Student suspended for talking about an AK-47

[Don Gwinn]

Myself gets it. We don't have enough information to take sides here. Have you all forgotten that poor innocent child who was unfairly punished for writing a simple story for his English class about zombies?

It turned out that his "story" wasn't about zombies, wasn't for English class, and wasn't really a story. It was a plan for shooting and killing specific students and staff at his school, and he wasn't turned in by paranoid zero-tolerance teachers but by his own grandparents, who were prompted by his history of such things--the history no one at THR or TFL knew.



Similarly, none of you have been trying to teach this kid for the past 150 school days, so none of you know what he's like. None of you know the context in which this teacher heard what he (she?) heard. None of you know what this kid does every day in that class, but the teacher does.

On a related note, anybody wonder why they had seven kids testify as to what he said? There are several possibilities, mostly unhelpful to this kid's contention.

1. There are only seven other kids in the class--probably a BD (Behavioral Disorders) class. This is where they warehouse kids who have decided they don't care if they get suspended, arrested or whatever else and are absolutely uncontrollable within the limitations set by the school. Most schools have several such rooms now. Expulsion is mostly not an option.

2. Only seven out of a normal class agree with his side of things--that would be seven out of 25-35 kids in an average class.


Particularly in a BD classroom, it would not be unusual for even kids who detest this kid to band together in any story that makes the teacher look bad. Happens all the time.

 

[jefnvk]

Thought crime is already here. Go to any state university for all the examples you might want.

I don't think there is enough here. Is it possible the kid's teacher is an anti and twisted a remark? Sure.

Is it possible that the kid made a threatening remark about shooting up the school, and got his friends to cover him? Yep.

It's a he-said, she-said type thing.

I think too many people are inclined to believe the kid is an angel and that he is being unfairly punished, that the teacher is out to get a gun-lover.

I also think too many people look at this and say that the teacher is perfectly in the right to suspend for any remark that involves a gun.

Knowing kids and teachers, I'm not inclined to believe either one.

 

[Crosshair]

I bet while this kid is getting a full cavity search every morning, some "real" wackjob is going to do something crazy on the other end of the school.

 

[FunGunner]

I don't have kids and don't plan to, and my tax dollar is going to this stuff. What the Heck is going on in these schools! I mean really, what is going on? I guess not as much math, english, civics, and history as I had in high school. Maybe I'm out of my depth here, but dosen't this seem off to any one else?

 

[chopinbloc]

dear sweet jeebus!
search him on the way in? so if he brought an ak to school he'd let you search him?
search him on the way home? *** for? sporks from the cafeteria?

i think i live in a different universe. my good friend has a 12 year old son and last year we took him out shooting for the first time. he shot my romanian sar-1 (ak variant) he's been shooting several times since then and brings in the expended cases from .45s, .40s, 5.56's, 7.62's and everything else we shoot to show and tell. teachers in AZ are as liberal as anywhere else, but we don't let 'em get away with the dumb ????. he's wanted to bring in live rounds, but for obvious reasons, he isn't allowed to. funny thing is, it's his parent that keeps that from happening, not the school. you know what would really scare those pansy little bastards? he has unrestricted access to the .22 and .357 pistols that my friend keeps loaded and ready for defense.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Isn't that defamation or something? I know lots of people are against lawsuits and lawyers, with good reason, but this deserves a lawsuit. That is total slander, you just can't say that about anyone, especially if you only think you might have maybe heard it correctly.

In fact, it isn't slander.

First of all, it appears that the teacher is certain he (or she) heard it correctly, so it isn't a case of thinking he/she "only thought" he/she "might" have heard it correctly. However, even if "might have heard" was the case, it still would not be slander. It rises to the level of slander only if you say it after knowing it to be false, or if you say it without knowing it to be true and were reckless in not checking to verify the veracity before passing along the statement. I believe some states also include a requirement that the statement must be intended to damage your reputation, or that you must show monetray damages in order to collect.

In this instance, the teacher may or may not have heard correctly, but I am certain didn't make it up. Therefore, it ain't slander.

 

[Yooper]

I don't know who said what to any degree of certainty, but it is an incredibly stupid comment, even in jest. I don't remember ever hearing the like when I was in school. It never even crossed my mind to say something so blatantly stupid.

As far as I'm concerned, whoever is wrong in this case needs therapy, either the student for making a death threat, or the teacher for selective hearing.

This is not a "thought police" matter, it was a statement made by the student. I'm glad to see the parents are going to bear responsibility, at least to some degree. Until the age of majority, the child is the responsibility of the parents, thoughts and all!

 

[Magnuumpwr]

The only thing I can say about this thread is there are too many laws (state and local) open the doors to this type of problem occurring. Not to get religious, but there is a simple sentence that says, "spare the rod and spoil the child". Today it needs to be editted to read, "spare the rod and turn the child loose on society". In my childhood times I received what I deemed excessive whippings, but looking back now see there was nothing excessive about them and what they were intended to do happened. If I raised my voice or sassed, was disrespectful, or several other things that I knew not to do there was a price to pay. I was never hit or slapped with an open or closed hand by either of my parents and all whippings were with a belt across my bottom. I can not recall ever hearing of anyone bringing a gun to school (not hunting guns in their vehicle), much less using it there. Now that is all you hear and as the days go by it occurs more often.

 

[ajkurp]

Chaim. You have my vote for poster child in suppirt of homeschooling.

 

[ajkurp]

Support Support Support

A typo, not lack of education!

 

[Luku]

The way i see it is that we dont have enough information to know what really happened. Searching him when he gets done with school for the day seems pointless to me.

 

[Firethorn]

It looks to be a big school

Search him both when he comes and goes from the school?

I'd show up in my underroos each day.
Or claim that the searcher got 'fresh' with me.

It does seem mighty strange that his classroom was only seven students. I think the lowest I ever had was 12, and that was for an advanced electronics class.

At 629 students, it's a decent size school. Not huge, not tiny. Hmmm...
629/30 students a class = 21 classrooms. Of course, 15 would be 42 classrooms. Hmmm...

From the class schedule, though, I got 52 classrooms, including some specialty classrooms(band, computer science, gym, etc). An awfull lot of "learning support".

On the other hand... That's a big school!