TN - Teachers Stage Fake Gun Attack on Kids

[hipmamajen]

I'm so glad I'm able to homeschool my kids. Public education grows more idiotic by the day.

Amen!

 

[Elphaba]

Scaring the heck out of those kids and it barely a month after the VT shootings, is not a prank... it's a mean, cruel and sadistic act. There is NO jusitification in terrorizing children... and that is what they did. Some of those kids had to walk away emotionally scarred... and as we all know, some kids are emotionally fragile and all it takes is a few second to scare them really bad. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


People have been arrested for pulling pranks... if I was a parent I would definitely find out if charges could be brought up on the teachers... and I would become a thorn in the schoolboard's side to get the teachers fired. What idiots..

 

[Amraann]

I was going to write the same thing, the student would be in jail or charged with something for even writing such a scenario much less acting it out. This was a sadistic, cruel, and horrible thing to do to the kids. This sort of thing is not a prank and in no way comparable to telling a ghost story. I doubt if they will be fired, but those responsible have no business working around kids. They're probably lying about not having fake guns or at least making it look they had one. I find it very odd that no parents have been invited on these week long trips that involve up to 69 children. No way I'd let my kid go off with that many kids and a few teachers for that long. Now the school is going to "invite" parents..Why didn't they before??

I don't understand why the parents would need to be invited??
As a parent I need NO invitation to go anywhere my child is.
IMO these parents permitted this because they enjoyed the break from their children more then they worried about their safety.

 

[angelmom]

I don't understand why the parents would need to be invited??
As a parent I need NO invitation to go anywhere my child is.
IMO these parents permitted this because they enjoyed the break from their children more then they worried about their safety.

This is one more way a school has of taking control of kids. Our school recently had an out of state field trip. It was the week after VT, during all of those follow-up bomb threats and other crises, and only several weeks after a bus went off an overpass right here in Atlanta killing several members of a college baseball team.

The parents who were allowed to go were hand-picked by the teachers. I was told earlier in the year that I would be a chaperone (along with others) and then the week before the trip they changed their mind and picked different parents.

Parents who were not picked (including me) asked if we could go at our own expense in our own cars as extra chaperones. I was told, "I can't stop you from going, but I hope you know how disruptive that would be." Direct quote. Rude tone. Clearly did not want me there.

They were shocked when about 15% of the students (including my son) stayed home. Another bunch let their kids go but were not happy about it, in part b/c some who stayed home were being teased and the other kids were saying they were scared. Nice, huh?

 

[southcitymom]

A prank?

At first I thought they were staging a drill, which would have still been misguided, but at least understandable. Now I'm realizing that this was supposed to be entertainment?

What is wrong with these people? Did they think that would be funny?

<Throws hands in the air in confusion and disgust>

When I re-read the article, it seems clear that the staff who did this started it as an instructional experience, not as a prank. It sounds like when the students got so upset, they gathered them around and said "hey, it's not real."

I think what these staff members did was stupid and misguided and they certainly need to be made to see the error of their ways, but I don't think they were being malicious or trying to scare the children for fun.

 

[sherri79]

When I re-read the article, it seems clear that the staff who did this started it as an instructional experience, not as a prank. It sounds like when the students got so upset, they gathered them around and said "hey, it's not real."

I think what these staff members did was stupid and misguided and they certainly need to be made to see the error of their ways, but I don't think they were being malicious or trying to scare the children for fun.

Each night of the trip, after daily activities such as caving, canoeing and hiking, the group of students, teachers, and park staff would gather for campfires and storytelling. Some of these stories were ghost stories.Following Thursday night's stories, another story was told that I believe crossed the line. I've tried since yesterday to remain calm," said Principal Catherine Stephens.
The students were told there were armed subjects in the area and to take precautions.

According to Bartch the entire scenario lasted about five minutes, after which, the teachers gathered the students explaining it was a prank.

We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," said Bartch.

Bartch is the vice principal. he says it was a "prank"

 

[sherri79]

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/NEWS01/705140314/1002

 

[sherri79]

the school issued a statement. http://www.cityschools.net/schoolsites/se/index.html

 

[southcitymom]

http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070514/NEWS01/705140314/1002

Thanks for this article. It goes into way more detail. The prank was ill-conceived, to be sure, but I still don't think it was malicious.

I'm sure my perspective comes from the fact that I LOVED being scared out of my wits at that age...still do. However, as an adult, I realize that not all kids are so oriented.

As I said earlier - I would vote for taking them snipe hunting! (but even that could have frigtened some, I guess).

 

[sherri79]

Thanks for this article. It goes into way more detail. The prank was ill-conceived, to be sure, but I still don't think it was malicious.

