My son (14) is about to finish up 8th grade.  He goes to a good school in a good neighborhood.  Today they found a note on the boys bathroom wall that said something to the effect of '25 die on the 25th'.  School is out on May 25th.  The school is now in lockdown status.  It was in a boy's restroom, but it was written in "bubble letters" which I'm told is much more common with middle school girls.  This is about the 5th school in the last week in the St. Louis region to have something like this happen.  If it is a joke it is a poor one.  The 8th graders will miss out on some special events setup for them besides just being a general pain in the ass.  If it is serious that's a totally different matter.  My gut feel is that it is a copy cat looking for attention.  My son thinks so as well.  So here is my question:  Should I allow my son to attend the last day of school on the 25th?  It's only a 1/2 day of school and nothing of value will be done.  My son says he wants to go.  My head tells me that is the right thing - don't give in to this type of stuff.  As a father I would never forgive myself if he went and got hurt and I could have avoided it.  Advice?  Particularly interested in LE perspective.  Thanks.

They found out who it was.  See my last post in this thread.

tag and bump - this is a big problem in STL these days. Thank God for media.

Quoted: tag and bump - this is a big problem in STL these days. Thank God for media.

Can we all say, "R - A - P" together, children?

Quoted: tag and bump - this is a big problem in STL these days. Thank God for media.

Bingo!

What are the chances that they will search him or his bag and find the glock you are going to make him take to school that day?


IN JEST OF COURSE.

You have only one son like him, 8 th grade sucked anyway. Keep him home or arm him.

Quoted: Quoted: tag and bump - this is a big problem in STL these days. Thank God for media. Can we all say, "C-R - A - P" together, children?

Fixed it for you!

Quoted: What are the chances that they will search him or his bag and find the glock you are going to make him take to school that day? IN JEST OF COURSE. You have only one son like him, 8 th grade sucked anyway. Keep him home or arm him.

It wouldn't be a glock.  A USP perhaps ... (j/k)

A racial slur removed tried stabbing me in school once.

School sure is great now a days

I am surprised at the lack of real answers here. I can see one, but the rest are things we already know.

Consider going to school with him, just don't let him know?

Volunteer your services to help with the last day serimonys, that way you could be there also.

I have kids , my answer is KEEP him home !!! You may be sorry , it takes only one time !!!
These fucking days in time FUCKING SUCK !!!!

Good luck .....

I'd send him to school...   Giving in to some kid with a marker is weak.  If someone really wanted to kill 25 kids on the last day of school would they announce it and ruin their plans?   Sounds like someone  just wanted to get out a day early.  If I heard terrorists were attacking my city tomorrow... I wouldn't change a damn thing, that's the way they win.

No chances with your child's life, he has only one. Keep him home, better safe than sorry.

Got to love guvment skoolz

The odds of something happening are probably slim.  I agree that you should send him.  Last day of 8th grade...


BUT, what if the threat is serious?  If something happened to your son you'd never forgive yourself.

We've had two here in Ohio within the last month.  First one was at Maumee High School and then a couple weeks later Perrysburg High School.  Both were specific as to the dates, but no reasoning why, etc.  The Maumee threat was scrawled in pencil on a girls restroom wall.  Unsure about the Perrysburg details.  Both passed with nothing happening, but obviously students were not penalized for taking those days off.  

IMHO the kids are trying to get free days and don't see the harm in what is being done.  It's sad.  But really - a kid that wants to kill a classmate or two or twenty isn't going to warn the school as a whole.

Quoted: Got to love guvment skoolz

It's been happening about 50/50 between public/private schools.  

They figured out who it was.  My son showed me the kid in the yearbook under the heading of most likely to go to Harvard.  Not any more.  He's outta there.  

Thanks for all the suggestions/comments.  This is sad commentary on today's schools AND the media.  While you cannot ignore it, giving it any voice in the media only encourages it more.

Maybe if they caned this kid in front of the student body they would think twice before doing it again.

Maybe it was a german speaking person trying to say "25 the on the 25"? [

I had this problem at my school (imagine a high school filled with rich brats in a good area of a small town). A bunch of stoners would always make some kind of vauge threat about something that would happen on 4/20 for an excuse to stay home and smoke a couple bowls more than normal.

