TRUTH - the student was not "stabbed", he/she was "cut" by another child with a box-cutter. The incident, from what I understand, did not result in a hospitalization, but it did result in an injury. Why didn't the public hear about this? Such an incident is not a matter of "privacy of the offender", as it pertains to child safety.
If you have a student that takes out a gun and begins to shoot another student, right away the shooter is identified and the name is released. Additionally, parents as well as students are informed by the alert system. In this instance, there was no alert given. Granted, a box cutter on campus, is no where near as dangerous as a gun on campus, but parents and the public still deserve some type of notification of the incident.
I am hearing from more than one parent, at different schools, that there is an attempt to keep problems of violence and discipline secret and within the schools (see school resource officers).Unfortunately, all schools don't have "school resource officers". The "secrecy" of this particular issue and the failure to notify the parents of a potential problem endangers life and safety of all students. I find this problematic, as it does not encourage public safety and poses a problem if this is District 150's formal policy going forward.
Safety cannot be a facade - I will say again, if parents know the school their child attends is not safe - it won't be safe, unless parents and students stand together to make it so. The schools will do what they can to appease parents, without addressing the root problems. Hopefully these Roosevelt Magnet School parents will get together and find some answers.
If you have a student that takes out a gun and begins to shoot another student, right away the shooter is identified and the name is released. Additionally, parents as well as students are informed by the alert system. In this instance, there was no alert given. Granted, a box cutter on campus, is no where near as dangerous as a gun on campus, but parents and the public still deserve some type of notification of the incident.
I am hearing from more than one parent, at different schools, that there is an attempt to keep problems of violence and discipline secret and within the schools (see school resource officers).Unfortunately, all schools don't have "school resource officers". The "secrecy" of this particular issue and the failure to notify the parents of a potential problem endangers life and safety of all students. I find this problematic, as it does not encourage public safety and poses a problem if this is District 150's formal policy going forward.
Safety cannot be a facade - I will say again, if parents know the school their child attends is not safe - it won't be safe, unless parents and students stand together to make it so. The schools will do what they can to appease parents, without addressing the root problems. Hopefully these Roosevelt Magnet School parents will get together and find some answers.
20 comments:
The new administration policy is "noising" the incident is a violtion of privacy.
I am not as prone as some might think to spread rumors. I have been sitting on a couple for several days--and they might be just rumors. However, when District 150 sets a precedent to not let us and, most of all, parents know when incidents occur, it makes me wonder if there is truth in rumors. There probably won't be any leaks coming from Trewyn since so many of the faculty is new--but I heard some rumor about a gun in the building. And I heard something about a lockdown at Woodruff. Yes, they might well be unfounded rumors and they might be fact.
Also, in light of the changes made or proposed for the campus police, I think people should know if these changes are good in light of what may or may not be happening in schools at this crucial time at the beginning of the year.
I can confirm the lockdown at Woodruff, I heard it on the scanner.
Knife or box cutter, both are DEADLY. There is NO differentiation when it is a weapon used for CUTTING. Yes, there are police at many of the (below the hill) schools EVERY DAY. It is all definitely being "swept under the rug"....I know, I am living it! Kids are OUT OF CONTROL and NO ONE is meeting out realistic discipline.
First of all, the unwritten rule of not telling has been going on for years. For instance, it was an "unwritten rule" to not call Peoria PD, but to let Campus Police deal with it. Usually, they just "dealt" with it. Sharon Crews was right on the money when she asked why certain students were not expelled for major infractions. And a lot of infractions never made it to the paper work. One school in particular had drugs and knives just swept under the rug. There is a kind of "Diplomatic Immunity" for students on school property. And just for the records, the terrorist of 9/11 used box cutters. They used them to scare people into submission. A box cutter causes a lot of pain and blood. If you don't think it is deadly, cut yourself deep, and then tell us how minimal it is. And speaking of incidents, how about the pregnant woman who was assaulted across the street from Central.
Come on, Emerge didn't really imply that box cutters weren't dangerous or that their use should go unpunished.--after all, she is the one that "broke" the story to the public.
She has given us the opportunity to make public the events that District 150 wants swept under the rug.
Oh, I didn't mean Emerge, I meant the District would downplay it. Sorry about that, that was not my intention at all.
