My Son No longer Feels Safe at His High School with Weeks Left Until Graduation. Please HELP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, sorry this happened to your son and that you all have to deal with this.

A couple of specific suggestions for what you can ask/advocate (outside of calling PCSB or Office of the Student Advocate)...

1) Ask the administration if they can host a mediation with the parties involved and have parents present to quash the issue. Be clear that you would like to have both students and parents attend the mediation
2) If you feel it is necessary or warranted, ask that the mediation be hosted by a MPD School Resource Officer
3) Monitor social media- if there is any pattern of bullying or continued harassment, ask the administration for the involvement of the Bullying Coordinator (there are very specific laws about this area and the school must have one)
4) If any threats or harassment persist, seek a protective order from DC Court. A formal stay-away will require the school to change student schedules, limit student contact, and you have something to fall back on if the student continues or the school does not do anything to assist)
5) In addition to engaging the PCSB, you could email someone on the board for your school- the members should be posted online and contact info for at least one of the members should be in the handbook. Though you may have to dig

Again, sorry that this is happening and hope this is helpful in some small way.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Op/ I tend not to be an alarmist, but don’t send your kid back to school. They were not chasing him to talk things over.
Call the ombudsman, but don’t send your kid back to school.

[Anonymous]

Forgive my ignorance, but as a foreigner I'm surprised everyone is taking this so seriously as a life-threatening situation. Where I come from (not the US), kids chase down other kids after school, not necessarily to maim them for life. I was chased in high school, and received insults.

Is this par for the course in DCPS?

Would you feel safe accompanying your child to and from school? Are you afraid to get attacked as well?

PP's suggestion for the school to host a mediation with parents present is excellent, but it will work only if the parents and student are, you know, sane and balanced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op/ I tend not to be an alarmist, but don’t send your kid back to school. They were not chasing him to talk things over.
Call the ombudsman, but don’t send your kid back to school.

+1, file for the restraining order, contact an educational parent advocate, potentially get an attorney. DO.NOT.SEND.YOUR.KID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the other boys touch him Op or did they chase him into the metro?

What was it they did that made him think his life was in danger?

OP here, the student and his friends were yelling threatening and volatile epithets at my son whiie chasing him. My son was incredibly shaken and the station manager was able to provide details to the responding MPD police officer. I hardly think both my son and the station manager would make up a fictitious story.

Sorry Op. I wasn't doubting his story - just wondering if they had just run after him or if there was more to it that made him feel it was a more dangerous situation. I can see why he would be shaken up from the chasing on its own but wasn't sure if there was more.

[Anonymous]

In addition, pull the school policy for behavior / bullying [student handbook] and reference it with your discussions with administration.

Send an email to the administration capturing agreements so that everyone is on the same page.

For example -
Based on our conversation on XXXX, you acknowledged that 8 students enrolled in YYY school and who are classmates of my child chased him to metro after an incident at school. This was reflected in the MPD report. This was the direct consequence of being falsely accused of theft.

[note - our school handbook calls out that incidents on public transportation and walking to and from school are zones that the school includes in behavior expectations - your hand book might have some language on behavior expectations / bullying you can use]

Your response was that this did not occur on school grounds and is therefore not within your area to address. I want to re-iterate that my child does not feel safe because of this situation and I would like to develop a plan to address his safety for getting to school, during the school day and getting home from school.


Be specific - capture the facts - and any agreements or non-agreements that are made.

[Anonymous]

Does the school have a sports team, Scouts group, student government or other club that can be turned to for help? I'm thinking of groups where service or honor are stressed. Ask the leader Or teacher-sponsor for help, to keep an eye out. For instance, if my wrestling team's coach told us to protect some kid from bullies, believe me, it would have happened. It's long-shot advice, but again, if you have that possibility then activate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but as a foreigner I'm surprised everyone is taking this so seriously as a life-threatening situation. Where I come from (not the US), kids chase down other kids after school, not necessarily to maim them for life. I was chased in high school, and received insults.

Is this par for the course in DCPS?

Would you feel safe accompanying your child to and from school? Are you afraid to get attacked as well?

PP's suggestion for the school to host a mediation with parents present is excellent, but it will work only if the parents and student are, you know, sane and balanced.

I’m not a foreigner but I’m a little surprised too. I have little kids so this is kind of disturbing that folks clearly think being chased down after school is such a big threat! Maybe things are tougher here than I thought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but as a foreigner I'm surprised everyone is taking this so seriously as a life-threatening situation. Where I come from (not the US), kids chase down other kids after school, not necessarily to maim them for life. I was chased in high school, and received insults.

Is this par for the course in DCPS?

Would you feel safe accompanying your child to and from school? Are you afraid to get attacked as well?

PP's suggestion for the school to host a mediation with parents present is excellent, but it will work only if the parents and student are, you know, sane and balanced.

I’m not a foreigner but I’m a little surprised too. I have little kids so this is kind of disturbing that folks clearly think being chased down after school is such a big threat! Maybe things are tougher here than I thought.

I also have a little kid, but attended somewhat rough middle and high schools (not in the DC area). I can absolutely see something like this as being a real threat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the other boys touch him Op or did they chase him into the metro?

What was it they did that made him think his life was in danger?

OP here, the student and his friends were yelling threatening and volatile epithets at my son whiie chasing him. My son was incredibly shaken and the station manager was able to provide details to the responding MPD police officer. I hardly think both my son and the station manager would make up a fictitious story.

I think just being chased would make someone feel threatened. They wouldn’t have to touch you.

[Anonymous]

OP, is there any way you could drive him for the next few weeks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the other boys touch him Op or did they chase him into the metro?

What was it they did that made him think his life was in danger?

OP here, the student and his friends were yelling threatening and volatile epithets at my son whiie chasing him. My son was incredibly shaken and the station manager was able to provide details to the responding MPD police officer. I hardly think both my son and the station manager would make up a fictitious story.

I think just being chased would make someone feel threatened. They wouldn’t have to touch you.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

This is absolutely a real threat.

-Former urban HS teacher

[Anonymous]

Does your kid know where he's going to college? Do they even collect his June grades?

You could also tell the college ahead of time. Tell them you're trying to work it out with the school but he has been threatened and the Principal said s/he'd do nothing to guarantee his safety.

[Anonymous]

What are they even learning in these final weeks? Was he accepted to college? Don't think they will care about final grades.