FRESNO, Calif. – Saying “that’s so gay” is a common way for kids to dismiss something as silly or weird.

At one Fresno elementary school, it also could lead to punishment.

Gibson Elementary sent a letter home Feb. 26 asking parents to talk to their children about using inappropriate language on school grounds.

Some Gibson students have been throwing the phrase “that’s gay” around, and it violates the school’s teaching on respect, Principal Helen Cabe said. Consequences could include detention or other discipline.

“We’re trying to get it stopped,” she said.

Although the letter appears to prohibit Gibson students from even using the word “gay,” Cabe said, the school is not trying to ban the word. “We’re just trying to stop the inappropriate use of it,” she said.

Lena Fisher’s son, a Gibson fourth-grader, was suspended for one day on Jan. 30 for saying “that’s gay” during a soccer game on the playground.

When Fisher was asked to pick up her 9-year-old in the middle of a school day, “I was kind of surprised, because my son never gets in trouble.”

Fisher said she and her son accepted the punishment, although she thought a suspension was a little excessive. But, she said, her son knew it was wrong. She also doesn’t condone using the word.

“I truly believe it’s a disrespectful term,” Fisher said. “That’s probably why I’m not running to the attorney’s office to make a point.”

A letter was sent home to parents shortly after, she said.

Cabe said she could not discuss discipline of a specific student.

She said that the punishment for using the phrase will depend on the circumstances in which it was used.

Although there isn’t a policy that solely focuses on the word “gay,” the inappropriate use of the word does fall under state education code on anti-harassment policies, according to California’s Fresno, Clovis, Central and Visalia unified school district leaders.

“Our policies try not to be very specific because we need to apply them very broadly,” said Kelly Avants, spokeswoman for Clovis Unified.

There also isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” punishment for students who use ill-intentioned words, said Pete Summers, executive director for Fresno Unified’s prevention and intervention.

District leaders have said consequences could include verbal warning, student counseling, parent meetings, suspension or expulsion.