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[wheatenwalker]

wow, this thread is nasty!

[CinderAbby]

Originally Posted by wheatenwalker

wow, this thread is nasty!

Not really, most of the posts have been very supportive of the OP and her situation.

[aprild]

Setting the legalities aside, you need to do whatever you feel is necessary to set your mind and your sons mind at ease.

In this day and age I don't think you can be too careful. My DD was bullied and threatened daily when she first started 6th grade. I pursued all available avenues and when I didn't get the results I needed for her I pulled her out of school and she finished her education at home.

Good luck getting a resolution that makes you and your son feel safe.

[FanOfMickey]

[Pax]

Originally Posted by KHarrod

I'm actually pretty disgusted with the "time out-let's shake hands and be friends" approach versus a good ole fashion a$$ whoopin'.

To an extent, I agree. I just think the whuppin' should come from officialdom, not the kids themselves. Gang violence is a kid-to-kid, slow one-upsmanship of violence; that's not something to risk, let alone encourage. But officialdome can and IMO should come down on any threat-maker's head like God's own avalanche.

We live in a different world today and joking about shooting someone is no joke.

This. A thousand, thousand times: this.

Think how horrified we'd all be if, instead of reporting just the threat, the OP had come here to report that her son had actually been shot. So, no; "just let it go" isn't advice I'm willing to give. I'd rather the full weight of officialdom come down on that other boy, than see the son or daughter of someone here even RISK being hurt or killed.

Originally Posted by Huntermom

My suspicion is there is more to the story. One of the things that struck me was the OP's son began the interaction by telling this kid to be quiet. This was not initiated by the other kid. Not typical in a bullying situation.

Disneyknut reported that Brendan is a Section Leader. Thus, he has been given some degree of authority, and used it in a way that appears entirely appropriate, in order to eliminate a disruption. Indeed, he used it to back up the faculty member.

Courts cannot make ruling based on what they would like to do. There needs to be a petition in from of them, they need legal jurisdiction and they need to have jurisdiction over the parties. I don't know how a court could order a school or school board to expel a child. This is usually in the power of the school board or administration. In my state, they school district is given this right by statute (law). And before the parents go to the school board, they need to know lots more than they do.

School boards can and have been taken to court in the past. In PA, even:

One example: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District. Over a matter of mere curriculae, not anything as important as a threat of death!

Or there's this case, where the ACLU took the Tunkhannock Area School District to court over the search of a studen't cellphone.

And then there's Robbins v. Lower Merion School District ... a suit over invasion of privacy through the use of webcams to spy on students while they were at home.

Or how about the one where the Lebanon School District was sued over excessive fines for Truancy?

Seriously. It took me longer to cut-and-paste those URLs, than it did to find them on google, looking simply for "PA school board lawsuit". So, obviously, even in yur home state ... yes, the schools just like everyone and everything else in this country, are subject to the jurisdiction of one court or another. I honestly can't believe an attorney seemed to think that a school district could be above the courts, or otherwise beyond any court's jurisdiction ...!

I know what it costs to get an RO and if an attorney has to wait 3 hours at the court house to get the RO you are talking close to 1 K there. When you do an ex parte pleading you wait.

Which is why, once the boy is arrested ... you show up at the hearing, and ask for it there. No ex parte involved. On this point, my experience is first-hand.

Also, I hope people look at the facts and not jump to conclusions. No one said this kid has access to a gun. I know lots of police officers and they take extreme precautions to keep their firearms out of anyone else's hands. They know the danger of guns.

The "kid" is eighteen, and able to legally own a firearm without his parents' knowledge or consent. Furthermore, you know the family situation of that boy no better than I do. For all you know, the father has multiple firearms, and thinks his 18 year old adult son is responsible enough to know where the keys to the gun cabinet are.

My feeling is unless you know all the information and have heard it from all the parties and witnesses, you cannot jump to conclusions.

Again, please note that my actual advice was go to the police or an attorney. Whereas yours was "just let it be". As observed by someone else a short while ago ... I bet the parents of the kids killed at Columbine wouldn't give the same advice you did. I'll bet good money, they'd be right there next to me saying "go to the police, go get a lawyer, don't just letit go."

And if the police prosecute, the OP's son will need to be a witness if this goes to trial. It is not an easy position to be in and sometimes cases aren't prosecuted because the victim cannot/will not testify.

Actually ... maybe not. The other boy essentially confessed to the threat, by agreeing to apologise. And the Principle? Is who he confessed to. That right there might ensure the case never even had to have a jury pool assembled - I suspect the kid's layer would be trying very hard to plead out. Kinda hard to plead "not guilty" after you confess to the crime, after all.




And with that, in order to comply with Disneyknut's request below, I'll be unsubscribing to this thread to avoid temptation in the future.

Disneyknut .. best of wishes for a good outcome for your son.

[disneyknut]

As a member I will respond with 2 things... I have spoken to my son & the matter is being handled in a way HE is comfortable . I am confident in what my son told me as being true & completely accurate as did the school administration. I will also add that I don't care what interaction was made between my son & this MAN (yes 18 is legally a man) during practice, there was a death threat made to my son & I will fight to my death to protect my son! I'll bet people poo poo'ed the Columbine shooters as good kids too!

Huntermom- My older son was a victim of bullying & yes, I do know the time, energy & money needed to take a case to trial.. We chose to prosecute & it taught not only the bully a valuable lesson but also my son.. to me it was worth all of the time & energy ( we weren't out any $$$) to show my children what was right

Thank you to those who sent pixies & advice.. & who understood my situation.. I truly do appreciate it.

as a guide in this forum I am going to ask that everyone please remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion & there is no need for back & forth in this thread.

[Fortissimo]

Ann, I would report it to the police department. You may have a school resource officer so you may have to start there. It is not up to the school on whether you file a complaint or not. If you do have to go through the SRO and he or she say there is nothing they can do, go directly to the police station and file a report there (we have had lazy SROs before who would not file reports because they don't want to do the paper work).

As for the school, by law, they cannot tell you what punishment was handed out to the other student. Obviously the rumor mill will go into overtime and you will eventually find out what the puncihsment was, but the school itself cannot tell you. These are confidentiality laws. If the school does tell you what the punishment is, they are breaking the law unless the student gave them permission to give you that information. Since the other student is over 18, he is the one that has to give the permission, not his parents.

Columbine is not too far from me. We have a teacher who was in the library as a student that April day. She, and others who worked with the shooters, will tell you Klebold and Harris were not nice kids, but actually bullies themselves.

[GATechGal]

The school can't tell you about the punishment, but I'd ask for a copy of the incident report that the principal should be filling out per the guidelines that DopeyGirl posted.

[Teresa]

I'm glad it's being handled in a way that makes Brendan feel comfortable and able to attend school. His senior year should be a happy one.

[ariel14]

[tinker_me_happy]

[buzzspal2]

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