I'm sure my perspective comes from the fact that I LOVED being scared out of my wits at that age...still do. However, as an adult, I realize that not all kids are so oriented.

i agree it was not malicious. that does not change the fact it was very very stupid. scary can be fun. lots of us like thrill rides or haunted houses. these kids had nightly ghost stories. it's fun to be scared when u know you are safe. would the thrill ride be fun if once you board your lap belt does not work? if the haunted house had real killers in it? times are different than when most of us went to school. we had fire drills but we didn't have to have a "code red" for when a gun man enters the school drill. these kids have that. these kids know that other kids went to school and died. as kids i am sure they always think it wont happen to me. these teachers fixed that. do i think these teachers planned to harm these kids? no. when as a parent you put your child in a teachers care they must do a better job. the press release said only 3 boys and a couple girls seemed really upset later that night. is that not enough?

 

[southcitymom]

i agree it was not malicious. that does not change the fact it was very very stupid. scary can be fun. lots of us like thrill rides or haunted houses. these kids had nightly ghost stories. it's fun to be scared when u know you are safe. would the thrill ride be fun if once you board your lap belt does not work? if the haunted house had real killers in it? times are different than when most of us went to school. we had fire drills but we didn't have to have a "code red" for when a gun man enters the school drill. these kids have that. these kids know that other kids went to school and died. as kids i am sure they always think it wont happen to me. these teachers fixed that. do i think these teachers planned to harm these kids? no. when as a parent you put your child in a teachers care they must do a better job. the press release said only 3 boys and a couple girls seemed really upset later that night. is that not enough?

It's definitely enough - one is enough - and I think it's why everyone is all over their stuff...and rightfully so!

I was just kind throwing in my 2 cents in response to postings that this was intentionally evil and cruel. I think it was unintentially stupid and I think the leaders should have known better, but I don't think anyone wanted to harm those kids in the name of a prank.

 

[sherri79]

It's definitely enough - one is enough - and I think it's why everyone is all over their stuff...and rightfully so!

I was just kind throwing in my 2 cents in response to postings that this was intentionally evil and cruel. I think it was unintentially stupid and I think the leaders should have known better, but I don't think anyone wanted to harm those kids in the name of a prank.

i did not think for a second you thought the teachers did the right thing. i was partly responding to you and partly responding to the press release from the school. sorry bout that. i am sure the school fears getting sued or something so they want to put the best spin on it possible. i still did not like the press release at all. when u screw up stand up and say "wow i really screwed up. i am sorry. i wont do it again. here is how i plan to fix it." don't release a statement that says it was not that big of a deal but it was a mistake. the line in the release that bugged me the most was that the kids did not speak about it the next day... you got to be kidding me. they may not have spoke to the teachers but does any1 really think they did not speak of it with each other?

 

[Invisible]

I can see one teacher using bad judgement, but not ALL of them. Surely, at some of these teachers must have felt that this was not a good plan and that the kids would not have realized that it was a prank.

Because I have children, I have spoken with many of their teachers over the years and they have all, except for one, seemed to be really in touch with what was going on in the minds of the kids that they were teaching and mindful of where the kids were emotionally. There was one teacher that was just burnt out and she was so checked out that she wouldn't have bothered to attend something like this.

 

[FLMom]

In Jr. High school back in the 80's, before the days of school shootings and violence, we had a teacher do something similar.

I was in the class next door. We heard a loud yell, a few screams and a door bang shut. The teacher was trying to teach the students awareness of their surroundings, and show how much/little was noticed by people when they are put in a stressful situation.

The teacher had a guy come rushing into his classroom and basically mug him in front of all of the students, then shove him as the "" ran out the door.

What he didn't count on was how loved he was as a teacher, and how badly it upset the students. He also didn't count on the fact that one of his students had a nervous disorder. They couldn't calm her down in the classroom, and I don't think I'll ever forget those piercing wails from her.

It was a poor idea then, it's a poor idea now. The teachers have probably been watching too much Fear Factor and other reality TV nonsense. How bout a good ole fashioned CLASS on awareness and survival?

 

[Ang50]

To make a point from another thread - this might be an area where you sue in order to get the district to respond appropriately.

The appropriate response is: This was a horrible decision. The teachers will be appropriately reprimanded. This will never happen again and we are terribly sorry.

That's when as a parent you can at least get past it. Until then you try to resolve it, and if you can't, you sue.

 

[Ang50]

Hubby and I were both in the same school district, and remember "Camp Timberlee." Most people of my age in the district do - it was only when you got to sixth grade. A "rite of passage" sort of.

I remember vividly holding a snake, the bunk beds, some girl getting her period, walking in the woods, how the mess hall looked, making a leather bracelet, etc. I would have LOST MY MIND if my teachers had staged something like this - I'm an adult and can hardly handle ghost stories.

 

[Annie]

This is another article about the suspension of the assistant principal and a teacher.

http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=6514465

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Real school violence spreads to Canada--An eastern Canadian high school was evacuated after an explosive device was found--A student was arrested