Whitman Letter to Parents about Fight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was it a fight or an assault?

It’s not clear what altercation means legally.

This gray area about whether something like this categorized as a fight or assault is why our incident reporting is trash.

They might need to wait for the investigation to be complete, but I’m feeling like somebody has the video. Was it a fight or was it an assault?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's not a horrible letter. There are legal privacy rights of minors that must be respected. The police have been involved, appropriately, to determine if law enforcement follow-up is needed. And, students who fought, and students who callously recorded the incident to share on social media, will all be held accountable according to the code of conduct. What is horrible about any of this?

What else do you want to see communicated?

Clear communication about the consequences that these children will be facing, as well as what violent kids in general will face. And a greater focus on condemning the violence and less on addressing the fact that it was recorded. As well as information about the health status of the victim and what lengths that will be taken to address his own physical, mental and emotional healing from the attack.

All of those things specific to an individual are private information. You don’t publicly discuss HR issues within a company, and you *definitely* don’t use a community-wide letter to discuss the discipline actions taken against a minor.

And that last bit? I’m not litigious by nature, but I’d sue the hell out of anyone who publicized my kid’s health issues and emotional trauma.

But I agree, they need to be much more specific and clear about the consequences of violence in schools. And then follow through, consistently. Kids talk, they know what happened to the last kid. Doesn’t mean they’ll remember it in the heat of the moment, but it might head off the more calculated incidents, at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

According to whom?

Maryland law

Technically, it’s not illegal to have a fight, if two parties agree to fight but it is against the code of conduct in schools.

If one person attacks another person, and that person did not agree to fight that is considered an assault, and that is against the law.

Right, and what we saw in the video did not in any way look like a consensual, even sided fight. The guy was barricaded in the bathroom by this group and repeatedly kicked in the head.

Additionally, the law does make different rules for people that show extreme violence during fights, or take what could be deadly action. For example, charging people who fought with their fists with "assault with a deadly weapon" if they do serious damage. This would certainly qualify, by any measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's not a horrible letter. There are legal privacy rights of minors that must be respected. The police have been involved, appropriately, to determine if law enforcement follow-up is needed. And, students who fought, and students who callously recorded the incident to share on social media, will all be held accountable according to the code of conduct. What is horrible about any of this?

What else do you want to see communicated?

Clear communication about the consequences that these children will be facing, as well as what violent kids in general will face. And a greater focus on condemning the violence and less on addressing the fact that it was recorded. As well as information about the health status of the victim and what lengths that will be taken to address his own physical, mental and emotional healing from the attack.

All of those things specific to an individual are private information. You don’t publicly discuss HR issues within a company, and you *definitely* don’t use a community-wide letter to discuss the discipline actions taken against a minor.

And that last bit? I’m not litigious by nature, but I’d sue the hell out of anyone who publicized my kid’s health issues and emotional trauma.

But I agree, they need to be much more specific and clear about the consequences of violence in schools. And then follow through, consistently. Kids talk, they know what happened to the last kid. Doesn’t mean they’ll remember it in the heat of the moment, but it might head off the more calculated incidents, at least.

Surely you wouldnt sue the school district for making it clear what happened to your child is unacceptable and that the school will be assisting with whatever counseling/support measures are necessary? That seems like a very strange reaction. Especially when you'd probably be better off pursuing action against the kids who committed the assault

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

According to whom?

Maryland law

Technically, it’s not illegal to have a fight, if two parties agree to fight but it is against the code of conduct in schools.

If one person attacks another person, and that person did not agree to fight that is considered an assault, and that is against the law.

Right, and what we saw in the video did not in any way look like a consensual, even sided fight. The guy was barricaded in the bathroom by this group and repeatedly kicked in the head.

Additionally, the law does make different rules for people that show extreme violence during fights, or take what could be deadly action. For example, charging people who fought with their fists with "assault with a deadly weapon" if they do serious damage. This would certainly qualify, by any measure.

