I am so angry!!!!!!!!!!

[Ms Bear]

How far in the mud does this mother have her head buried?  I hope you have copies of the reports that were taken by the police each time that you talked to them.  I don't know how old your daughter is but I am sorry that she has had to give up her classmates because of this person.  And hope other parents are aware of the danger their children are in.

[Ole Granny]

I am so sorry she had to leave the school but must be for the best.  Even words used in a threatening  way are enough to expell a student in most schools.  Where did this principal come from?  Hopefully, the parents of the remaining students will be aware of the activity going on at Elk Valley. So where are the school board members?  Sleeping.......... You must have made the correct decision for your child's safety.

[LShortt]

Aren't Elk Valley schools a part of the state public school system?  If you have not received some sort of satisfaction from the principal and have then progressed to the school board and they have not dealt with the issue...I suggest that you contact the State Dept. of Education.  Go online to the state board website and start cruising the site until you come up with contact names and email addresses.  Email them.  Call them.  There might even be some information on safety issues  Do a search within that website on anything they have posted for "safety in schools", etc.

www.ksde.org

Just because you have removed your child from that school, do not let the issue stop there.  Proceed to a higher level that hopefully will have better "listening skills" to deal with the threat.  It's law that our children have to attend school.  As far as I am concerned it's criminal that principal will not formally deal with the situation.   There is no excuse for violence in our schools.  Bullying is not acceptable.  Don't let it end with the principal and local school board.

[flo]

surely by now enough has come to light that there will be a thorough investigation on all sides of this issue and corrections made where appropriate to clarify wording that is left unclear in this handbook and that all rules in this handbook will be strictly enforced by the school administration.  This incident happened at school, but was there an off-premises underlying cause.  No excuse, but needs to be investigated to maybe get to the heart of this issue.  This is where, I am sure, local law enforcement comes into play.  Again, I feel the principal was wrong in the way this was handled, but remember, we have only heard one side of the story.  Yes, children need to feel safe when they are in the care of teachers and personnel, and parents have the right to expect this same safety for their children.  Perhaps Elk Valley needs to install metal detectors, if that's the only way to keep these children from feeling threatened.  If this was caused by an off-premises situation, either between the girls or the parents, then shame on the whole bunch for blaming the school....   (I'm sure this will not sit well with a lot of forum friends  but I am exercising my right to state my opinion and to change my opinion if I feel it necessary.  Not afraid to contridict myself when "reading between the lines" warrents a change of a previous opinion.)

[Ole Granny]

Very good point,  Flo!  After raising eight girls (with a few strays stuck in the group) and several grandchildren, I do know that there are times the whole truth does not always merge immediately.  This is one reason the trial and jury systems works so well.
As parents we do want to believe our children.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I kinda of see where you are coming from Flo, but the has to be a point where the girl that brought the box cutter to school should be in trouble.  To me that is a weapon anyway that you look at it.  You are right we have not heard both sides of the story.  I have children, too.  But I have to tell you, from being a teacher I make sure and try to get the whole story before going to the school with information.  I know that a few weeks ago, my daughter came home limping with a huge bruise on her leg.  She told me that a 5th grade boy kicked her.  I was hot!!  I did not understand why an older kid, a boy none the less, had kicked my daughter hard enough to leave a bruise.  But before I contacted the school, I asked several times why the boy kicked her, she finally told me that she kicked him first.  I then told her that if she kicked him, then why did she not expect him to kick her back?  She needs to learn that if she hits someone, or kicks someone that they can and just might get her back.  I am not trying to be a mean parent, but she really needs to learn this lesson.  Life is so full of ups and downs, it is how you deal with the situations.  It has been a tough school year for my daughter, but you know, I can't hold her hand forever.  She needs to know that. 

I am not saying that the other situation is anywhere near the same, but the girl had a weapon.  Threatning to hurt another student, not matter if the other girl called the other girl ever name in the book, you should have rules that prohibit weapons and threats in schools.  With all the school killings, I think that we need to really look into all of this.  Bullying seems to be the underlying thing in all the school shootings, I am not for sure about all of them but some.  I remember teasing others, but to the point where the kids were afraid to come to school?  No!!  Bullying is a true problem in schools.  We as parents need to address this issue with our kids.  I try and remind my children everyday!!  Maybe one of these days they will understand why.  But alot of the bullying comes from peer pressure to!!  They want to fit in at any cost.  I again try to tell my girls, that we are all different people and we all can't look or dress alike!!  But I never thought that my daughter would recongnize big or small kids.  Did you know that when she was in 2nd grade someone called he fat.  She is now in 4th grade and only weighs 63 pounds, now come on, she wasn't or isn't fat.  I think that is way to young. 

