<p>"EAST BRIDGEWATER – A mothers dream vacation in Paris turned into a nightmare last month when she returned to find her sons classmates had crashed a party at her home and run amok, causing damage estimated by police at more than $45,000.</p>
<p>Walls and ceilings were punched through, computers were stolen, and blood and urine soiled the floor and closets.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why this is a problem. All kids do this kind of stuff. </p>
<p>All they have to do is get some good lawyers and pay whatever they have to so that this won’t go on their records. If they do get convicted, they just have to cover up their records so that they can still get into good colleges. Something like this shouldn’t keep these kids out of the best colleges they can get into.</p>
<p>Everybody does this stuff, but these kids just got caught. The parents left the house and went to Paris, so they were asking for it.</p>
<p>sstrugglingteen has 0 posts. Methinks I smell a ■■■■■. Or a regular poster who decided to reincarnate himself to stir the pot.</p>
<p>I wonder about the son’s role. Did he really just happen to show up then to feed the cat? Don’t understand why he didn’t leave, and then call the police.</p>
<p>Binx, I’m with you - I don’t understand the son. If he came to “feed the cat” he could have left by same means, gone to house where he was staying and called from a safe place. Who could watch their home being destroyed like that?</p>
<p>A very drunk eighteen year old who never called the police or did anything until all the damage was done. He went to take out the cat but I smell a rat.</p>
<p>I actually could see a child staying. Our DS2 would think he could control it and while it got insane he would be the one running around trying to protect. I don’t think he was partying and now playing OOPS.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This to me an example of Bullying to the extreme.</p>
<p>To me what is more frightening is that the school has yet to suspend the 4 arrested.
</p>
<p>MAY, excuse me, but as a parent who is directly involved because my home was destroyed along with my car, and the police have arrested 4 students, plus facebook and other intimidations MAY go before a hearing. So ironic that 99% of schools have a zero tolerance policy, but when faced with hard choices are quick to forget that policy.</p>
<p>Not saying her son was innocent, but there are no facts to prove that he instigated or approved of ruining the Steidle family home.</p>
<p>I’m surprised the police weren’t called in by the neighbors.</p>
<p>A few years ago, another neighbor and I (and inadvertently, my teenaged daughter) managed to thwart a party planned to be thrown by teenagers at the house across the street while the family was out of town. Their 18 year old son was with the parents, but it was kids he knew. I couldn’t id the kids. He wouldn’t tell his parents who it was. (We stopped the party started before it started…)</p>
<p>B and P, correct that there are no facts that the son instigated, approved, or in any way participated in the destruction. However, all kids need to know when to call authorities when things get out of control. Unless they hog tied him or falsely imprisoned him, he should have gotten out of there when the baseball bats and flour came out (for his own safety). I guess he learned the lesson the very hard way.</p>
<p>As to bullying etc., I am for the school to punish the perps, but can a public school punish kids for something like an arrest or accusation for off campus activities? I would think a private school code of conduct with honor board “trial” would be able to do it, but a public school runs the risk of being sued by the perps since the activities were off campus and not witnessed by school personnel. A conviction, on the other hand, would be hard evidence for dismissal etc., but this takes time.</p>
<p>I think a restraining order is in order for this boy. Seems to be ample evidence for that to be issued. That might also require the school to take some precautions.</p>
<p>UCDAlum, yes, it would have been good if neighbors would have called police, but maybe they did not know what was going on inside. Usually police are called due to noise (loud music, crowds outside).</p>
<p>Here’s a question neither of us know the answer to, but let me pose it anyway.</p>
<p>Mom Seidle walks in and says let me pull up facebook on your computer. She does and one of the arrested students has a facebook page with their picture stating he is a SNITCH, shouldn’t the school do something immediately?</p>
<p>I can’t remember the girls last name, but she was 13 and her first name was Meagan, she committed suicide over a Myspace issue.</p>
<p>IMHO the principal is out of touch. He sent the wrong message to students…you can bully and get away with it. Social networks are as much a part of hs life as cell phones. The principal is to protect every student, this is a cheap arse way of allowing bullying to occur without getting their hands dirty. Zero Tolerance can only exist when the school steps up and puts their body on the line.</p>
<p>Easy solution…you get arrested ISS. Heck in NC, if you do not wear a belt to school (dress code) you are sent to ISS until someone brings you a belt. Seriously, you get ISS for not adhering to the dress code, but get arrested and you are free to roam the hallways? In VA, at least our school district, show up as a girl with a tank top (shoulders exposed) you are sent to Choice room until someone brings you clothing. Something is definetly wrong when dress codes punish children, but Bullying doesn’t.</p>
<p>I am aware of schools which will remove students from sports teams just for being at a party where alcohol is present. The rule is, if you want to play for the school, you have to leave the vicinity if other kids start partying. Difficult to believe that in this extreme case, the school would not take the opportunity to get more involved.</p>
■■■■■ or not - I’ll bite. No, “everybody” does not. The majority of teenagers would be disgusted by this behavior. Violating the rights of others and property destruction is entirely different than normal youthful indiscretion. </p>
<p>When a judge labels one or more of these young people as a felon, college acceptance will be the least of their worries.</p>
<p>While both of my kids did have friends over during high school, it was while we were home and there weren’t any issues.
However, I know of a few situations that were a problem.
FOr instance, older D had an overnight at a friends, before a weeklong field trip, ( she also was working an openhouse at the school, and it was logistically easier to have her stay with her friend). The mom was home, but in her bedroom with a bad cold ( not sure how large the house was- noise control). About 6 or 7 girls altogether, although, one girl brought " boys" that I don’t think anyone else knew.
And liquor.
The girl whose house it was, tried to deal with them diplomatically by herself, but wasn’t very successful. I think it would have been easier if they all had been good friends, but this was actually a very small class ( less than 20, inc boys), and for my daughter at least, her good friends were in other classes/boys, or from her volunteer job.
I don’t think they trashed the place, although D, did tell me afterwards of having to work late with another girl to make people clean the place up.</p>
<p>Younger D had a best friend who lived just a few blocks from their inner city high school ( actually she had several friends who lived in that area), but they never dared to go home for lunch or even let others know where they lived, because of the legitimate concern that the place would be crashed.</p>
<p>Its a shame when people don’t respect others homes.</p>
<p>An exact parallel of this incident happened in suburban New Jersey about 7 years ago. Homeowner was away and out of town. Somehow local teenage hooligans discovered her absence, held a party at her house and ending up trashing it and finally setting it on fire. Police caught the nitwit kids because some bragged about ithe incident online. As I recall, surprisingly none of the perpretrators knew the homeowner.</p>
<p>We hear stories like what’s posted here all the time. Often the kid who is left at home by himself didn’t even invite people over and some how things just got out of hand. At the same time, many parenta think it’s perfectly fine and right of passage to allow seniors to go down to the shore for a week by themsleves because their kid is a good kid. If teens couldn’t be trusted to stay home by themselves then there is no reason to believe they could behave better when they are away from home. Unless people belive their home is more sacred than rental property.</p>