Thirteen hours ago in the pjstar comment section, under the story about the "Dr. Lathan Show", I saw a random comment about the District "cover up" of a gun at school. By the time the story came out in the mainstream media about the alleged gun, the posted comment from earlier already set the tone and makes one think there is more to the story than has been reported on.
From pjstar comments:
From pjstar comments:
peoria78 13 hours ago
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Waste of tax payers money. You want people to see the truth well start telling the truth instead of covering things up and sweeping the issues under the rug. Tell the public how yesterday you allowed a child to get on a bus and go home after children at school reported to school officials he had a gun in his book bag. Explain to district 150 parents why police were not called and a parent had to call them to get the ball rolling...explain that one please.
From ciproud:
District 150 Student Brings BB Gun to School
October 19, 2010
A District 150 elementary school student faces disciplinary action after allegedly bringing a look-alike weapon to school on Monday, October 18th. The child is a student at Thomas Jefferson elementary.
Classmates alerted their teachers about what they thought was a real handgun. It turns out it was a BB gun. A district spokesperson will only say that administrators took appropriate disciplinary action based on school board policy.
October 19, 2010
A District 150 elementary school student faces disciplinary action after allegedly bringing a look-alike weapon to school on Monday, October 18th. The child is a student at Thomas Jefferson elementary.
Classmates alerted their teachers about what they thought was a real handgun. It turns out it was a BB gun. A district spokesperson will only say that administrators took appropriate disciplinary action based on school board policy.
21 comments:
I have begun to wonder if the TV stations and PJS (which is now short-handed because of so many cutbacks) doesn't get some of their leads from the blogs.
At the last board meeting (not from the podium) I heard about a BB gun and a knife at another school--I honestly don't believe it was hearsay. That wasn't reported on the blogs and wasn't reported in the mainstream press. Frankly, I don't think that 150 willingly parts with this information. Should they? I am sure we all have different opinions in the matter.
Here is my opinion. If I were totally confident that District 150 was taking care of these situations--that means reporting all weapons (and I believe that includes even BB guns)to the police and taking action according to board policy on each instance--then I wouldn't care so much as to whether or not the public was informed. It's another one of those trust issues based on past experiences and/or perceptions (not just mine).
And this time, I did look up the policy (I hoped it hadn't disappeared), "A student who uses, possesses, controls, or transfers a weapon, or ammunition, or any other object that can reasonably be considered, or looks like, a weapon, shall be expelled for at least one calendar year, but no more than two calendar years. The Superintendent may modify the expulsion period and
the Board may modify the Superintendent’s determination, on a case-by-case basis." Another section of the policy states that a student with a weapon may(?) be reported to juvenile court.
In this instance, I am not so sure the District could have gotten out in front of the story. In the time it took them to do their due diligence and make a police report the story was already being talked about on the blogs.
Since when is every little incident at school reported in main stream news? When I think of what went down in high school when I was there 30 yrs ago I don't remember it being reported. Every fight? Every infraction? What is the point. Give the principals some credit for being able to run their schools without the Journal Star breathing down their necks.
I agree to some extent Anonymous. I too recall the days when kids had a BB gun at school and it didn't make the news.
We live in the days of zero tolerance. Ms. Crews has pointed out what the District policy is. People say they want discipline to the nth degree, but would expelling this child or reporting him to the juvenile court really be the answer?
I don't think so.
Emerge, note that there is an alternative in the policy--the superintendent and board may modify...
Only my opinion: To some extent the age of the child should make a difference. (There has to be another way to handle a situation with a primary student.) Probably, for an upper grade or high school student, the policy should be followed. Also, whether or not the student has been a chronic discipline problem (fights, etc.) is certainly a factor. Also, I am almost certain there are laws and/or school code that demands that incidents be reported to the police whether or not the student is put up for expulsion.
I think we have to keep in mind that bringing a weapon to school is a relatively rare occurrence, so making exceptions to the rule is not a very good idea. There is no way that a high school student shouldn't know the rules.
Not too long ago, Pam Adams wrote a story about one of my former students, who did bring a gun, was caught, was expelled, and returned to school later. None of us would have expected him to do such a thing--he is/was a great kid/adult. I had conversations with him when he returned and when he was older. I don't think he ever felt he was treated unfairly--just got the expected consequences. That incident was even before zero tolerance. He went on to college, etc. Also, he did get to go to alternative school (as is often the case now), so he didn't lose years in his education.
