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 Linda Thomas
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A game called "Senior Assassin" has gone on for years, but game underway for the next two weeks at dozens of Western Washington high schools has an underlying tension because of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre. (Photo by Linda Thomas)

School zero-tolerance policies are ignored for popular game

March 7, 2013 @ 4:46 pm (Updated: 10:05 am - 3/8/13 )

"Dude, I got you. You are so dead."

At a time when adults are concerned about gun violence and school shootings, students are competing to kill each other with toy guns by playing "Senior Assassin."

Many private and public school teachers and administrators in Western Washington look the other way while the game is played for a couple of weeks.

"Hello, I'm Hunter and today I'm going to teach you how to play Assassins. The object of your game is to eliminate your target before you are eliminated," he says in a video posted on Facebook to describe the student-run activity.

There are numerous rules to the stealthy survival game. Play is voluntary. Students sign up to "kill or be killed" in a group that's generally organized through Facebook.

No two people have the same target. The object is to take out your target by shooting him or her with a Nerf gun, or in some cases schools have used squirt guns. A few schools do a version of the game that's less likely to get someone in trouble for having a toy gun in school, by using stickers.

Once hit, the student is out of the game and has to surrender their target to the assassin, who keeps collecting targets.

"What happens if you get a name you don't recognize? This is where the tactic of sleazy underhanded sleuthing comes in," Hunter explains. "If you really want to be a stalker you could try to find a copy of their schedule."

The number one rule of the game is that the "hit" cannot happen on school property.

"I believe it's not allowed to happen on school grounds, that it's supposed to happen after school hours so that it's not a school-related game," says one teacher who is aware the game's being played at her high school.

Most students are targeted on their way to or from school, it's best to have a Nerf gun with you tucked away in your backpack or hidden in a locker.

In some schools, you don't even have to hide the toy guns. Teachers, who will not be identified by name, admit they ignore what's going on because it's a good "team building" experience for the class.

A private school administrator wouldn't say whether he'd report a student for having a Nerf gun or darts in the building.

"Although we are not directly affiliated with it, we are aware of it. We have in the past been supportive of the community when there have been issues with it," he says. "Would we endorse it overall as a school? I won't go on record as saying either way."

While it's only a game, some students take it very seriously. Seniors sometimes form conspiracies or mafias in order to help each other kill targets.

At the end of the two weeks, the senior with the most kills wins the game. Some schools play for prize money, though most are playing for bragging rights only.

This game has gone on for years, but the current school year has an underlying tension because of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre in Connecticut where Adam Lanza opened fire killing 20 children and six adults.

All high schools in the country have a zero-tolerance policy against "dangerous weapons." Many districts also have rules against toy guns. In Seattle, for example, anyone who breaks the no-toy-gun rule has to enroll in a district-approved behavior modification program, primarily involving learning skills for anger and conflict management.

Obviously, some schools are more lenient than others in their definition of zero-tolerance.

Recently, a 7-year-old Maryland boy was recently suspended from school after biting a Pop Tart into a shape that his teacher thought looked like a gun. The school district even wrote letter to parents apologizing and offering counseling for anyone who was disturbed by the boy's actions.

This week in Pasco, a fifth-grade boy was temporarily suspended for just talking with another student about a new Nerf gun he had at home. The district has since admitted they were too cautious to pull him out of school since he did not have the toy gun with him and made no threats to anyone.

Parents' opinions of Senior Assassin ranges from "It's fun, let them blow off a little steam, it's no big deal" to "I can't believe a teacher would ignore this game if they know it's going on right under their noses."

What do you think - harmful or harmless?

By LINDA THOMAS

More from Linda Thomas

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Comments (49)


