OT: concerned for my kids

[homemaker]

Last week we found out that there was four kids arrested in our middle school for bringing weapons to school. The weapons were box cutters, carving knives and scissors. These boys were planning to retaliate for a fight earlier in the week. What is going on in our schools? What were these kids thinking? This whole thing has me scared for my children. Now all the boys have to wear there shirts tucked in for extra security. That just doesn't help me feel any better! Do tucked in shirts really do anything for security. Somedays I feel like I don't want my children to leave my house!

 

[StephMK]

Yikes, that is really scary and so sad. I don't blame you for being upset and I can't imagine that a creative teen can't find a way around a tucked in shirt.

That does make me think though that as parents, the best we can do, besides teaching them right, is to talk with them about what to do in case of emergency. It's sad that it has to be a topic but reading your post, I've never really talked to my teen about what she should do if anything ever happened where she is.

 

[mrsbert]

Wow, this is scary. Respect and consequence is lacking these days. Also, lack of parenting for these students making those kind of decisions. Not to take over but recently a 1st grader at my DS6's school brought a gun to school. Not to hurt anyone just to show off what he found on the coffee table. This just blows my mind!!

 

[Manda]

I understand your concern and I agree that it is scary. However, things like this have and always will happen. My Grandma was stabbed (yes, with a knife) in her 7th grade classroom by another student. They called her Uncle to pick her up after they removed the knife and poured iodine in the wound, the kid was paddled, and life moved on. She still has the scar. And she said this kind of thing was not uncommon. Can you imagine if that happened today??? It would be all over the news and the kid would be jailed. She also tells me that any schoolyard disagreements end up with kids punching each other and the teacher hauling them off the by their ears. So, I guess my only point is that this kind of stuff is a lot less "new" than we seem to think it is.

 

[Whosemom]

I understand your concern and I agree that it is scary. However, things like this have and always will happen. My Grandma was stabbed (yes, with a knife) in her 7th grade classroom by another student. They called her Uncle to pick her up after they removed the knife and poured iodine in the wound, the kid was paddled, and life moved on. She still has the scar. And she said this kind of thing was not uncommon. Can you imagine if that happened today??? It would be all over the news and the kid would be jailed. She also tells me that any schoolyard disagreements end up with kids punching each other and the teacher hauling them off the by their ears. So, I guess my only point is that this kind of stuff is a lot less "new" than we seem to think it is.

I think about this alot, too. Around here there were school "bomb scares" in the news last week. "My oh my what is the world coming to? Its so much worse than when we were kids". No, I remember that very thing at least once a year in jr high and maybe twice in high school.

And here's a piece of history:

The Bath School disaster is the name given to three bombings in Bath Township, Michigan, USA, on May 18, 1927, which killed 45 people and injured 58. Most of the victims were children in the second to sixth grades attending the Bath Consolidated School. Their deaths constitute the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in U.S. history. The perpetrator was school board member Andrew Kehoe, who was upset by a property tax that had been levied to fund the construction of the school building. He blamed the additional tax for financial hardships which led to foreclosure proceedings against his farm. These events apparently provoked Kehoe to plan his attack.

On the morning of May 18, Kehoe first killed his wife and then set his farm buildings on fire. As fire fighters arrived at the farm, an explosion devastated the north wing of the school building, killing many of the people inside. Kehoe used a detonator to ignite dynamite and hundreds of pounds of pyrotol which he had secretly planted inside the school over the course of many months. As rescuers started gathering at the school, Kehoe drove up, stopped, and detonated a bomb inside his shrapnel-filled vehicle, killing himself and the school superintendent, and killing and injuring several others. During the rescue efforts, searchers discovered an additional 500 pounds (230 kg) of unexploded dynamite and pyrotol planted throughout the basement of the school's south wing.

Not to belittle the pain of current events, and certainly OP that is scary - ain't nothin new under the sun.

As far as the tucked in shirts, yes I think that helps some - as long as they are also not allowed to wear jackets in the building. I am a big supporter of uniforms. On the other hand, it just moves the behavior outside.

 

[Tammysue5]

As the mother of four I can say that this is truly scary. We have one already graduated, Junior, 3rd and kindergarten. We have talked with all of tehm at one time or another... to talk about what could be done if this happens at their schools. I also make them aware that while we can talk about it but they must use their smarts to do whats best for the situation.... Did not want to give them just one "option" or advice as they may find themselves in a situation where what I have taught them would not work.

Believe me.. while I can appreicate what the school is trying to do.. (tuck in shirts) this measure will not eliminate situations like this. The school has so many issues that this only adds to their responsibilities. The problem a lot of the time is parents..... most of us our talking to our children (and paying attention) but then there are those parents that don't talk w/their kids.. those are the ones that you worry about.

I cannot IMAGINE that anyone would leave a hand gun out for a child to get. What kind of brainless wonder would a parent have to be? I mean come on.. I cannot even buy 'forgetting' to put a gun away.

 

[my3disneygirls]

I know it is scary. I love in NJ also and sometimes I wonder how seriously they take bomb threats. They just started evacuating this year in the Intermediate school when a bomb threat is detected, but not all of the time. The Intermediate and HS have an armed police offer on duty for the entire school day, but still anything can happen. So many parents are not picking up on their children's off behavior.