It seems like some bloggers or commenters want every single negative detail about Dist. 150, the city, county, so on, to be out there because they think the regular media should jump all over a story about 3rd grader Billy hitting 3rd grader Jimmy in the face because of an petty argument. Let the school administrators do their job according to District Policy, and let media worry about bigger District problems. But unfortunately, folks (and media) navigate toward negative news because it sells newspapers and gains viewers. How often does the media report on an excellent performance by a high school musical group? Or Speech Club, or a Key Club, whose members do great community service? Something to think about.
Dennis, I kindly disagree. I can tell you story after story from my own experience about major incidents that should have been reported to police and should have resulted in expulsion but were swept under the rug. I have no doubt but what you would be shocked at some of the events that we have witnessed.
For instance, the time the male student stripped to the waist and banged a girl's head against the wall several times in my room. I expected him to be arrested but he wasn't--he may have been given a 3-day suspension and that wasn't his first or last major offense.
Any time there is a weapon, that is news--period. How the district handles the incident can vary--and the district (if it wants to avoid all these rumors) could without violating anyone's privacy tell how the incident was handled. After all, there is a very clear-cut policy--and exceptions to the policy should be made clear--if the district wants to avoid criticism. Otherwise, it will have to take what it gets.
This is a common scenario: There are usually a considerable number of high school (maybe even middle school) students who must attend school as a condition of their legal probation. Usually, the individual's probation is revoked if he/she gets into any major (or even minor) kind of trouble at school.
Well-meaning but very permissive administrators often give these students chance after chance--not reporting the incidents that would revoke probation. I know that it is difficult for compassionate people to report these "last straw" offenses that would send a student to prison. However, not doing so sends all kinds of wrong messages and disrupts classrooms and learning.
A third-grader hitting a third-grader is not news. However, when two third graders start a fight that soon includes a whole classroom--that is another story. And when these events happen repeatedly while administrators dismiss them as boys will be boys events--then the school is in chaos. Actually, most of the complaints on blogs come from middle schools and high schools, not from primary schools--there the fights are much more serious.
Sharon,I assume that you have "story after story...about major incidents that you believe "should have been reported to police and should have resulted in expulsion but were swept under the rug." And perhaps I "would be shocked at some of the events that (you) witnessed."
What I don't understand from your posts is what you and/or the other witnessing teachers did to remedy the situation, such as calling the PPD, or blowing the whistle to the PBOE as to the school administration's failure to react appropriately. It just seems to me that there is something problematic with a group of teachers who witness such acts and fail to do anything to remedy the situation, particularly if they are aware that the school's principal,`deans and whomever else are sweeping such incidents under the rug. And I'm in no way defending the failure of the school administrators to act.
Spikeless--The one event that I mentioned here--I told a board member within hours (a couple of class periods) after it occurred. Another colleague and I went to the PJS with some very specific information about discipline problems at Manual--which was given front page coverage. That was a very, very unusual action for teachers to take at the time--before blogs and FOIAS. Both of us, through 2005 when I retired, reported almost daily the fights, etc., to board members. I could not count how many e-mails I wrote to board members (at least one a week and probably more). I continued to e-mail board members after I retired. Two or three generally responded but the others ignored all e-mails--and the ones who responded didn't do much more than write to me.
I could name a couple of teachers who did phone the police when major fights were occurring. In the end, however, if board members don't deem the events as worthy of their attention, very little will or can be done. There is no doubt that most teachers are afraid to come forward. Of course, some teachers have filed a lawsuit because problems were ignored.
When I say many events--I certainly don't mean many every day--but a significant number during a school year to warrant more attention than has ever been given to the general atmosphere of some 150 schools.
Also, teachers are never told which students are under court probation--therefore, teachers don't know that the administration is failing to notify the courts. I find out inadvertently about one student (close to 20 years old) who had violated his probation at MHS so many times--he was protected by the administration. It was harder to keep the info from us about the one student that was wearing an ankle bracelet.
Also, the "big" events are one thing, but just the many every day events of defiance and classroom disruption by themselves are not earth-shattering, but as they create the overall atmosphere, the number of events is more important than the individual events.
Sharon-- Teachers or administrators are not to know about a student under court probation unless the student or parent/guardian has notified their school. This is to protect student privacy and to prevent students from being unfairly targeted. The Peoria Police Department doesn't even know who is on probation, unless a warrant has been issued. This is my understanding of things, but I'm only a relative of a juvenile probation officer.
I found it funny that the news media referred to the BB gun as a "look alike". A high powered BB gun can be as dangerous as a "real" gun. FYI, a BB gun IS a real gun.....on top of it all, the kid says, if you tell, I will bring a "real" gun to school tomorrow and kill you with it. Makes me so happy to know he probably got 5 days suspension and then he will be BACK IN CLASS because we wouldn't want the little darling MISSING learning time......WHEN DO WE PUT THESE KIDS SOMEWHERE ELSE TO KEEP THE MAJORITY OF OUR KIDS SAFE?
