GA - A Group of Georgia Third Graders Plot To Attack Teacher

[sherri79]

WAYCROSS, GA -- It's the type of news you don't expect to hear coming out of an elementary school. Nine third grade students suspended at Center Elementary in Waycross for an alleged plot to attack their teacher.

"This plot was uncovered at the point that something dangerous was brought to the school," says Lt. Dwayne Caswell with Waycross Police.

Police say the students were hatching a plan to harm their teacher Friday morning. They even brought items from home to carry out the plan.

"They had a broken steak knife, a crystal paper weight, toy handcuffs, several items and tape and stuff," says Lt. Caswell.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=106016

 

[sherri79]

Although officials said they believe the students were plotting to hurt their teacher, they did not know how far the kids were planning to take the alleged scheme.

The police chief in Waycross told Channel 4 he believes the plan may have been developed because one of the students was punished with some sort of time out. However, that theory remains under investigation.

"I can't believe that -- because he's a third-grader. You know, I cannot believe that. Especially, for here," said parent Doris Rowland.

The nine students suspected in the plot to harm the teacher have been suspended until the police investigation is completed. The kids could face expulsion pending the investigation.

Authorities could also ask prosecutors to press conspiracy charges against the youngsters accused of being involved in the plot.
http://www.news4jax.com/news/15755299/detail.html

 

[sherri79]

WAYCROSS, Ga. - Police questioned a group of third-graders suspected in a plot to kill their teacher at Center Elementary School on Monday, apparently because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair.


The nine students - girls and boys, 8 and 9 years old - are too young to be charged with a crime under Georgia law, a prosecutor told the Times-Union. Authorities withheld the students' names because of their age and student privacy laws. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/040108/geo_263715960.shtml

 

[sherri79]

i am at a loss for words. i am never at a loss for words but wow. 6 to 9 kids all under the age of 10 that agree to hurt their teacher and bring tools to do it. wow just wow.

 

[deanws]

OMGosh...this is scary. What is this world coming to? I am in shock...... I really am.

 

[Waterlily]

Oooh this is frightening ... and yet when I look at some of the kids I teach, kids who think the rules don't apply to them and who have never heard the word no, it isn't such a far stretch to imagine it happening at my school. I don't understand how kids have come to be like this, and it truly scares me when i think of the world my kids will be growing up in.

 

[shadowplay]

What the hell is wrong with the world today? I can't imagine in my wildest dreams doing anything to a teacher when I was in HIGH SCHOOL let alone when I was in the 3rd grade! How scary is this? It's no wonder there's such a teacher shortage nation wide. I hope the parents knock some sense into these kids, though the fact that these children plotted this in the first place tells me it's probably a cycle that will just continue...

 

[Trino]

What the hell is wrong with the world today? I can't imagine in my wildest dreams doing anything to a teacher when I was in HIGH SCHOOL let alone when I was in the 3rd grade! How scary is this? It's no wonder there's such a teacher shortage nation wide. I hope the parents knock some sense into these kids, though the fact that these children plotted this in the first place tells me it's probably a cycle that will just continue...

IMO too much TV/video games/movies. Kids this young don't get an idea like this on their own.

 

[MeoW333]

Hearing about this is just scary; most of us cannot even fathom something like this going on during our times, let alone a group of 8th graders.
They need to keep the "mastermind" under watch if she was able to get 9 of her peers involved in the plot. Did she have older siblings? You have to wonder about the home lives of these children. Were they even exposed to violence by the media at that age? Or did it come from their homes? Parents; older siblings?
That fact that other children went along with this girl's idea is scary; no one questioned that it was wrong and a bad thing to do. Their teacher is near retirement (at the end of the year) so i am guessing she's an older woman.
They all need to have some type of punishment before they succeed at kidnapping or take things too far later on in life if they get a slap on the wrist now.

 

[Floh]

OMGosh...this is scary. What is this world coming to? I am in shock...... I really am.

There's a sense of entitlement being bred into children. if they don't get their own way — look out!

not all children, of course. but definitely some.

 

[Floh]

IMO too much TV/video games/movies. Kids this young don't get an idea like this on their own.

What s/he said!

 

[southcitymom]

I don't know how seriously I can take this. My 7-year-old and his friends constantly plot to overthrow the world (this includes most adults and all younger siblings). They make spears of sticks, use ropes, rocks and crystals, etc..etc..

