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

[Jane]

I bet you are angry, I know I was. My daughter was in a class of 325 students. The administration did not take lightly to any treat against another student. If it was taken care of in large school district, I can not understand why this was not addressed in a very small school district. The Principal and the Sheriff should have jumped right on the problem.
I only hope you made out a complaint with the Sheriff in writing and then followed up on how it was being handled. I would turn the Principal in to the St. Board of Education. Not living in the area it sounds like he is afraid of the girl and her family.
So hang in there and get this taken care of, do not let them beat you.
Army Mom

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I too, apologize.  I want you to get justice, too.  I know, first hand, how parents like that can be.  They are the ones that don't think there children do anything wrong.  I would love to believe that my children do nothing wrong.  But I know much better than that.  I told my husband when our middle child started school, that if she said any bad words at school he was going to be the first one to go to the principal's office and take care of it.  She used to go feed cows, and work cattle with him, and you know the language that they use.  But thankfully, we have got that problem undercontrol before she started school.  But I know about wanting to keep your children safe.  I had a situation while I was teaching.  I don't want to get into that, but I really did all that I could for the children, and no upper level support.  It stinks, but you as the parent have the right to protect your child anyway that you see fit.  It is just ashame that you had to pull her out of public school to do this!!!

[Tobina+1]

I have got on the forum in the last 2 days with the express interest of following up with you!  Then I got waylaid in the Political section...
Anyway, how is your daughter getting along in her new school?  Is she still on track to graduate with all her credits?  Will she be attending college or tech school?  I hope she's adjusted well; that cannot be easy on her!!!  Any further headway with the old school and school officials?  Keep after 'em!

[DanCookson]

I am very sorry for your situation and sorry your daughter won't graduate with the classmates she has known and grown up with.  I am, however, relieved that she is in a safe learning environment and will complete her high school education. 

I know of this situation only because of what is written here.  I am extremely disappointed in the Principal, but most of all the school board.  That is the body that is elected by the people to run the school.  The Principal of a school is paid by tax dollars, YOUR tax dollars.  He is accountable for both his actions (inactions) and his policies, as are the members of the school board.

I think your restraint is admirable Stacy.  If I were in your shoes I would probably be in more trouble with the law than everyone else combined in the situation!  I probably would have had an executive session with this principle to see how he liked being bullied .  (I think that would be the redneck coming out in me.)

I have tolerance for many things and many types of stupidity, but you best not mess with my family and especially not my kid.

[pam]

Wow, stuff like this is everywhere now it seems. My daughter goes to a county-wide high school down here and they have had 3 bomb scares so far this year. The first one was a senior girl that just didn't want to go to school, so instead of just skippin like we would've done, she called in a bomb threat FROM the pay-phone in the school! Boggles my mind...they evacuated, I had 3 or 4 heartattacks then they called the all clear, there never was a bomb. The next Monday tho there WAS a homemade device found lit in the jr. high right behind the high school and the next day another one stuffed in a backpack in the high school. The first girl was suspended and arrested but nobody knows where the others came from. It destroys your peace of mind in lettin your kid go to school every morning. She wanted to keep goin tho, says she ain't scared, but I am. How did kids get so messed up? When I was in school if you had a beef you had a wrestlin match or a hair pullin contest and got over it. Whoever got the whuppin didn't go home and get a gun and shoot you! If you weren't exactly friends when it was over at least you agreeded to disagree and went your merry way! God, sounds like I'm gettin ready to say "back in the good ol days sonny........." LOL

[Diane Amberg]