I do not call a child bringing a gun to school a CHALLENGE Emerge. I call that child a (beginner)sociopath that society needs protection from. This child threatened to shoot children with a "real" gun if they told on him. Really, is this "normal behavior" in District 150 schools and should we, as a community believe that? It is time to start making examples of students who make poor choices. Toss them out, permanently. Perhaps, eventually, some parents may take notice when they have to home school their kids and that MAYBE they should start PARENTING the children that they reproduced....don'cha think!
@Anonymous:
The challenge I was referring to was the time it takes the school to investigate and inform the public vs how soon some of the details come out in the blogs and/or news cycle.
Emerge, another question that I have relates to why some situations involving weapons in District 150 are reported in the PJS while others are not. Does the PJS have to pursue leads on its own or are all such situations automatically reported to the press? If the PJS has to seek the information, that might explain why not all situations are not reported. In other words, I guess I'm asking--does District 150 withhold the information unless the press asks for it?
Spikeless, now that you have identified yourself as a 150 coach (on another post), am I to assume that you are not aware of any situations involving fights or weapons at the school where you coach?
My guess, of course, is that if you have coached a Parkhurst grandchild, that you probably are at Richwoods. And that is a guess that I should probably not permit myself.
I am just curious because in your earlier comments you seemed to question why, if these situations do occur, the witnesses (teachers) do not report them.
Sharon, I apparently haven't clarified my concern. My concern more fully stated is that if witnesses are aware of specific incidents having occurred and the witnesses are aware that previous similar incidents were actually "swept under the rug" why would they then not act.
If I hear my neighbors arguing long and hard, and the following day have the wife comment that she bruised her arm when she knocked a box off the shelf, it's unlikely that I would call the police. However, if the next night I again hear another loud argument and loud noises, I'm probably on the phone in no time.
I am aware of various incidents at more than one school. I am unaware of any circumstances that fell into the category of what I would consider being "swept under the rug". That being said, I am far from indicating such do not exist, only that I am unaware of them.
Perhaps, my problem is the lack of any clear definition of the term "swept under the rug." I personally believe that differing circumstances can be dealt with in different ways and still have each been appropriately handled. I also am well aware that many times reasonable people can disagree with what may be the appropriate handling of some incidents. I suppose one who disagrees with the manner in which one or more of the incidents was handled could consider them to have been "swept under the rug", while I would tend to view them as having been resolved in a manner with which I disagreed. Perhaps it's semantics, but I view those as two entirely different things.
Spikeless, I don't disagree. I think in some instances I have to stick with "swept under the rug." In my experience, one of two things happened more often than not.
Appropriate consequences were not meted out for students in fights by school personnel. When that "slackness" was reported to the board, the reports met with seemingly deaf ears. I am not necessarily referring to current board members and/or administration--but some, by their own admission, have stated that they don't like to hear bad things about "our" children. My generalization is that sometimes when they hear in private, they ignore; when they hear in public, then complain about the public airing.
That climate has caused some of us with nothing to lose to report what we hear from teachers who have something to lose. I know it sounds easy to do as you ask; I was willing to do so--but, frankly, not until I had plenty of tenure under my belt--but things didn't get that bad until that time either. However, then I was willing to take the risk for my colleagues who had more to risk.
If "when they hear in private, they ignore; when they hear in public, then complain about the public airing" shame on them and let the chips fall where they may when someone screams at the top of their lungs to all that will listen.
Agreed--they took away our mike. Ha!
I am not trying to defend or explain. But, my understanding is...the Peoria PD should not be called. It is better for the district to let Campus Police deal with it. That is if you can get them to come to a school in time. I should say that is the way it was, it might be different with the new chief. But, we were always "discouraged" from calling Peoria PD. I have always had a problem with the "diplomatic immunity" that students have on school property. I have seen many fights, actually assaults, that if they happened off school grounds, would have ended in arrests. I am sure that if I were to punch my neighbor in the face, I would be arrested, I really don't think I would be told to go home for three days. So, a lot of things seem to be ignored for the sake of the illusion that everything is ok. So some things are glossed over for fear of retribution.
I found it interesting that in yesterday's paper a fight at Limestone between two students (with four more joining in)made it into the PJS. That would be a rare occurrence for a District 150 school report. Anonymous--I may not understand what you wrote--I would think that the Campus Police would tend to be more lenient than the Peoria Police. I would think that the Campus Police are obligated to turn over some events to the PPD. Hopefully, all fights, etc., receive the appropriate and consistent school penalty--I did say "hopefully."
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