Last time it was something like "you all die 4/20" in marker on the boy's bathroom mirror.

Loooot of stoners there.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Got to love guvment skoolz It's been happening about 50/50 between public/private schools.   They figured out who it was.  My son showed me the kid in the yearbook under the heading of most likely to go to Harvard.  Not any more.  He's outta there.   Thanks for all the suggestions/comments.  This is sad commentary on today's schools AND the media.  While you cannot ignore it, giving it any voice in the media only encourages it more. Maybe if they caned this kid in front of the student body they would think twice before doing it again. Most likely to go to Harvard huh?  Wonder how many times the jocks put his head in the toilet before he came up with this idea to get even? Honor students or nerds aren't natural born terrorists, they are driven to it.  I thought public school was class oriented with clicks when I was a kid but damn it doesn't hold a candle to now.  We can listen to Dipshit Moore tell us his vast experience regarding Columbine but those of us with children in school know.  Kids are pushed into depths of dispair every day and not only overlooked by the school but encouraged by it. My son participates in an individual sport, martial arts, but at school he takes band.  Next year he starts ROTC.  Anyway his band class  mates won't even go the bathroom out of fear and my son got a five day suspension for kicking two kids ass that thought he would be an easy target since he was in band. They were mistaken.  The suspension was for having the audacity to fight back after being attacked.  Give the two little shits credit the fessed up they attacked him first. That's right you get hit and you hit back, you are in just as much trouble as the guys who started it. The system by design creates sheep or wolves with no tolerance for sheep dogs.  The sheep dogs take their lumps by the system but hold their own but the sheep simply get pushed farther into the corner till they pop out a wolf.   Now ask me if I'm surprised Mr. Harvard is responsible?  NOT! You my friend don't have a student problem, you have a school problem.   Tj

From what I hear (note: hearsay only) this kid was  bit of an odd duck and so ishis family.  Since the school does not have organized sports (middle school) I don't think it is a jock thing.  My son never mentions anything about bullying being a big problem, but he is 6' 2" (just turned 14) so that is not likely to be big problem for him.  As for the school, I know the pricnipal pretty well and it is well run.  I don't agree with the school district policies but do think your comments about sheeps, wolves, and sheepdogs is pretty dead on for just about any school these days.    I do know your son from the incident described would have probably been suspended FAR longer.  I don't think it is fair that he would, but he would have been.  Probably like you, I've told my son that self -defense is a God given right and I will always back him no matter the outcome.  

Anyway, glad it is over.  Hope the kid gets his head straight.  

Quoted:  Anyway his band class  mates won't even go the bathroom out of fear and my son got a five day suspension for kicking two kids ass that thought he would be an easy target since he was in band. They were mistaken.  The suspension was for having the audacity to fight back after being attacked.  Give the two little shits credit the fessed up they attacked him first. That's right you get hit and you hit back, you are in just as much trouble as the guys who started it. The system by design creates sheep or wolves with no tolerance for sheep dogs.  The sheep dogs take their lumps by the system but hold their own but the sheep simply get pushed farther into the corner till they pop out a wolf.

That's spot fucking on.

I picked up 2 days in school in 1995 for boxing a kid's ears after he attacked me. I'd gone to the admin several times before about the kid but they did nothing. Just said "ignore it" or "well, he's got some problems he's trying to work out" (on me apparently).   I got 2 days, he got 1. And if anybody had stuck up for me previously (I was real small until my Junior year of HS when I finally went up to 6 foot), they would've been in as well.

This was, of course, a public school.
My answer: get your kids out of public and into private (almost any kind, but religous based is the best, imo, for character development) if you can. I went to a Catholic HS and a specialized Math/Science school for HS and I never had a problem at either.  Public schools by and large suck. They either can't or are unwilling to deal with discipline and real character development.  

