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Trick-or-treat off, schools cancel games and activities
Local officials take new steps to protect children.
By BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER and CATHY JETT
The Free Lance-Star
No trick-or-treating in neighborhoods. No more soccer games this year. No evening activities at school.
Fredericksburg-area officials took new steps yesterday to protect children from a sniper who has shot a child before and threatened to do it again.
"Your children are not safe anywhere at any time," the sniper wrote in a message to police that was released yesterday. The gunman has killed at least nine people and critically injured three others, including a Spotsylvania County woman.
Schools in the Fredericksburg area have remained open throughout the sniper's reign of terror. Students in the Richmond area are returning to class today after being out two days.
Officials here said they were not privy to the details of the sniper's letter to police--which influenced the Richmond schools' decision to cancel classes.
"Police in our jurisdictions said [Richmond-area schools] had a reason to close, but we were doing what we needed to do," Fredericksburg Superintendent Dale Sander said. "You know they have reasons for limiting that information. You just have to trust them."
The overall climate of fear and uncertainty led the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution yesterday urging residents to observe Halloween at home.
"The safety of our children may be best served by keeping them off the streets," the resolution reads. "Support our sheriff and local law-enforcement in the ongoing sniper investigation by passing this upcoming Halloween holiday quietly, privately and, in any event, off of the streets."
Board Chairman Benjamin Pitts said supervisors want to do everything they can to keep residents safe. "The last thing we want is for a child to be shot on Halloween," he said.
Sheriff's Maj. Howard Smith said a normal Halloween keeps deputies busy patrolling neighborhoods and answering complaints about vandalism, pranks and suspicious people. Because of the sniper investigation, everybody is already working--16 hours a day, six days a week, Smith said.
"We have all of our resources directed toward the sniper," he said.
Security has been the top priority of area school systems since the sniper attacks first moved south into Spotsylvania on Oct. 4 and then again Oct. 11. Now, as parents and school officials absorb the words of the sniper, schools are clamping down even more on extracurricular activities.
Spotsylvania school officials have canceled all indoor evening activities--including concerts and basketball games--for the rest of the week. Activities held indoors immediately after school, including tutoring, detention and team practices, will continue.
"The thinking is that students will go home one time," said Assistant Superintendent Edlow Barker. "We don't think it's necessary right now for them to come back at night."
Fredericksburg school officials took similar measures last week, rescheduling an honor-society induction from evening to immediately after school.
Barker said Spotsylvania based its decision on the two latest sniper attacks and media reports yesterday that the sniper's note contained threats against children. "We thought it prudent to take another step," he said.
School officials are comfortable with the precautions now in place and see no need to cancel classes.
"We feel that the kids are safe--or safer--with us than if we closed schools," Spotsylvania Superintendent Jerry Hill said. "We have a lot of families with two working parents, and they'd have to go off and leave their children home alone or find child care."
Hill said he and his peers in the region also believe it is important to keep things as routine as possible for students. Those whose parents choose to keep them home, however, will not be penalized, he said.
"If they miss something in class, we're not going to have them get a lower grade," Hill said. "We'll work with that issue."
Staff writers Dave Alexander and Kim Anderson contributed to this report.
Local officials take new steps to protect children.
By BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER and CATHY JETT
The Free Lance-Star
No trick-or-treating in neighborhoods. No more soccer games this year. No evening activities at school.
Fredericksburg-area officials took new steps yesterday to protect children from a sniper who has shot a child before and threatened to do it again.
"Your children are not safe anywhere at any time," the sniper wrote in a message to police that was released yesterday. The gunman has killed at least nine people and critically injured three others, including a Spotsylvania County woman.
Schools in the Fredericksburg area have remained open throughout the sniper's reign of terror. Students in the Richmond area are returning to class today after being out two days.
Officials here said they were not privy to the details of the sniper's letter to police--which influenced the Richmond schools' decision to cancel classes.
"Police in our jurisdictions said [Richmond-area schools] had a reason to close, but we were doing what we needed to do," Fredericksburg Superintendent Dale Sander said. "You know they have reasons for limiting that information. You just have to trust them."
The overall climate of fear and uncertainty led the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution yesterday urging residents to observe Halloween at home.
"The safety of our children may be best served by keeping them off the streets," the resolution reads. "Support our sheriff and local law-enforcement in the ongoing sniper investigation by passing this upcoming Halloween holiday quietly, privately and, in any event, off of the streets."
Board Chairman Benjamin Pitts said supervisors want to do everything they can to keep residents safe. "The last thing we want is for a child to be shot on Halloween," he said.
Sheriff's Maj. Howard Smith said a normal Halloween keeps deputies busy patrolling neighborhoods and answering complaints about vandalism, pranks and suspicious people. Because of the sniper investigation, everybody is already working--16 hours a day, six days a week, Smith said.
"We have all of our resources directed toward the sniper," he said.
Security has been the top priority of area school systems since the sniper attacks first moved south into Spotsylvania on Oct. 4 and then again Oct. 11. Now, as parents and school officials absorb the words of the sniper, schools are clamping down even more on extracurricular activities.
Spotsylvania school officials have canceled all indoor evening activities--including concerts and basketball games--for the rest of the week. Activities held indoors immediately after school, including tutoring, detention and team practices, will continue.
"The thinking is that students will go home one time," said Assistant Superintendent Edlow Barker. "We don't think it's necessary right now for them to come back at night."
Fredericksburg school officials took similar measures last week, rescheduling an honor-society induction from evening to immediately after school.
Barker said Spotsylvania based its decision on the two latest sniper attacks and media reports yesterday that the sniper's note contained threats against children. "We thought it prudent to take another step," he said.
School officials are comfortable with the precautions now in place and see no need to cancel classes.
"We feel that the kids are safe--or safer--with us than if we closed schools," Spotsylvania Superintendent Jerry Hill said. "We have a lot of families with two working parents, and they'd have to go off and leave their children home alone or find child care."
Hill said he and his peers in the region also believe it is important to keep things as routine as possible for students. Those whose parents choose to keep them home, however, will not be penalized, he said.
"If they miss something in class, we're not going to have them get a lower grade," Hill said. "We'll work with that issue."
Staff writers Dave Alexander and Kim Anderson contributed to this report.
