When I pulled up to the school for our monthly school board meeting last night, I didn't expect so many observers. Not having any children in the district currently sometimes has its disadvantages --- because I don't always hear the murmurings and rumors.
Shortly after the meeting began, it became clear, parents and students in the middle school were concerned for their safety. As I sat and listened and looked around the room---I saw not only parents but middle schools students. It's an eerie feeling to think about....that this year will be 20 years since the horrific Columbine tragedy. It saddens me to think about an 8th grader scared for their safety at school. It's something that while I was in 6th grade when Columbine happened---since it was the first major attack, people believed it was a one-off thing and wouldn't happen again. I fully recognize and know that trying to reassure parents and students is difficult to do. Before we get to this specific situation, I would ask each patron to look at previous incidents. In November 2017, the district was locked-down because of a suspicious situation off-campus. In August 2018, the district learned of a tragedy of a former student who took their life at the fairgrounds. The district was advised there was no ongoing threat and a lockdown was not advised or enacted. I hope this track record has created trust that our district takes all threats seriously and is not afraid to act. Lastly, before addressing this situation, I had a foster child in the 2016 academic year who was "puffy" and made threats to other students making gang references to Columbia. Mr. Daly suspended him 3 days and then 10 days after a second incident took place. I was glad Mr. Daly did this, and he accepted the punishment. I'm still not convinced anything would have taken place, but Mr. Daly and Mr. Sides (at the time) acted appropriately by searching his bag after his return and ensuring that the school was a safe environment. Quite frankly, I'm ashamed and feel horrible for putting other students and the district in a situation where they could have felt unsafe. Similarly to this situation, an investigation took place with the school resource officer and administrators. Our administrators consistently take disciplinary actions when students violate the school's code of conduct. Why do I mention this situation? I've been in the shoes of a parent-figure of a teenager who makes verbal threats and mistakes like this. I've felt the shame and frustration of a parent who has made life harder on other students, teachers, and administrators. I also discuss this situation because I can talk about it---because it was my kiddo. Because of FERPA and other privacy rights that the student is entitled to, the district cannot comment on the disciplinary action of individual students. It's also incredibly important to separate fact from rumors. Here's what we can say and know. Per Mr. Downs' email to middle school parents, the middle school was informed of a potential threat on Friday. Immediately, an investigation took place and it was deemed an immediate threat did not exist. Disciplinary action, for false threats, is left broad in our board policy---allowing flexibility for each situation to be taken into account. In my foster child's situation in 2016, an out of school suspension took place because of a continually escalating pattern of threats. ' There are lots of rumors going around. At the board meeting, we heard lots of them. It's important to talk to our children about separating facts from rumors. Rumors happen in schools and every community. For example, several board members have heard that for Mr. Conyers to come to Hallsville---we were paying him an exorbitant amount of money (not true). We also heard rumors that we were not going to approve of the hire. Rumors can be positive, but obviously, are mostly negative. When our foster kiddo was suspended, I'm sure there were lots of rumors about what kind of "riff-raff" my wife and I were bringing to our community and making everyone unsafe. My plea and ask of our district--when hearing rumors or murmurings, is to breathe and remind yourself to separate fact from rumor. There is almost always more to the story than we hear or are privy to. I pray and hope that you believe the district has responded appropriately in the past and will continue to do so. It pains me to hear that some 8th-graders likely didn't go to school today because of being scared for their safety. A school is and should always be safe for students, teachers, and administrators. At the end of the day, this student may have made a verbal mistake just like my foster kiddo did. In the end, our foster child was welcomed back to school by peers, teachers, and administrators. I hope the 8th-grader that made this threat (not unlike my own foster child) is allowed to move forward, too. I leave you with this final thought. I recognize nothing I can say or do will likely make you or your child feel more safe for a variety of reasons. However, my request and ask is that we each (parents, community members, and students) work to separate facts from rumors and work to have trust that threats are taken seriously. There's always room for improvement, but in my personal experience and how the district has responded in recent threats---I believe our staff take great care to ensure our students remain safe. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for reading! I'll post another blog in a day or two about our meeting itself. Until next time, Craig
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AuthorHallsville resident. Foster Parent. School board member. Politico. Jesus Follower. Cardinals Fan #MizzouMade Archives
June 2020
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