Talk about misplaced priorities. A high school student in Belding, Michigan has been expelled and is facing a felony charge of “making a threat involving a harmful device.” According to two students, he made an offhand remark about wanting to “get guns with 500 rounds and shoot up the school.”
Now, basically, it’s his word versus the word of these other two students. He says he was joking, they say that they were “frightened” by the remark. Now, this kid is a 4.0 student, never been in trouble. Why in the world would he seriously want to shoot up his school? Almost everyone has made a joke of that sort before, whether because they were letting off steam, or just trying to fit in. They shouldn’t be expelling and charging the kid when there isn’t even any solid evidence; for all they know these kids were making up their fright!
What makes this incident really off-kilter however, is the history of this school. There have been kids who’ve gotten into fights, knocked teeth out, etc., and all of a sudden, they go “no tolerance”, when the kid hasn’t even done anything!
This sort of thing is all over the public school system; inattention and negligence when there really is a problem, and “no tolerance” fascist style crackdowns when there isn’t one! In fact, this is a problem that plagues all government today. The solution to government inconsistency: decentralization (otherwise known as federalism). When too much power is in one group’s hands, misuse and unfairness are inevitable.
The media is partly at fault in this whole debacle in Belding as well. Trumped-up news reports of threats and “massacres” (any time more than one person is killed it suddenly turns into a massacre [massacre:killing of many people. Encarta ® World English Dictionary ©]) at schools feed the public fear that it will happen at their school unless they expel, tar, and feather every student who even mentions the word “gun”.
Perhaps we should stop jumping to conclusions at every “bump in the night” and leave our feelings out of safety policies and punishments.
All quotes are from:
http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?s=7907076
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When you take a direct quote from elsewhere ("making a threat involving a harmful device"), please link it so it doesn't get flagged as plagiarism and unpublished while we sort it out. I went ahead and linked the story for you this time.
In general, I agree with what you've said, but we also have to remember that being a phenomenal student doesn't mean one won't shoot up the school. Kazmierczak was reported to have been an outstanding student that was never in trouble and look what he did. People do senseless crap for all sorts of reasons (and for no reason).
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~Fallon~
“What is insanity, anyway? Is it when you scream and everyone else whispers, or is it when you fight for what's right, even when everyone else thinks your wrong?” Ethergoth
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Thanks for the reminder on the link. I've inserted the link to my source.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have." - Barry Goldwater
"... the ostensible means [diversity] of acheiving a desired end [equality] had become the end itself." - Clarence Thomas
The VT shooter made some comments like that, and he wasn't stopped. The schools are looking out for their students. School shootings have become an epidemic. I don't know how else they could handle it. It's too risky.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
While things can't be completely stopped, there are a few things that could be done:
a) hire armed guards in case something happens (or to deter things)
b) allow staff and faculty who have concealed carry permits actually carry
c) expel any and all students that act or threaten to act in a violent manner, particularly when a weapon is involved
d) listen to and watch the students, instead of sitting in offices and waiting for the students to come to the staff/faculty
Each has its own risk, some are more feasible than others. D, in particular, is a big one in prevention, because there is far, far more that goes on that the staff/faculty are somehow completely oblivious to. B, while controversial, is an effective way to stop things from escalating once such an even happens. A, while a good idea (at least on a part time basis) for some places, isn't economically feasible for most public school districts. C, of course, is pretty much what's posted above, and can lead to a number of complaints and false expulsions (just expulsion in general, in my opinion, is no way to punish any student, since it basically translates into free vacation for them).
-- quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I like the idea of letting concealed permit holders bring their guns to school. I was really disappointed that it got shot down here. I think people simply don't realize the time, effort, and training that goes into obtaining such a license. I really think it could help change the school shooting trend.
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I think that this situation was handled properly. How many times have we said why didn't someone report this person before it was too late? If this person is such an outstanding student why wouldn't he be smart enough to know that this comment was in BAD taste?
Plus why would making a joke about shooting up his school or shooting period would ever be funny? In this time every attempt should be made to safeguard students no matter how big or small.
I just played the hand I was dealt..... I'm just playin to win ;-) (rapper 2Pac)
There's a difference between proper safegaurds and over-reaction. There's a very large proportion of students who have made a joke/comment that they would like to shoot up or blow up their school at some point. Only the very tiniest fraction of a percent of them actually do it.
And what ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? The only evidence in this case was he said vs. they said. There's no physical proof! That's not enough to expell and charge a student with criminal action, very possibly ruining his future career and life. If every kid who made such a joke in such "BAD taste" were expelled and charged, there'd be virtually no one left to "safeguard". A momentary lack of judgement does not a killer make.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have." - Barry Goldwater
"... the ostensible means [diversity] of acheiving a desired end [equality] had become the end itself." - Clarence Thomas