Silver Creek Incident with Edibles

[Anonymous]

SCMS sent home a note tonight that four kids consumed edibles at school today and had to be taken to the hospital. This is on top of numerous reports of multiple fights, some sounding serious (one girls hair being torn out after being pushed down the stairs, another involving kids hiding under desks to avoid a big fight in classroom).

Is this normal? Administrators really don't seem to have control over the student population. Administrators dismissed it as "roughhousing" at the last principal coffee but my kid comes home with regular reports of kids beating each other up, being really disruptive in class, and terrible bus behavior. We just don't know how much of this is "normal" for middle school and how much of this is a failure of the admin to get the resources needed to try to create some order.

[Anonymous]

We're at Westland and there is terrible bus behavior. Some bullying and fights. So far, no edibles, or lethal weapon brought into the school in the 2 years we've been there.

Middle school is the worst, but it seems that SCMS might be struggling a bit more than usual right now. How is the Principal? Usually they set the tone, staff follows, and that's how discipline sticks... but you only need one disturbed teen, or one serious incident for the entire atmosphere to change. It's like a powder keg waiting to explode at any moment.

[Anonymous]

NP who is also a SCMS parent.

My sense is that here are very different experiences at Silver Creek based on the kids you interact with in classes and after school activities you do. My kid has had no issues and says there are kids who are behaving horribly — but my kid ignores those kids and goes about his day without incident. But kids who are hanging out with the problem kids are definitely exposed to a lot more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP who is also a SCMS parent.

My sense is that here are very different experiences at Silver Creek based on the kids you interact with in classes and after school activities you do. My kid has had no issues and says there are kids who are behaving horribly — but my kid ignores those kids and goes about his day without incident. But kids who are hanging out with the problem kids are definitely exposed to a lot more.

I get that sense too. But I also get the sense it is hard to fully avoid/ignore. Some of my kid’s classes are raucous enough that it’s impossible for much learning to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're at Westland and there is terrible bus behavior. Some bullying and fights. So far, no edibles, or lethal weapon brought into the school in the 2 years we've been there.

Middle school is the worst, but it seems that SCMS might be struggling a bit more than usual right now. How is the Principal? Usually they set the tone, staff follows, and that's how discipline sticks... but you only need one disturbed teen, or one serious incident for the entire atmosphere to change. It's like a powder keg waiting to explode at any moment.

You clearly weren’t on some of the parent group chats this evening. Stay turned for Westland notices about a student who threatened to shoot at school tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone had bad experiences with the teachers at SC this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone had bad experiences with the teachers at SC this year?

My 6th grader really likes all his teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're at Westland and there is terrible bus behavior. Some bullying and fights. So far, no edibles, or lethal weapon brought into the school in the 2 years we've been there.

Middle school is the worst, but it seems that SCMS might be struggling a bit more than usual right now. How is the Principal? Usually they set the tone, staff follows, and that's how discipline sticks... but you only need one disturbed teen, or one serious incident for the entire atmosphere to change. It's like a powder keg waiting to explode at any moment.

This stuff goes on everywhere even at Westland. You just aren't paying attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously we need drug sniffing dogs at all middle and high schools.

And teachers in body armor armed with assault rifles!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at Westland and there is terrible bus behavior. Some bullying and fights. So far, no edibles, or lethal weapon brought into the school in the 2 years we've been there.

Middle school is the worst, but it seems that SCMS might be struggling a bit more than usual right now. How is the Principal? Usually they set the tone, staff follows, and that's how discipline sticks... but you only need one disturbed teen, or one serious incident for the entire atmosphere to change. It's like a powder keg waiting to explode at any moment.

This stuff goes on everywhere even at Westland. You just aren't paying attention.

I meant incidents such that a letter is sent to parents. In the two years we've been here, we haven't had letters about edibles or other substances leading to hospitalizations. We've had letters sent about vague threats, and this morning, as PPs indicated, another threat. But no letter sent about a weapon brought into the school. Last year there was the sprinkler incident, when a student knocked a sprinkler head in a classroom and set off the entire system. The fights and raucousness that goes on in corridors do not give rise to letters. The bus behavior and noise is such that now I drive my kid to and from school.

I am not trying to minimize anything. I just want to be as informative as possible so we can compare notes.

Surely we all understand that not all incidents or threats are equal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at Westland and there is terrible bus behavior. Some bullying and fights. So far, no edibles, or lethal weapon brought into the school in the 2 years we've been there.

Middle school is the worst, but it seems that SCMS might be struggling a bit more than usual right now. How is the Principal? Usually they set the tone, staff follows, and that's how discipline sticks... but you only need one disturbed teen, or one serious incident for the entire atmosphere to change. It's like a powder keg waiting to explode at any moment.

You clearly weren’t on some of the parent group chats this evening. Stay turned for Westland notices about a student who threatened to shoot at school tomorrow.

Which parent group chat? A private one? A school or PTA-sponsored one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone had bad experiences with the teachers at SC this year?

My 6th grader really likes all his teachers.

My 7th grader has great teachers. There was one sub that was an issue and he was replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SCMS sent home a note tonight that four kids consumed edibles at school today and had to be taken to the hospital. This is on top of numerous reports of multiple fights, some sounding serious (one girls hair being torn out after being pushed down the stairs, another involving kids hiding under desks to avoid a big fight in classroom).

Is this normal? Administrators really don't seem to have control over the student population. Administrators dismissed it as "roughhousing" at the last principal coffee but my kid comes home with regular reports of kids beating each other up, being really disruptive in class, and terrible bus behavior. We just don't know how much of this is "normal" for middle school and how much of this is a failure of the admin to get the resources needed to try to create some order.

SC parent. In my experience, the administration at SC is good, communicative, and on top of things. Posts on the school listserv or DCUM surmising what has happened are not helpful. It's as bad as the kids spreading rumors.

Set up a meeting with administration, as instructed. Get a sense directly for what is happening. Offer to work with staff on solutions.

And FWIW, I suspect we're going to see more kids consuming edibles given the change in laws. Easy to get them from parents.

[Anonymous]

This is what happens when kids are not challenged or have no standards or high expectations or expectations of decency. If there are no real world consequences kids have no motivation to do the right thing just because it's the right thing. That is higher level thinking but to get there you must master lower level thinking which is more focused around consequences.

[Anonymous]

It’s the new normal OP.
I dunno what happened with Covid, I’m not a psychologist but our kids are a lot more violent and have less social skills than they did pre Covid.