Army Man Cupcakes Spark School Controversy

A Michigan third grader's decision to decorate his birthday cupcakes with green plastic Army men sparked controversy this week when the school principal decided the gun-toting cake toppers were inappropriate and had to be removed.

According to Yahoo News, nine-year-old Hunter Fountain and his mother decorated 30 cupcakes to share with his class, and his parents dropped the frosted treats off at Schall Elementary School the next day. But about 15 minutes later the school called the Fountains and said the cupcakes couldn't be served with the toys on top, because the toy soldiers had guns and could be considered insensitive in light of recent gun-related violence.

The parents said to just take the Army men off the cupcakes and serve them, and the school complied. But the parents were highly offended by the school's decision.

"It disgusted me," said the boy's father, Casey Fountain, in an interview with Fox News. "It's vile they lump true American heroes with psychopathic killers."

According to MSN, the school offered to replace the toy soldiers with something else or serve the cupcakes soldierless. The toy soldiers were returned to Hunter Fountain to take home with him.

"These are toys that were commonplace in the past. However, some parents prohibit all guns as toys," said principal Susan Wright in a statement. "By not permitting toy soldiers on cupcakes at school, no disrespect for our military or for the brave men and women who defend our rights to have our differences was intended. Our commitment is always to our children and creating a safe place for them to learn, grow and have respectful dialogues about their differences."