This sounds like a case of magical thinking and fantasy play, but in a zero tolerance school system, magical thinking and fantasy play can only go so far. I understand that the school takes it seriously and has to react - I just am suspect that these kids were truly up to no good.

 

[southcitymom]

IMO too much TV/video games/movies. Kids this young don't get an idea like this on their own.

My Dad grew up with no television/video games whatsoever - he and his cousin played crazy, mischievous, attack the bad guys games all the time. He almost hung his cousin once - not because he was a psychopath but because that's what you do when you catch the bad guy.

My boys watch very little tv and have never played video games, but they have been playing pretend weapon games and overthrow the world games for as long as I can remember. I guess they get it from a mixture of reading (which they do a lot of) and testosterone and imagination (which they have a lot of).

 

[Eire]

There's a sense of entitlement being bred into children. if they don't get their own way — look out!

not all children, of course. but definitely some.

Yep. Kids today think the rules don't apply to them, plain and simple. They think the world revolves around them and their wants. Parents aren't helping the situation by giving in to every whim. Obviously, not all kids, but enough of them.

 

[MissAmanduh13]

Yep. Kids today think the rules don't apply to them, plain and simple. They think the world revolves around them and their wants. Parents aren't helping the situation by giving in to every whim. Obviously, not all kids, but enough of them.

A lot of kids know how to play the system now to. Granted a lot of the rules and things that have been put into place have been to protect children, but unfortunately kids now-a-days are smarter and know how to play into that. I am a school crossing gaurd to elementry school students. One day I told a kid to get back from the crub, otherwise he could get his toes run over..... well.... you know what the little kid said? Good, I hope they do run over my feet, because then I can sue them! Can you imagine.... a 3rd grader... saying that? I don't know if it is so much video games that cause the problems, but the system and parents themseleves. The system trys to be so P.C. about everything, kids cannot be kids anymore, and they have all this built up anger and angst. It's quite sad.

 

[Trino]

I don't know how seriously I can take this. My 7-year-old and his friends constantly plot to overthrow the world (this includes most adults and all younger siblings). They make spears of sticks, use ropes, rocks and crystals, etc..etc..

This sounds like a case of magical thinking and fantasy play, but in a zero tolerance school system, magical thinking and fantasy play can only go so far. I understand that the school takes it seriously and has to react - I just am suspect that these kids were truly up to no good.

If you read the story, you should have noted that the first kid who got caught had a knife sticking out of his backpack. IMO this is not fantasy play.

 

[southcitymom]

If you read the story, you should have noted that the first kid who got caught had a knife sticking out of his backpack. IMO this is not fantasy play.

Yes - I read the story and I definitely understand the school had to do something about the knife. But I have had to remove various kitchen utensils and butter knives from my 1st grader band of bandits. We have had talks about real hurting and pretend. Even though I don't see an ounce of real violence in this kids I'm talking about, they are all fascinated with weapons, real or pretend.

You might be absolutely right that this is a future ring of hoodlums in the making, but without more information, I just don't know. Without question, they need a serious talking to - I'm just not convinced they truly intended to harm anyone.

My child would get in big trouble from me if he took a broken steak knife to school to play a game. I'm sure the schools are clear on what you can and can't bring.

 

[southcitymom]

,,,,,, kids cannot be kids anymore, and they have all this built up anger and angst. It's quite sad.

There is truth in this. Also, so many kids are tremendously overscheduled with organized activities!

 

[deanws]

I don't know how seriously I can take this. My 7-year-old and his friends constantly plot to overthrow the world (this includes most adults and all younger siblings). They make spears of sticks, use ropes, rocks and crystals, etc..etc..

This sounds like a case of magical thinking and fantasy play, but in a zero tolerance school system, magical thinking and fantasy play can only go so far. I understand that the school takes it seriously and has to react - I just am suspect that these kids were truly up to no good.

They brought duct tape, a steak knife, handcuffs, ribbon, a heavy crystal paperweight...they were serious and brought the weapons to do it. I would be heartbroken if I was their teacher. Thank goodness they didn't have access to a gun!

 

[southcitymom]

They brought duct tape, a steak knife, handcuffs, ribbon, a heavy crystal paperweight...they were serious and brought the weapons to do it. I would be heartbroken if I was their teacher. Thank goodness they didn't have access to a gun!

The ringleader is a girl.