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http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/10/07/slaying_plot_alleged_at_high_school/

By Meganc123 (Meganc123) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:31 pm: Edit

Parents like that annoy me. The cops found a list of people your son wants to kill and information on how to do it, but your son was "framed"??? I don't think so...

By Achat (Achat) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 12:42 pm: Edit

Columbine had us so worried when it happened (in 1999, I think?). We talked about it interminably. The memory has faded somewhat but not much. It is so scary to know your kid can go to a regular HS in a good school district and get murdered there mid-afternoon. My son's school used to have drills where they ducked under chairs and locked doors. Then there was the scare in middle school where someone put a threatening message on the wall mentioning Columbine and the school district was closed for the day.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 04:15 pm: Edit

Meganc, I had the same reaction yesterday to a local case. Three 8th graders admitted that they had plotted to KILL their teacher for giving one of them an "F" on a test. They had very detailed plans but luckily were turned in on the day they were going to do this by another student.

Anyhow, in the sentencing trial yesterday, one of the parents said "I think that the TEACHER is as much at fault as anyone. I think we need to find out why my child felt pushed to do this."

I couldn't believe it.

By Demingy (Demingy) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 04:27 pm: Edit

It just goes to show that some parents will literally let their kids get away with murder (not being facetious here). There are parents who will never see anything that their child does wrong, and unfortunately they end up with kids that think they can get away with everything.

It isn't just a sick mind that could do things like this....a very immature mind is also capable of these thoughts; the mind that hasn't grown past "I want" and "me me me" (the mind that we all have when we are babies).

Carolyn, I can't believe what that parent said, especially the "I think we need to find out why my child felt pushed to do this." Well, I think I could give them a hint (or two).

By 2dsdad (2dsdad) on Thursday, October 07, 2004 - 11:42 pm: Edit

Three years before Columbine I was picking my daughters up at the elementary school when I was alarmed to hear that the buses were running late because of a "hostage incident" at the middle school. I took my kids home and turned on the news to see what I could learn. That small town did not have a local station, so for a long time there was no mention of what had happened. I learned more from my wife that evening and the paper the next day.

An eighth grader had come to school late armed with three guns, including a hunting rifle, hidden under his trench coat. He intended to settle a score with another boy in his class. He walked into his algebra class, shot his teacher when she approached him asking him to stop, then killed his intended victim, another student and severely wounded a third student. My wife, whose office was across the parking lot from the hospital, was called to the ER to assist in the attempts to resucitate the victims. She was a part of the team assigned to the teacher but the effort was futile.

The shooter was in court for a long time and the community was outraged by the legal maneuverings of his attorney and by the excuses the parents offered. The dead boy who was the target of their son was, of course, at fault.

The shooter is now serving two life terms and I don't know what has happened to his parents. I am not sure I care. We have since moved away but the scars, real and emotional, remain in that community.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/06/21/48hours/main208073.shtml

Hug your kids, listen to them and remind them every day that you love them.

Ever watch the movie "Elephant"? Chilling.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363589/

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 09:47 am: Edit

Hug your kids, listen to them and remind them every day that you love them.
>>

So true...and so easy to forget. Thanks for the reminder.

By Alongfortheride (Alongfortheride) on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 10:32 am: Edit

2dsdad, you are right, the scars last a long time. My son's fourth grade class was terrorized by an irate parent who verbally assaulted the teacher and physically assaulted the principal before the police could arrive. He was unstable and apparently was attempting to blame physical abuse inflicted by him on his daughter on school officials. He wouldn't let the kids out of the room. My son said it was like watching a movie, only he couldn't get away form it. It left my son a very sad little boy for awhile, as he worried about his former classmate. After Columbine, there were a couple of delinquents at his middle school who thought it was funny to set off firecrackers and set a fire in the locker down from my son. The panic that followed was scarey for all of the kids. The old feelings from the 4th grade incident began to resurface, and I was glad that school was nearly out for the summer. Fortunately, our school district dealt with both situations in the strictest way possible. Charges were filed on the students and they were sent to alternative school. The parent had a restraining order issued against him and authorities began an intense investigation. All of this in beautiful schools in very safe neighborhoods, much like Columbine. I learned that first day, that we do not live in a jar and that no school is completely safe. We have to teach kids to be aware of their surroundings and to not worry about being a "snitch" if they get wind of something like what was just uncovered.

And the parents of these students need to be held accountable too. Personality changes, depression, change of friends, talk of violence, complaints of teasing, assembling an arsenal in their bedroom or the family garage are all warning signs. I also am less than generous in my feelings towards these parents that want to put the blame back on someone else. It seems they are passing the buck just one more time.