Being a former teacher myself, I have been watching all this with great interest, as serious school violence has increased so much over the years.
      Cheyonni, if you could have had your druthers, how would you have liked this incident to have been handled? Should the child have been moved to another teacher?  To another school? Suspended? Expelled? What is the child's home situation?...some kids like that are desperate for attention. Had there been similar problems with this child before or since? Was the offending child herself bring bullied by someone else? Were the parents willing to come in for a sit down? Violence counseling?  I know around here some teachers can get desensitised to certain behaviors because they are dealing with them so often. You should not have had to move your child to another school. But someone has to consider behavior modification for the other little girl...ya can't just toss her on the scrap heap. But that's not for you to have to deal with. What would have satisfied you?  I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I think alot of the violence comes from the home situation.  I know that my children watch tv.  Yes, but we try to talk to them about what they see on tv.  We do own guns and the girls have seen the dad use them.  But they are taught right from wrong.  They are disaplined, when needed, and most importantly taught right from wrong.  I think this is the problem in schools today.  Yes, my oldest has seen the news and now reads alot of bad stuff in the paper.  But she and I discuss what she sees and what she reads.  I am not a perfect parent by no means, but I feel that you have to be involved in your childrens education and school.  I sometimes feel sorry for those kids who have no attention at home.  I have taught before too.  It was at Moline.  I had a kid whose parents thought the child did no wrong.  He would hit the other kids at school and be really rough.  When the parents were called on this, there comment was well he does it at home with his brother.  Well, as a teacher and Parent I wanted to say,"You need to teach your child that at school we don't do that."  But I didn't.  I continued having problems with this child.  And the parents didn't see that there was any problem.  Do you see where I am going with this?  If the parents don't see a problem how are the kids?

But I do hope that your daughter is getting along good and you have a better piece of mind, cheyronni.  I would have to say, I don't really know what I would have done in your situation.  And I feel that you have done what is best for you and your child.

Diane, you are so very right about about the other girl.  I worry that she is in a bad situation at home, or some where.  And if she is bullying one child, there are more that she probably is doing the same to.  You are right about teachers becoming desensitised with certain behaviors.  Because there are more and more children with problems these days.  It is sad!!!

[Janet Harrington]

Well, let me put in my two cents worth.  cheyronni, you need to stay on top of this.  It sounds like the officers are doing their jobs just fine.  However; if you don't stay on top of this, it may linger on a desk in the prosecutor's office.  Keep in touch with the sheriff and I am sure that something will be done to the best of the officers abilities.  I don't remember who the principal is at Elk Valley and that is not the issue.  The issue is that he needs to do his job and do it correctly.  This young person needs to have her behavior checked and doing it in court is sometimes the best way to do it.  Sometimes not, but in my experience, most of the time, yes.

[cheyronni]

Just wanted to give everyone and update on what is going on in our little world. Cheyenne is depressed and misses her friends and is feeling very isolated at ome all the time. She is upset that she will not be getting to go to prom and I told her that we will go to the movies that night and just the two of us will spend the evening together. As uncool as a mom can be this seemed to make her happy that she will have some special time with mom. As for the school I will be going to the school board meeting on 4-14-08 and will probably be treated like crap but I want to let them know that there must be a change made. My other daughter come home from school this week and said that a boy was suspended this week for taking his pocket knife out and flashing it around. So either the rules have changed or the pricipal did not liek this child??? I don't know but I have not stopped yet and I have not done much but I had to take care of Cheyenne first and now I am ready to fight this. I will let the school board talk and if they do not satisfy me I plan on contacting every memeber of the Kansas school board of education. So just an update. If anyone wants to come support me Monday night at the school board meeting feel free to show up.....lol.....ok just pray that they listen to what I have to say.

[Tobina+1]

Good luck on Monday!!!  Show them what you've got!
Tell Cheyenne to hang in there.  School's almost over, and there's much bigger and better and more important things out there after high school.  This should only make her stronger and encourage her will to survive in a mean, cold world.  She should be thankful for having such a strong, loving, and caring mother who will stand up in front of the dreaded school board for her!  Even though she may not understand your actions now; there will be a day she'll thank you.  (This coming from a former mom-hater b/c she'd NEVER let me do anything cool... and now I thank her daily for instilling such good morals in my life!)