5th Graders Who Plotted to Poison Teacher Need Some Serious Straightening Out
5th Graders Who Plotted to Poison Teacher Need Some Serious Straightening Out
There are a lot of frightening things that happen in our nation's schools, but three fifth graders plotting to off their teacher and put rat poison in her coffee cup
is one of the most outrageous things I've heard in a long time. The way
the school has handled the incident is even more unsettling.
According to KMPH, the teacher wasn't hurt, as one of the students fortunately had a change of heart and knocked the cup out of the teacher's hand at the last minute. Still, the cold and calculating actions of these students are mind-numbing as is their punishment to date.
They were simply expelled ... and transferred to another school. A criminal investigation is currently ongoing, and charges could be filed, but there is little evidence remaining since the incident happened back in December (more on that in a minute). Fresno Teachers Association President Greg Gadams strongly believes they should be held accountable under the law and told the station, "There should be some kind of legal charges filed against them, because if there is not, as they move up in the school system there will really be no record of anything that happened."
I agree that just moving them doesn't address the problem, nor does it send a clear message to students about the severity of their actions. As David Cross, a teacher at Phoenix Academy, where the students were transferred, told KFSN: "They should not be placed at another campus where now other staff and other students have to worry about. Certainly like a campus like ours where these kids are going to be elevated to gods to many of our kids, they're going to say this is great, maybe I can do something similar to a teacher or an adult."
Making the situation worse is the fact that the school didn't inform parents what happened until now. The incident actually took place back in December, but it wasn't made public until last week when one of the offending children's parents reportedly asked that the principal give their child some credit for saving the teacher's life ... uh yeah, after plotting to take it? And you wonder how these children could be so twisted with parents who think like that.
So how should these children be reprimanded? I'm not sure. I don't think they need to be written off forever nor denied an education because that would likely just lead to greater problems. Still there's got to be some more serious consequences than just a new school when it comes to something this serious.
How do you think the school district should handle students who commit such serious infractions?
That infraction is "attempted murder" IMHO - - and should be treated as such
I agree with this. These boys knew exactly what they were doing and knew that it was wrong, or the one kid wouldn't have suddenly grew a conscious. They need to be help accountable in a court of law. They also need to get counseling and lots of it.
Quoting auroragold:That infraction is "attempted murder" IMHO - - and should be treated as such
Making the situation worse is the fact that the school didn't inform parents what happened until now. The incident actually took place back in December, but it wasn't made public until last week when one of the offending children's parents reportedly asked that the principal give their child some credit for saving the teacher's life ... uh yeah, after plotting to take it? And you wonder how these children could be so twisted with parents who think like that.
Wow - I can't imagine what those parents are going through, but this? 'Umm. yeah. I know my child was goingto help kill and/or severly injure the teacher, but they had a change of heart. Don't you think they deserve some credit for this?'
What is wrong with people?
I agree with the others, it was attempted murder. School systems that try to cover things up like this disgust me, and it does no favors for public schools in general. Yes, my kids are in a public school. But there are many reports of things being covered up 'for the sake of the public'..one of which is the horrible food that they make our kids eat for lunch and/or breakfast.
Any whoo...if my child were to do something so unconscionable, I would make them go through whatever the law would do to them - and what about the teacher? Can she not press charges against them? I would!!!
Quoting wittyandwise:
Making the situation worse is the fact that the school didn't inform parents what happened until now. The incident actually took place back in December, but it wasn't made public until last week when one of the offending children's parents reportedly asked that the principal give their child some credit for saving the teacher's life ... uh yeah, after plotting to take it? And you wonder how these children could be so twisted with parents who think like that.
Wow - I can't imagine what those parents are going through, but this? 'Umm. yeah. I know my child was goingto help kill and/or severly injure the teacher, but they had a change of heart. Don't you think they deserve some credit for this?'
What is wrong with people?
I agree with the others, it was attempted murder. School systems that try to cover things up like this disgust me, and it does no favors for public schools in general. Yes, my kids are in a public school. But there are many reports of things being covered up 'for the sake of the public'..one of which is the horrible food that they make our kids eat for lunch and/or breakfast.
Any whoo...if my child were to do something so unconscionable, I would make them go through whatever the law would do to them - and what about the teacher? Can she not press charges against them? I would!!!
I gotta add that we are in a public school system that is one of the top in the state....I love the school system we are in. 98% graduation rate, low crime, lots of parental involvement in the schools, a very active PTO, etc, etc. We are lucky and blessed to be able to live in this area.
"one of the offending children's parents reportedly asked that the principal give their child some credit for saving the teacher's life ... uh yeah, after plotting to take it? And you wonder how these children could be so twisted with parents who think like that."
I agree that charges should be filed and further believe that these children need counseling. For the one who did the right thing in the end I believe this child's punishment should not be as severe as the rest simply because in the end the child stepped forward and did the right thing.
However, I believe they all need some serious counseling and time in juvenile detention.
If I was the parent of the child who knocked the cup over I would not ask that my child get off scott-free but I also would step up to make sure the fact that my child eventually did the right thing was not over looked. I don't see what this parent did as being twisted unless she did it with the idea of her child not having to pay any consequence at all.
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- Cafe MichelleP
on Feb. 28, 2012 at 10:29 AM