The "incident" happened Thur and parents only got notification of it today? What if Ms. Emerge hadn't rasied the issue?
Anonymous, sorry for misunderstanding.
Wonder why so many Lincoln students were transferred over to Roosevelt? hmmmmmmmm.....
It is definitely happening in a lot of 150 schools, and yes RMS is one... definitely the one that emerge gets "emerged into the news.." no other school district allows kids to go back to class after they bring a weapon to class.... it also depends on the classroom the weapon carrier is in. seems some classes carry more weight with the principal and more is done, but either way it is not enough... It seems kids at this school and several others have been assualting each other in fights and with some types of weapons for quite some time, most the time they are sent back to class... What was the consiquence for the student that used the box cutter (althought I heard it was a knife and box cutter was used later to make it sounds as if it wasn't intentional or really a weapon...) A fist can be a weapon many a persona has been killed by a beating from another. There is no justification to the violencce or bullying that is being overlooked and downplayed at MANY 150 schools and Id also LIKE TO SAY NOT ALL... many principals are just as disguisted about the violence in the community and schools as teeachers and MOST of the parents are...
WAKE UP PEORIA CITIZENS, ESPECIALLY PARENTS: in an other school district the student would be expelled and expected to get help / counseling most likely family evalation and probably a psychological evaltion... Before entering any kind of classroom again... and many of these children actually need to be hospitalized and evaluted for psychological / mental illness. IT IS NEVER NORMAL TO USE VIOLENCE AS A SOLUTION, MUCH LESS WEAPONS IN SCHOOL... What has to happen a child is actually killed? We are supposed to be raising and teaching our kids to become upstanding citizens and problem solvers, not voilent criminals/thugs.... sending a child back to class after they knowlingly bring a weapon to school sends a message "it is wrong, but no big deal...." Same policy is followed if a child brings toys.... dissenitized to violence... what sickens some of us is considered "the life" or "just the way it is by" SOME 150 principals... at this school it was just a matter of time....
It does seem that it's going to take a death to get 150 people in power to step up and do what needs to be done to get this under control.
I would be surprised if any of the board members were even aware of this situation. Lathan keeps them in the DARK.
Board members hear enough from the podium, so they should know enough to do some investigating on their own. If they are in the dark, they like the dark.
Sharon, you are so right. The information is right here. It doesn't take much work to read a couple blogs and walk through a school, talk to a principal, or better yet, talk to a few teachers. How about talking to some parents and students?
I talked to a former student today who is now going to school in East Peoria. She said it is like night and day. No students talking filthy and disrespecting adults. She said they are ARRESTED and removed from the building immediately. BTW, this is a Jr. High.
What kind of logical reason can you give for returning a 2nd grade student to the classroom the next day after hitting a teacher? It's happening in 150 more than any administrator wants to admit. Why don't our best students deserve a safe environment at their school? I wish there were more parents involved enough in their child's life to step up and demand better in the schools. It seems pretty obvious that just having the teachers talk about what is going on and asking for help isn't enough.
I understand all the reasons why teachers don't want to risk the only solution, but the only solution is to go public with these issues in a big, unified way--and that would take big time support from the union leaders(not sure it's there), who might risk losing their administrative positions.
Once again, Sharon, you are so right. There are so many of us just fighting to get/keep our jobs because of the yearly pink slips. We can't stand up and say what is going on. We would certainly never get hired back nor would be get much of a recommendation from the principal. Also, there are actually schools in Peoria where things are moving along quite nicely and those teachers have either chosen to be or truly are clueless as to what is happening elsewhere. It is very obvious from the turn out at union elections and strike votes that the Peoria union is extremely weak and nothing will change. Maybe that is part of the Lathan strategy. With everyone moving around and new staffs with new principals, added to a no curriculum, no textbook start to the year, teachers are just trying to make it to the end of the half-hour longer day.
I would think there isn't much learning going on because of packed classrooms and no books. It does seem the very last thing on Lathan's to do list is "educate children".
ALOT of the violence is because the BOE has "handcuffed" the Campus Police...uh....school resource officers....they are told not to make arrests and to let the school handle it...I hear that the school safety chief is going right along with the BOE policy and doesn't give a damn about his department officers.
What about the BB player shot after school Fri during dismissal at Manual??....the fights just 1-2blks away every day because the principals and officers are told...NO??
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