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Got to love guvment skoolzhr It's been happening about 50/50 between public/private schools.   They figured out who it was.  My son showed me the kid in the yearbook under the heading of most likely to go to Harvard.  Not any more.  He's outta there.   Thanks for all the suggestions/comments.  This is sad commentary on today's schools AND the media.  While you cannot ignore it, giving it any voice in the media only encourages it more. Maybe if they caned this kid in front of the student body they would think twice before doing it again. Most likely to go to Harvard huh?  Wonder how many times the jocks put his head in the toilet before he came up with this idea to get even? Honor students or nerds aren't natural born terrorists, they are driven to it.  I thought public school was class oriented with clicks when I was a kid but damn it doesn't hold a candle to now.  We can listen to Dipshit Moore tell us his vast experience regarding Columbine but those of us with children in school know.  Kids are pushed into depths of dispair every day and not only overlooked by the school but encouraged by it. My son participates in an individual sport, martial arts, but at school he takes band.  Next year he starts ROTC.  Anyway his band class  mates won't even go the bathroom out of fear and my son got a five day suspension for kicking two kids ass that thought he would be an easy target since he was in band. They were mistaken.  The suspension was for having the audacity to fight back after being attacked.  Give the two little shits credit the fessed up they attacked him first. That's right you get hit and you hit back, you are in just as much trouble as the guys who started it. The system by design creates sheep or wolves with no tolerance for sheep dogs.  The sheep dogs take their lumps by the system but hold their own but the sheep simply get pushed farther into the corner till they pop out a wolf.   Now ask me if I'm surprised Mr. Harvard is responsible?  NOT! You my friend don't have a student problem, you have a school problem.   Tj From what I hear (note: hearsay only) this kid was  bit of an odd duck and so ishis family.  Since the school does not have organized sports (middle school) I don't think it is a jock thing.  My son never mentions anything about bullying being a big problem, but he is 6' 2" (just turned 14) so that is not likely to be big problem for him.  As for the school, I know the pricnipal pretty well and it is well run.  I don't agree with the school district policies but do think your comments about sheeps, wolves, and sheepdogs is pretty dead on for just about any school these days.    I do know your son from the incident described would have probably been suspended FAR longer.  I don't think it is fair that he would, but he would have been.  Probably like you, I've told my son that self -defense is a God given right and I will always back him no matter the outcome.   Anyway, glad it is over.  Hope the kid gets his head straight.

Hi Guys! I thought I would come in and answer any questions you may have and basically read the comments. Lets get this out first, the principal is a huge Republican and hates the district policies (personally I think she wouldn't be here anymore if it wasn't for the fact she can retire soon. The district has changed a lot since she started.) She is also VERY strict and does not put up with anything at her school. If you didn't start it and you were defending yourself, she will give you the bottom amount of time if not nothing just to protect her and keep the district out of the media because that does not help up in our education. That being said, our school has not had what you would call a fight in five years. Now bullying would be something like picking on people (not fighting). This would get you sespended if it is bad enough and she keeps you out until you can get yourself back together.

Someone said something about private schools. Our school districts ratings are much better than the private schools around here. It would be a better educaion to go to public school since we are the top district/school in the state. Someone also tlked about character at private schools would be better. The school district, thanks to my principal, started a huge character program and it has really helped for the last two years. It involves a class that is about twenty minutes and happens three days a week. In this class you learn the basic concepts of character. Some days it may be a study hall where we can learn to help our peers with their work. Each class is required to complete a few service projects of somekind in the year. If the teacher does not do these things and more and the students don't know about character at the end of the year, the teacher will be fired. It has happened and they let it known. This program is also starting to spread to school districts throughout the state. This program has been a very good thing for the school district.

Here's why my kid goes to Catholic school:

He's in 1st grade.  One day some 1st grade toys made some comments about how they would beat up  a hypothetical person.  In classic one-upsmanship, they each try to top the other's bravado.  My boy says "well, I'd shoot him with a rifle!"

I got a phone call from the vice-Principal, sternly telling me to sternly tell my boy not to say such things in their school again.  And my boy got the Mother Of All Lectures from me.

They didn't flip out, they didn't believe he was going Columbine, they knew he was just a 1st grade boy.

Now, imagine what would have happened if that had happened in Publik Skrewl.....