Be careful what your kid writes....

[driver]

<p>I suspect that there is a protocol to be followed once any threat to the president is reported to local police, and that such a protocol would mandate immediate notification of the Secret Service (by the police). If there is blame here (beyond the student) that would lie with the school officials, who initiated the chain of events by contacting police instead of handling the matter internally. But they may have their own protocol, which they must follow.</p>

[NJres]

<p>So xiggi, where would you draw the line? If a 7th grade boy’s essay gets referred to the Secret Service, would a 3rd grade girl’s essay also get Secret Service treatment? I don’t believe we are told the specific level of violence mentioned in the essay. If a 2nd grader wrote about throwing a rock at the president, would that go to the secret service? What if a kndergarden student was overheard singing on the playground, “Step on a crack, break the president’s back” ?? Would that child be investigated by the secret service? </p>

<p>Some reasonable non ignorant people may think calling in the Secret Service in this case was uncalled for. However, we don’t have all the facts. That is all.</p>

[3togo]

<p>

However, we don’t have all the facts. That is all.

that’s true</p>

<p>

The boy’s homework assignment for English class was to write what he would do on a perfect day. In addition to the president and Winfrey, the boy wrote that violence should be directed at executives of Coca- Cola and Wal-Mart, police and school officials said. </p>

<p>“His perfect day would be to see the destruction of these people,” Schools Superintendent David Raiche said.

however, this is what we do know … and this sounds like a lot more than “step on a crack, break the president’s back”. The first replies talked about the overaction of calling for the SS … given the information we have in this string calling the SS certainly seems in the relm of reasonable responses.</p>

[daaaaad]

<p>Since we can’t tell from the story, what was the local school protocol in case like this? Did they immediately call the S.S., or did they first try to involve the school counselor or social worker to check out the child’s state of mind or motives?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I think the rules or laws now require immediate notification of authorities rather than some mental health intervention.</p>

<p>If the poor kid was just stupid or delusional, he’s now labled a security risk rather than just a troubled kid. An immediate response clearly is warranted, but I question whether you need to call in the S.S. before you try some local intervention.</p>

[driver]

<p>It’s entirely possible that this kid just got himself worked up into a frenzy by reading the Parent’s Cafe too frequently.</p>

[mstee]

<p>driver, lol. </p>

<p>I was also thinking he might have just written what his parents were saying at the dinner table, or while watching Bush on TV. A friend of mine said her sixth grade son turned off the TV when Bush was on because she was screaming profanities at the TV. At least she didn’t put it in writing . . .</p>

[Alumother]

<p>There’s an amazing book. Called something close to “We Need to Talk About Kevin.” Written from the fictional point of view of a mother of a kid who commits a school mass murder. Amazing book. Really, and I’m a dreadful snob about literature.</p>

[xiggi]

<p>While I do not disagree with the sentiment that the age of the culpable and the severity of the crime needs to be taken in account, this is not an issue to be taken lightly. My reaction was mostly prompted by the unending string of posts that serves no other purpose than mocking the president and the man at his service. A comment such as “A good use of our homeland security money, I feel safer” speaks volumes about the intention of the poster. An intention that the hundreds of similar gems confirm easily. </p>

<p>I have already mentioned that the duty of the SS to investigate any threats against the president. We can safely assume that they have the experience to separate a hoax from a credible threat. I also have linked to the story about the SS to make our schools safer. After every successful attack, we start pointing the fingers at everyone who MIGHT have prevented the tragedy. In about every case, there were signals which could have been triggered an alarm. </p>

<p>I for one would rather deal with the slight embarassment to one family than ordering body bags. </p>

<p>Now, as far as the chain of command, I believe we can safely assume that several parties HAD to be involved before reaching the SS desk. I do not know of many teachers or principals who have the SS hotline in their cell phone! Anyway, for the remaining Thomas out there, here is a more detailed version of the incident which confirms that: </p>

<p>His English teacher (1) immediately alerted Assistant Principal Brian Dillon (2) as well as a school social worker (3). The essay was given to school resource officer Jessie Tuomisto (4), a uniformed patrolman based at Deering. </p>

<p>[here we assume the police was called in since the reporting officer is Detective Sgt. Fernando Araujo, the head of the Police Department’s juvenile division.] So that is (5)</p>

<p>The police (5b) contacted the Secret Service (6), which dispatched two agents (7) to interview the student, his teacher and other school staff, Raiche said.</p>

<p>Do we still have to assume that an overreacting school official called in the cowboys of the SS who flew in to arrest the poor boy? </p>

<p>

In the one-page, hand-written essay, the student says his ideal day involves doing violence to President Bush as well as executives at Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart, Detective Sgt. Fernando Araujo, the head of the Police Department’s juvenile division, said yesterday. </p>

<p>The essay did not threaten any school staff or students, Araujo said. </p>

<p>“The assignment was to describe what you would do on a perfect day,” Schools Supt. David P. Raiche said yesterday. “It appears this young man felt that there may be companies doing inappropriate things. He felt there should be some violence directed” at them and the president. </p>

<p>The boy, who is between 11 and 13 years old and was not identified yesterday, submitted the homework assignment Tuesday morning. His English teacher read it around 11 a.m. and immediately alerted Assistant Principal Brian Dillon as well as a school social worker, Raiche said. </p>

<p>The essay was given to school resource officer Jessie Tuomisto, a uniformed patrolman based at Deering. The police contacted the Secret Service, which dispatched two agents to interview the student, his teacher and other school staff, Raiche said. </p>

<p>“There was a concern,” Raiche said. “Anytime anyone is saying something that can be seen as a violent act you take it seriously.” </p>

<p>The police and Raiche declined to identify the student or his teacher or release a copy of the composition. School officials described the boy’s discourse as a rambling, anti-Bush, anti-corporate screed. In addition to the president, the boy threatens to murder Oprah Winfrey and attack a Walgreens pharmacy, School Committee member Thomas V. Iannitti Jr. said. The note, he said, also mentions the Ku Klux Klan and refers to “■■■■■■■.” </p>

<p>“His perfect day would be to see the destruction of these people,” Iannitti said. </p>

<p>Threatening the president is a felony, and the Secret Service investigation is ongoing, said Thomas M. Powers, the resident agent in charge in the agency’s Providence office. This is the first time in at least three years that Secret Service agents have investigated a student in Rhode Island for threatening the president, he said. </p>

<p>The West Warwick police did not arrest the boy on Tuesday and he is not charged with any crime, Araujo said. Raiche said the student is temporarily barred from returning to school, but he does not face disciplinary action. “My focus is not on the discipline side but the mental-health side,” Raiche said.

</p>