Then both the principal and the community should stop calling it a fight or an altercation.

If it’s an assault people need to say a child was assaulted at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

If there is a “victim” it’s assault and they will be arrested.

According to whom?

Maryland law

Technically, it’s not illegal to have a fight, if two parties agree to fight but it is against the code of conduct in schools.

If one person attacks another person, and that person did not agree to fight that is considered an assault, and that is against the law.

Right, and what we saw in the video did not in any way look like a consensual, even sided fight. The guy was barricaded in the bathroom by this group and repeatedly kicked in the head.

Additionally, the law does make different rules for people that show extreme violence during fights, or take what could be deadly action. For example, charging people who fought with their fists with "assault with a deadly weapon" if they do serious damage. This would certainly qualify, by any measure.

Also disturbing the function of a business (or school) can be added as a charge, I believe. Not positive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

+1. He sounds like he's talking to 5 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

+1. He sounds like he's talking to 5 year olds.

That's a fairly accurate description of most parents. At least the ones whining here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

+1. He sounds like he's talking to 5 year olds.

That's a fairly accurate description of most parents. At least the ones whining here.

Gotta love MCPS admin. You always tell on yourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

+1. He sounds like he's talking to 5 year olds.

That's a fairly accurate description of most parents. At least the ones whining here.

Gotta love MCPS admin. You always tell on yourselves.

Gotta love parents. You always tell on yourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Students involved will receive consequences per the MCPS Student Code of Conduct."

If your student was a victim, is this enough?

It will never feel like enough when it's your child that was assaulted, especially if restorative justice is involved. However, parents receive the code of conduct from schools and if parents don't agree with it, they can transfer their students to a private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

+1. He sounds like he's talking to 5 year olds.

That's a fairly accurate description of most parents. At least the ones whining here.

Gotta love MCPS admin. You always tell on yourselves.

+1000. And hes not even denying it. Too stupid to realize how theyre perceived

[Anonymous]

The letter is fine and dictated by higher ups anyway. Shouldn’t the focus be on the actual issue of the student assaulted? SMH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was a horrible letter.

It's not a horrible letter. There are legal privacy rights of minors that must be respected. The police have been involved, appropriately, to determine if law enforcement follow-up is needed. And, students who fought, and students who callously recorded the incident to share on social media, will all be held accountable according to the code of conduct. What is horrible about any of this?

What else do you want to see communicated?

Clear communication about the consequences that these children will be facing, as well as what violent kids in general will face. And a greater focus on condemning the violence and less on addressing the fact that it was recorded. As well as information about the health status of the victim and what lengths that will be taken to address his own physical, mental and emotional healing from the attack.

All of those things specific to an individual are private information. You don’t publicly discuss HR issues within a company, and you *definitely* don’t use a community-wide letter to discuss the discipline actions taken against a minor.

And that last bit? I’m not litigious by nature, but I’d sue the hell out of anyone who publicized my kid’s health issues and emotional trauma.

But I agree, they need to be much more specific and clear about the consequences of violence in schools. And then follow through, consistently. Kids talk, they know what happened to the last kid. Doesn’t mean they’ll remember it in the heat of the moment, but it might head off the more calculated incidents, at least.

Surely you wouldnt sue the school district for making it clear what happened to your child is unacceptable and that the school will be assisting with whatever counseling/support measures are necessary? That seems like a very strange reaction. Especially when you'd probably be better off pursuing action against the kids who committed the assault

I’m talking about the demand for release of “information about the health status of the victim and what lengths that will be taken to address his own physical, mental and emotional healing from the attack.”

How does publicly sharing that information help a child and their family, already traumatized by a violent incident? Give them their privacy as they heal.

Explain in general what resources are available to families in need, sure. But the PP was asking for specific information about the health and wellbeing of a victim, who is presumably a minor—which is none of anyone’s business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://x.com/M4LMoCo/status/1886541630280183897

letter calls it a "physical altercation" and there's no mention of who was involved.

Still using X? Ugh.