Hide - advice for if a gunman enters school

[goddess40]

That's what my eighth grader heard today at school.

Last week a 12 year old asked what would happen if he brought a gun to school, the story goes that he said he wasn't afraid to die and it just snowballed from there.
The mother, rightfully, refused to have her house searched and the poor kid was put in the health care center for the weekend.

The teachers and staff are a bit jumpy and with reason, since the principal that what killed was only 45 minutes away. BUT, they need to temper that fear with reason.
I sure would have liked to hear what was actually said. I also think that if they are going to take a kid in for observation a parent should have the right to be present at all times, the kid was probably scared shitless.

Did he, the 12 year old, handle it poorly - yes. He may have been asking the question to find out what the school was going to do if the situation happened, the kids that are aware of what happened at the Weston school are scared too.

I have been advocating for years that the district start an anti-bullying program so kids don't have to fear coming to school and they don't build up fear, resentment and anger. But do they do it NO instead they tell the kids that if someone with a gun is in school they should hide. Well done-seems like FEMA is running our school district.

[MadMaddie]

1. The Neocon Christian nuts fight all anti-bullying legislation

because they want the right to continue to bully gay students into submission.....and because the neocons are so short sited all other kids that get bullied go ignored....this is the Republican neocon way...

[Ian David]

2. Haven't you seen the movie Red Dawn?

Republicans want all our (white) kids to bring guns to school.

They've actually been pushing for laws to allow (white) kids to bring deer hunting guns onto school property so they can go hunting when the bell rings.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. My HS actually had a rifle club up until the late 80s, I think.

This is in suburban NJ. The basement of the school is actually still a rifle range, although it's just used for storage now.

[Retired AF Dem]

4. Any links?

interesting.

[Ian David]

5. I was looking for the link, but gave up

All I could find were a mountain of stories about school gun violence.

I wonder why.

[Retired AF Dem]

7. It is kind of strange that back in the days

of being able to buy guns through mail order, hardware stores, Sears and Montgomery Ward and many schools did at one time allow high school students to bring hunting rifles to school you never had school shootings. Try goggling Bath School disaster. Real eye opener and no guns used.

On edit
"That the GFSA does not apply to a firearm that is lawfully stored inside a locked vehicle on school property, or if it is for activities approved and authorized by the local educational agency (LEA), so long as the LEA adopts appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety."

http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpformula/gfsaguid03.doc

[goddess40]

9. ? We do have a republican that wants teachers to carry guns

Guns in schools on TV
Posted: Saturday, October 07, 2006 4:15:21 AM by Clubinspirations Team
Category: Guns

State Rep. Frank Lasees advocacy of legislation that would allow school staff to carry guns has attracted national TV network attention
http://guns.clubinspirations.com/
It's the 10th story down.

Otherwise my orginal post is what my son told me when I asked how school went today. So there's no link to be had. I will be contacting the school because you'd think they'd send something home about it or have a forum at school.

[Warren DeMontague]

6. I always find it interesting that they inevitably blame this shit on

(take your pick) Liberals, Sex Ed, Evolution, The Birth Control Pill, Science... whatever.

Yet these school shootings invariably take place in Conservative, White-Bread communities where the only common denominator besides lots of churchgoin' folk is ready access to large amounts of firepower.

[erinlough]

8. I would have been right with you until this year

but, I have a student that I think could snap and do it. Thirty four years and this year I think this child really could. I know all the problems he has, I know why he is so angry, I know I'm scared and every time there is another school shooting I hold my breath on the next day.

I have decided he will take me out before he hurts the kids, so there you go. It is unbelievable to me that I have to think like this, I wish I could make a difference in his life.....I won't be able to and neither will anyone else. He has been programmed to react as if it is never his fault, someone is always after him, and sadly his father being in prison does not instill any fear in his being caught or going to jail.

I am telling you, some kids are not being teased they are bullying and not just their peers. This one bully's teachers, parents, siblings etc. I know I have to try to teach him, and I point out every chance I can the times when he is behaving appropriately. I am fearful though that if I get him through this year, next year will be the time. I'm not a teacher who ever has behavior problems in their class, I have years of special education experience. This guy is different.

[goddess40]

10. You're right, some kids just seem unreachable

But there are more that if the schools had an effective anti-bullying program and everyone was on board these kids could be helped. What you do on your own sounds wonderful but just imagine if everyone was doing the same thing?

An anti-bullying program is really a community building exercise. It takes a village approach.

I know when my son has his panic/anxiety attacks there are kids who would help if they knew what to do. Even if it was to tell the bully's to knock it off it would go a long way in reducing my son's anxiety. I'm not advocating that kids take a hands on approach but more subtle things. Such as kids should know what to do if a classmate, teacher... has a siezure: No crowding around, dim the lights, move objects away instead of sitting there not having a clue.

[yasmina27]

11. Absolutely

Speaking from a bullying perspective (in terms of health issues i.e. panic attacks, allergic reactions, etc., those closest should be trained what to do in an age-appropriate manner), many schools have now set up conflict-mediation programs. Ideally, these programs are mediated by the students' peers, with no disciplinary actions taken by the admin. (this mediation does not replace disciplinary measures- if appropriate, it works beside it. For example, a student is disciplined for harassment by admin. PLUS s/he is referred to mediation with his/her harrassee (is that a word?) to see if the situation can be ameliorated so that it does not reoccur.)

The key student(s) in any conflict is the Kid In the Middle (KIM) who is basically a hanger-on to the alpha-kid (harrasser), but who is essentially a decent person looking for social influence. They are the ones who can be counted on to let persons in control to know what is going on.

[Horse with no Name]

12. Many people assume, at our own peril,

that children are innocent.
This boy obviously is not.
I was trying to make the point earlier today that because of whatever circumstances, there are children that are sociopaths and children that have homicidal tendencies. I was treated like a leper for suggesting that some kids can't be helped.
I can't imagine the fear you live with.
The kids that I speak of ARE different. They aren't your run of the mill behavior problems. The literature that I have read all says that you can see it in their eyes.
Thankfully, I have only read about it. I fear you have seen it.
Stay safe.

[erinlough]

13. Thank you for understanding

I have always been an advocate for the unloved, misunderstood kids in our school. To those who are, rightly, advocating anti-bullying programs, we have them and we have a counselor who runs groups etc. We teach in teams, so my team is a great support for me. The students we see get individual attention and we use each other's strengths with students to address problems. This is a small public rural school, very much like the one in Wisconsin where the Principal was shot. The big deal for our kids is the football game on Friday.

It is correct that some students are sociopaths. In this rural midwestern atmosphere with 300 students in our school, I have had two students who went on to murder, and one who was killed in the process of a rape. I knew each one of them was hopelessly headed for trouble, we all did. I tried everything to help while I could: parent meetings, sessions of listening, reporting the abuse they suffered, special programs, I even washed one's clothes for him, because of the terrible condition of his home and life.

This time the student is already past accepting help from another adult he sees as the enemy. My fear comes in the fact that he has begun hating me, and I have never been in that place. By the way, he hates his mother also, so maybe he is projecting. I will figure it out, because in the public school there are very few options, we all must figure it out.

Wish me luck!

[goddess40]

14. I do wish you luck

You seem like a wonderful person who does a lot of good, I hope all goes well for you.

Thank you for being there for those kids that have no one.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

15. Curious: Why do you say mother "rightfully" refused search?

I have a 13 year old son. If he said something like that, I'd be horribly alarmed.