<p>My children attend a mid-sized urban magnet high school. One is a senior, the other a freshman. On Friday (4/20) a senior was caught by metal detectors trying to bring a hunting knife into the school. He was immediately suspended for 10 days, and told he could not return to school at all, ever, even after the suspension. However, he returned to the school twice on Friday, and was able to get in both times before being apprehended and removed. An e-mail was sent to all parents and students, which told about the original incident and suspension, but not the student’s subsequent return visits. Now there is a facebook conversation of students announcing that they are not going to school on Monday, because they are scared the student (who has been identified in the facebook group, and is acknowledged by all to be unstable, he also wears his hair like Hitler) will return. He has been quoted as saying something about coming back and being a hero. So the dilemma-- do I let my children stay home on Monday? What if the kid doesn’t come Monday, but comes on Tuesday instead? Where does it end? If it were just my senior, I have to say I’d let him stay home-- it’s second semester, he’s gotten into his first-choice college, he’s set (although he’s got 3 AP’s coming up.) But what about my freshman? I’m a teacher, my mother was a teacher, my first feeling is “kids need to be in school.” My husband notified the head of security for the school system, but it’s the weekend. I know it’s just one day, but I can see it leading to another, and another. Finals are looming. I’m totally conflicted. What advice would you offer?</p>
<p>Because it is the weekend and you can’t get through to the head of security for the school system, you need to make SOMEONE aware that this boy is still a threat (based on internet observations and the fact that he returned to the school twice on Friday and got through the entrance) and you expect security officers and the level of security to be heightened at the entrance points to the school at least this week. If you can find the phone number of the principal or any administrators, call them. If not, alert the regular police. </p>
<p>I am unclear how this boy got through twice on Friday. Are there ONLY metal detectors, but no officers at the entrance? I am glad there are metal detectors (wish more schools and colleges had these) but a live security person who is checking for IDs would also be needed. This boy should not have been able to get back in. So, now security must be stepped up. </p>
<p>Alert someone over the weekend through the school system or the police. Obviously kids cannot all stay home from school indefinitely. The boy is a threat. Someone needs to deal with this to insure the safety of the student body. The fact that he got back in shows a loophole. Insist security be stepped up at this time. This may even include the police who might be doing some surveillance of his comings and goings.</p>
<p>I’m ashamed to admit it, but it actually never occurred to me to call the city police (and the Police Academy is right next to the school.) While there is one main entrance to the school, and that has a metal detector, there are numerous other ways to get in-- they are locked, and there are no handles on the outside but if you knock and someone sees you, they’ll open the door from the inside, and I assume that’s how he got in. I forgot to mention that the whole school was a little on edge already because before spring break a senior was abducted (nowhere near the school, and not school related) and later found murdered. So I think it had already put these kids in mind of their own mortality. Thank you for responding, I think I’m going to make that phone call now.</p>
<p>My dad was a deputy sherrif and absolutely, without hesitation, contact your local police. Ask for an officer to come to your home, and show them the MySpace page(s) with the information (and provide printouts for them to take with them).</p>
<p>When anyone feels threatened (real or perceived) they should not handle things on their own. </p>
<p>Your kids have shared with you, and it is now time to step up to the plate.</p>
<p>It would be a terrible burden to carry if (god forbid) anything happened.</p>
<p>It may sound weird, but it’s probably a good thing that this happened this week instead of last. No one will accuse you of overreacting. The police should definitely be notified of the incident; I’m shocked they haven’t been. On Thursday, a student at a local college was arraigned here in Boston for e-mailing an ex-girlfriend that he was going to shoot up the school, “just like VT”. These kind of threats are crimes, and the police need to be involved.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m on the phone now. Thank you for helping.</p>
<p>My immediate thought was also to phone the police. This situation needs to be taken more seriously by the school (i.e. THEY should have contacted the police). Given recent events I hope the police will take this seriously.</p>
<p>The usual questions apply - why weren’t the police involved already (which could trigger getting mental health people involved) and why are the parents of the kid allowing this to happen? I also don’t understand what’s meant by ‘10 day suspension’ but can’t return to school. Isn’t that really a permanent expulsion from the school rather than a suspension?</p>
<p>I’d be curious to know how the police react to this.</p>