  • Add A Comment

  • flipper wrote...
    Other things to ban...
    March 8, 2013 10:26 am
    Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho, Massachusetts. All 4 state shapes look like guns.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • GoldFish wrote...
    What has happened to America
    March 8, 2013 10:45 am
    i mean for christ's sake, this is the country that was built on the back of firearms, we fought and won two world wars and now look at where we are. Suspending kids for chewing a pop tart into a triangle and then offering counseling to the other children, so beyond retarded that it's not even worth discussion. and yeah I said retarded, deal with it Libs, its also gay as hell, so there is that also. Modern liberalism won't rest until every child is raised to be a little sheltered pussy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tlmbrt wrote...
    Overreaction
    March 8, 2013 10:57 am
    In our hysterical overreaction to recent acts of violence using guns, we are turning into a weak, fearful and oppressive society. Schools are PARALYZED with fear that something might happen and they would be blamed for not doing enough to prevent it. As a result, they throw out all common sense and create an overreaching climate of blind and thoughtless intolerance. The FACT is that no matter what we say or do, another shooting WILL HAPPEN. BANK on it. We need to stop concentrating on the GUNS and focus on the CAUSES that drive PEOPLE to commit acts of violence! Mental illness, broken and dysfunctional families for example...
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  • MAXX64 wrote...
    This is just another mixed message out guns.
    March 8, 2013 11:18 am
    American society continues to trivialize the impact of these types of games. They say there is a zero tolerance and they talk about arming teachers or putting more law enforcement in schools to make them safe. Then they say nothing and turn a blind eye, this is a perfect seguay into the real thing and how on earth are students, teacher and parents suppose to to decipher whether it is a real gun or not. The game encourages violent thought processes and playing the role of an "assassin." This is wrong on every level!!
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  • Cigarillo wrote...
    @MAXX
    March 8, 2013 4:03 pm
    To strongly deem the game "a perfect segue" and "wrong on every level" still fails to add credence to the pet theory of hypersensitive Moms everywhere. I'll take it in the other direction: Let's encourage the game everywhere, until it becomes as common as soccer in South America. The reason that South America produces such fine soccer teams is that they can pick the best of a very broad talent pool. Imagine the military special forces we could create with the talents of potential recruits displayed on a mass scale. Between our wicked drones and bad-a** Rangers/Seals/Green Berets, no one would think of messing with us.

    I'll sponsor a little league team......
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  • HLC wrote...
    I went to school in a small town in eastern wa.
    March 8, 2013 11:47 am
    About half the kids in high school lived on farms, probably half of those drove pickups to school, most of them had gun racks with a rifle of some type on them 24/7. My how things have changed. Also no mass shootings.
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  • couchpotatoslacker wrote...
    an the news chick
    March 8, 2013 11:54 am
    I wish this site would ban Linda, she is one of the main reasons I removed this site from my bookmarks on my pc at home, seems I forgot to do so on my tablet, that has now been remedied. This site used to be a bit more balanced, now it's becoming a local version of MSNBC.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    03-08-2013.. zero tolerance...
    March 8, 2013 12:00 pm
    Whelll... There you go again! Stupid leftist zero tolerance crapola... with exceptions for "certain special circumstances"... The left (which runs our "education" system) is the most excerable mess of stupidity and hypocricy one can imagine. George Orwell... all animals are equal... some animals are more equal than others...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • xplanes wrote...
    Over the top
    March 8, 2013 12:34 pm
    Linda (in the ongoing absence of a story about the life saving usage of firearms)runs a story about the perceived dangers of a game. If that wasn't over the top by itself she actually Defends CH after he accuses 2nd amendment folks of wanting to send their children to school with an AK-47. Linda, how can you possibly maintain any self respect or pretense of un-bias now?
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  • TheNewsChick wrote...
    xplanes
    March 8, 2013 6:13 pm
    Do you have a personal story to share about the life-saving usage of firearms? You know how to contact me. The people I've talked with about this subject are reluctant to share those stories, though I'm not giving up.

    My point with the story is that schools preach a zero tolerance policy - except when they decide it's okay to be tolerant.

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  • Mavila wrote...
    Maybe you've missed the point...
    March 8, 2013 8:22 pm
    that is much more interesting in your story, Linda.

    I'm much more interested in these "behavior modification programs."

    Do kids get sent to a camp? Or, are they modified in the school basement boiler room? Who are these modifiers and what are their techniques and qualifications? What exact behaviors necessitate modifying? Are parents consulted or asked to approve the modifying? Is there any follow-up to ensure that modifying has worked and, if so, how does that work?

    I think you have blockbuster story here if you're interested in pursuing it. Think of Woodward and Bernstein, or Geraldo's work on Willowbrook. There just might be a Pulitzer there for you.

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  • TheNewsChick wrote...
    Behavior modification
    March 9, 2013 8:03 am
    The classes (which really amount to homework/paperwork) would be an interesting story, I'll add to the list.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Nice Practice
    March 8, 2013 3:02 pm
    NICE!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • roomtemp wrote...
    I must be intolerant...
    March 8, 2013 10:56 pm
    I have no tolerance for zero tolerance policies...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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