To all of you that have raised your children already, I commend you.  I would much rather have raised kids in the 50's and 60's then now!!  To much press all the way around!!  I can't spank my child in public, but they can throw a fit in public.  Come on, I have learned that the way that I was raised is the best way to raise my children.  I have to admit, my children have had spankings and I am not afraid to give them one.  I had many, many, many while I was growing up.  I am still alive, it didn't damage me, well at least I don't think it did. 

Ok, I got off the subject.  I wrote a book so I'll go.  Don't let this go!!!  The girl deserves some sort of punishment for taking a box cutter to school!!!

[Rhonda]

The number for Kansas School Safety Hotline is 1-877-626-8203.
The district my kids are in prints this number on the school calendar.  Perhaps this is something that could be added to your school calendars.

[Tobina+1]

Good for you, Angie!  Good to hear that you took the time to find out the "real" story from your daughter, rather than just jumping down someone's throat first.  And it's good that your daughter understood that telling a lie could get her in even more trouble (not to mention the other boy).
I think that we're teaching kids to lie... examine your own life; even just a little white lie that a child hears you tell can teach them it's OK to lie.  For example; you don't feel like going to a neighbor's house, so when they call, you just tell them you don't feel well... or the kids are sick... or you're busy...  And when your kids hear that; they think it's OK to lie.  And they don't understand the difference in a white lie or a big lie!

[Teresa]

Kjell is going to throttle me for responding to this..( we both agreed to stay out of it..)  and I wasn't going to post at all... but I have to...will just say this one thing..

The box cutter isn't to blame.. My god.. are we going to paranoid out on every single thing that can be used to hit or hurt someone?
It could have been her fist.. it could have been a rock from outside...or a ball bat or a potato peeler. It could have been a number of items.. that are used on a daily basis for something..
I understand that a box cutter is the same as a knife..and no.. I am NOT condoning using any kind of object to threaten to hurt someone.. and schools and the society of kids are "different"..
But listen..........when I was in school... all the boys carried pocket knives and some even had pliers and snap blade knives on their belts.... and 21st century sin of all sin... Some had their rifles in their back windows of their trucks .

Was their fights? Occasionally.. But you can bet that if there was.. that person got in BIG trouble at school and HUGE DOUBLE trouble when they got home. THAT was part of the reason kids were better acting..cause the parents were part of the solution and NOT part of the problem.

And yes... there is ALWAYS 2 sides to every story.

Sometimes there are just mean hateful people.. that have to constantly be doing mean things.
I was "threatened" when I was in school once by some upper class girls and they were going to beat me up. They put chewing gum in my hair.. They took scissors and cut one of my gym blouses up. ( threatened to take the scissors and cut off all my hair.. ) They tore up my papers. They poured fingernail polish in my purse..etc etc... That lasted about a week. Was I terrified? Yes..  and the principal did what he could ..but gum or scissors were certainly not banned.  The other side of the story was.. I was a freshman and these girls were seniors and it seemed that I was getting the attention of their boyfriends... so they decided to "get even " with me..  They got in pretty serious trouble.. but the concentration was on WHAT they did.. not on what they used to do it.

Which brings me to my next statement.......
The problem is the PERSON using the "item".
The person is the problem...and in this case.. the parents are the problem also. Too many school officials and parents use the ..
I understand we all believe or want to believe our kids. ( I have been there done that) so I know. But we all know deep inside if your child is a hellion...    so I think it is the parents job to wake up and start to take charge.

I thin the public needs to concentrate on the people involved .. Take care of the lawbreakers..and use the laws that are in effect..make them stick ... We keep freaking out and banning all of the items that people are getting their hands on, there won't be a single sharp thing left to use other than a rubber spatula..
( unless someone beats the hell out of someone with it..then they will remove those from the kitchens too)

((I also know that times have changed and society is cranking out more sick and demented people every day.. and I also know that I have opened up a huge can of worms . But like Flo said.. It's  just my opinion. )

Whew...............  I got carried away and I have no idea if that made any sense and I am not going to go back and read it .. cause I know I will try to change it  and I will most likely STILL  sound like a babbling fool.
And Kjell is going to "ban ME"      from posting ever again. 

[flo]

Teresa, maybe you can post under an assumed name  incognito, cause we do need your input.  One last comment then I'm off this subject.  I raised three girls and believe me they were not angels and the older they get the more I find this out.  Something about laughing while you tell mom what you did when you were in highschool, knowing I can't ground them now.  But at the time they were in high school, marijuana was a big thing and yes, they tried it, and yes, they got caught.  The guilty one was made to watch Dad flush it down the stool.  One parent told me thank God her child would never do drugs.  Know what I told her?  Get her head out of the sand cause her child was no different than any other, mine included.  Mine were red blooded americans and I knew if it could be tried, they would be right in the middle of it.  As far as I know they never done anything to hurt themselves or anyone else, but entirely innocent all the time? I don't think so.