<p>I spoke with the police. They seemed to take it seriously. They said they have two officers in the building, and they will notify the principal of all this additional info. I gave the police the facebook pages. The police said I should also call the school Monday morning, although the office doesn’t open until 7:00 and my kids get on the train at 6:30, so I will have to still decide whether they’re going or not. I e-mailed the assistant principal who sent out the notice about the incident (but didn’t mention that the kid came back) with all the info I have too and asking what additional measures will be taken. It turns out the kid also tried to spike the slushie machine in the lunchroom, but they caught that too. I’m for some reason always a little reluctant to call the police, so thank you for pushing me in the right direction. You’re absolutely right-- if I didn’t call and something happened…</p>
<p>
Me too. Very interested.</p>
<p>Several years ago, when my son was still in h.s., his gf received a <em>really</em> creepy IM from one of the loser students at the school. The IM said, referring to my S (her bf), “I’m Hitler on him. You’ll never find the body.”</p>
<p>Of course we contacted the school, the police, and everyone we could think of. I was, though, pretty appalled at the police reaction which was that 1.) What was issued was “not a threat.” and that 2.) It didn’t constitute antiSemitism because the kid who wrote it “doesn’t know what a Jew is.” </p>
<p>Hope the police force where lori lives is more astute than ours.</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>The “suspension” thing confused me too; I think they’re trying to find a way to let the kid graduate.</p>
<p>berurah, I hope so too. The second or third officer I spoke to said “And you’re concerned because of the Virginia Tech thing and the Columbine anniversary’” and I said “and the Waco anniversary and Hitler’s birthday” and he responded, “ah, yes, April 20th, 1895.” I have to say I was a little unsettled that he knew the exact year, but maybe he just paid better attention in history class than I did.</p>
<p>Tried to spike the drinking machine, brought a hunting knife to school, continues to come back to the school after being forbidden, and makes vague statements about being a hero?</p>
<p>To me this goes beyond what an indefinite suspension can address. Some evaluation by a trained professional seems in order.</p>
<p>lori, you did the right thing by contacting the police. I’m amazed that the school hadn’t already done so. They should have! Did the police indicate to you what they were going to do? Contact the kid involved? If it were my decision, I’d keep my kids home on Monday. I heard on the news last night that since Monday, schools and colleges in 28 different states had had incidents of bomb threats, gun and knife threats (or findings), and lockdowns.</p>
<p>Whitney Young Magnet High School? I’ve seen the Facebook pages, too. Good grief, this is scary.</p>
<p>The suspension is probably just the beginning of the expulsion. Most schools have very precise rules they have to follow when they plan on expulsion of a student and it usually starts with a suspension. This gives the powers that be time to have their official meetings, documents drawn up etc. so it is all done in a very tidy, legal way.</p>
<p>Is his returning to school twice a verified fact or part of the rumor mill?</p>
<p>sax, you’re probably right about the suspesion/expulsion. The e-mail said “he would not be returning to school this year” and my first thought was “how can you be so sure?”</p>
<p>I’m not sure about the returns being verified or rumor, although the policewoman who took the report acted like she knew about the return visits when I told her-- I would assume if they hadn’t happened she would have told me so, at least to stop the rumors from continuing.</p>
<p>My children seem relieved that I called the police. So if for no other reason than that, I’m glad I did. Thank you for giving me that advice and encouragement.</p>
<p>why hasn’t the school called the police, I mean we had a girl make a threat on a AOL profile back in 7th grade, no weapons, but the cops were called</p>
<p>The police were called; there are two officers in the school all the time, and the kid was arrested (or at least taken out in handcuffs), but I don’t know what happened after that.</p>
<p>Lori, right, the police were called when he brought the knife into the school. So, they are aware of the case. However, it is great that you called as a parent (and you may want to encourage others to do so as well) to let them know that parents and students are aware that this student re-entered the building twice after the incident and are now fearful that he could do so again. Further, you are making them aware of threats and chatter on the internet involving this young man. You are hopefully going to tell school authorities that you expect stepped up security because students and parents are now deeply concerned about how secure the building is and how this boy is being monitored because he may not have been watched after the initial incident. A suspension is not enough. The police need to keep a watch on his doings right now. Demand that they do and that school personnel inform parents of what is being done so that they can feel relatively secure in sending their kids back into the school this week.</p>
<p>The update is that the head of security for the school system has promised augmented security next week, and that he’s contacting the principal. I really, really like and have a great deal of respect for the principal, so I feel badly that all this has to happen, but… It’s unclear whether the kid was arrested or just turned over to police, although the police knew all about it when I called. If he was arrested, though, presumably his bond would have been revoked if he re-entered the school.</p>