Posted on 03/06/2008 9:54:13 AM PST by Pfesser
Cobb County school officials let a student return to Walton High School last month after police charged the teen with making terroristic threats by saying he would bring a gun to school and kill his classmates.
The boy, whom school officials have declined to identify because he is a juvenile, threatened on Dec. 12 to "get a gun from the black market and come back rampaging through school," says a school police report obtained under Georgia's Open Records Act.
Walton principal Tom Higgins could have sent the teen to an alternative school or recommended that he be expelled but instead opted to suspend him for 20 days because he said the student no longer appeared to be a threat. The criminal case is pending.
Parents of some of the teens who were threatened or who witnessed the incidents say the school bungled its response to the threats by not alerting them to what had happened until the day after, by keeping his punishment secret and by not informing them in advance that he would be returning.
"I am deeply disturbed and disappointed by ... the way Walton officials have demonstrated such lack of care, compassion and communication to our family and friends," parent Diane Woods wrote in a letter to Higgins last month.
School spokesman Jay Dillon said, "If we believed there was an ongoing threat of some kind then certainly we would" have notified all parents.
Higgins said he had not read the police report but said not all of the information in it could be corroborated.
He did not deny, however, the boy made a death threat.
James Arrowood, director of public safety for the Cobb County school district, said he stands behind the report.
The school set up meetings with the disciplined student's parents and any other parents who wanted more information, Higgins said.
His dad needed to take him out back and whip his ass good for him for saying that. In our time as kids that’s precisely what would have happened and he’d have shut his mouth, and nothing else would have come of it. The school would have been happy, and so would everyone else. Including the boy.
This kid needs to be searched everyday when school starts and not have a locker ( most schools now do not offer them anyway ).
sadly the days of a good whipping are gone thanks to nancy boy dads and soccer moms.
SCHOOL — 1957 vs. 2007
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
My How Times Have Changed!!!!
This is the high school my brother & sister graduated from. Looks like the student body has changed since they were students.
So if this kid comes back and makes good on his threat who will be held responsible? Will the powers that be take responsibility or will they distance themselves?
I don’t know how old you are, but when I went to school in Cobb county, a kid from Walton knifed a kid from Wheeler to death. So no, things haven’t changed all that much.
This is the High School that the young freshman girl, who was murdered at Auburn University on Tuesday, graduated from. It is in an affluent area and has the highest standardized test scores of any public school in the state.
Ahh...a Michael Savage aficionado, huh?
The anti-gun liberals are HOPING this kid follows through on his threat. It furthers their agenda. They’d rather score political points than put this little SOB in jail where he belongs.
They love this crap.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Mary's picture is posted on FR thread about the incident where she is immediately declared "not guilty".
I also taught High School for three years. I quit after the principle of the school said this to me about one student. I went back out in the hall. Later I saw the student. Grabbed his arm and told him if he spoke to me like he did again, I would stuff him in the locker behind him. Until the end of the year before is left. I didn’t hear another word from the kid.
ping
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