, was suspended for the incident at Sara Harp Minter Elementary in Georgia in March in what his mother claims is part of a pattern of school officials disciplining her son without adequately considering his disability, leaving him feeling like a “bad kid,” Atlanta News First reported.

Since 2023, John has been disciplined at least 33 times, including 14 suspensions, for incidents like kicking and punching a student at recess, according to school records obtained by the outlet.

John Medina, 6, was reportedly suspended in March for biting a sandwich into the shape of a gun and pointing it at a classmate.

John was previously suspended for pointing a bottle of water at someone and making gun noises and also punished for drawing a pilgrim shooting a turkey, records seen by ANF reportedly show.

John’s mother, Kristin Medina, told the outlet she was “baffled” by the sandwich incident.

“I think he feels like he’s a bad kid,” she told ANF. “There were definitely times when he would come home and say ‘I’m a bad kid’ and that’s really hard to hear as a mom.”

Medina wants school officials to follow John’s individualized education program, or IEP, which included accommodations like taking him for a walk when he is overstimulated.

The boy has been suspended 14 times from Sara Harp Minter Elementary School in Fayette County, according to a report.

John was previously suspended for pointing a bottle of water at someone and making gun noises.

The family hired Donna Reynolds, a former special education director in another Georgia district, to represent them when meeting with Fayette County Schools.

“When you’re dealing with six-year-olds in general, I don’t think they have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions…and kids will use their fingers,” Reynolds told The Post, referring to the sandwich suspension.

“There’s a reason why we don’t prosecute six-year-olds, right?”

Reynolds said John is not the real problem in this situation – rather, “he’s a symptom of the bigger problem.”

Fayette County Schools Superintendent Jonathan Patterson told ANF the district is “committed to meeting parents to try to work through these challenging situations that maybe we agree on, that maybe we don’t agree on, but we’re committed to keep coming back to the table and trying to resolve those things.”

Patterson told The Post that federal laws prohibit school board officials from commenting on an individual student’s disciplinary history or special education matters.

The Post left messages for the principal and assistant principal at Sara Harp Minter Elementary School.

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/07/29/us-news/autistic-first-grader-suspended-for-biting-sandwich-into-shape-of-gun/?dicbo=v2-ZsdXuVX