Student attacked with taser in Oakton HS locker room

[Anonymous]

^ using a weapon is a criminal offense.

[Anonymous]

The bottom line is we're never going to know for sure -- due to privacy laws --what kind of discipline the abusers received.

Only people with kids at OHS who KNOW the boys in question may know -- by hearing it from their own kids -- if the boys returned to school after a period of time or did not return at all. OHS and/or FCPS are not going to tell the public what the final outcome was. And they probably won't tell the media either. So it's all speculation at this point.

I just hope that the victim is not put in the position of having to complete the school year with the rest of the bullies still at the school. Even if they are not in any classes together, they may see each other in the hallways, etc. I can't imagine that would feel too safe.

--OHS parent with an older child who does not know anything about the victim or bullies

[Anonymous]

OHS parent of a freshman.
I WILL update if and when the criminals returns to OHS. I truly could not feel safe if they do!

If they do, I will petition the SB to remove them. If this were a knife that had been used to stab ;but not attempt to murder) another student, my reaction would be the same

1. Kid brought a weapon to school
2. Two kids used this weapon to assault another.
3. Other students held the victim against his will to ensure he could be assaulted

I have premeditation; I have felony assault, I have accomplice to felony assault.

No way could the school ensure a safe and secure learning environment if they allow these criminals to walk the halls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear Oakton Community,

As a follow-up to my message to you on Wednesday afternoon, I wanted to bring you up-to-date regarding the school’s response to the troubling assault that occurred on school grounds last week.

At this point all students, who we know to be involved, have been spoken with and assigned the appropriate disciplinary consequences as determined by the FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR &R). Any student with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to come talk to the administration. Should any new information come to light, we will continue to investigate. I know that there are still many questions and rumors circulating around this instance, however, student privacy laws prevent me from disclosing any specifics. We certainly understand the anxiety among students, staff and families caused by this serious incident.

My first priority, always, is to provide the students, staff and community with a safe and secure environment. I am in constant contact with the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) who are continuing their investigation and the school is assisting the police in whatever ways we can. We encourage discussions at home to address the appropriate ways students can address their feelings and concerns while respecting that the school and police are handling the matter with all involved. Counselors and administrators are available to talk with any students that have concerns or may be impacted by this incident.

In addition, we have simultaneously begun the following action steps:

Review of all safety protocols and procedures at the school level to ensure student safety in all venues.
Clarifying for students the various ways they can report a concern, of any kind, to school staff.
Adding additional anonymous means to report concerns to school leadership.
Engaging students in conversation around bullying and appropriate responses if they are aware of, or a witness of such behavior.
The FCPS Office of Safety and Security is a second available resource to report student or parent concerns. I have included the link to the website below for you to have as a resource.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.



Sincerely,

Jamie S. Lane, Principal

“Appropriate disciplinary consequences” better not be a 3-day suspension or a similar bullsh$t punishment. Does anyone know if these kids are being removed from OHS and sent elsewhere? So tired of FCPS protecting the aggressors instead of victims....

+1 I hope they punished them all for possessing a weapon on school grounds. That should be more than a 3-day suspension.

[Anonymous]

So how were these kids unsupervised in a locker room long enough for this to happen? Do the supervision requirements for students change that dramatically in high school? In our middle school there is always a teacher with groups of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OHS parent of a freshman.
I WILL update if and when the criminals returns to OHS. I truly could not feel safe if they do!

If they do, I will petition the SB to remove them. If this were a knife that had been used to stab ;but not attempt to murder) another student, my reaction would be the same

1. Kid brought a weapon to school
2. Two kids used this weapon to assault another.
3. Other students held the victim against his will to ensure he could be assaulted

I have premeditation; I have felony assault, I have accomplice to felony assault.

No way could the school ensure a safe and secure learning environment if they allow these criminals to walk the halls.

Thank you! I will check back here. I’m not sure if my kid will know so I appreciate your willingness to share information. If the school cannot keep kids safe by removing known offenders like this, parents should be aware!

[Anonymous]

Oakton Families,

My heart is sad as I write this letter. Many of you have reached out to me regarding the disturbing incident that occurred on school grounds last week. As a board, we have seen the original video and NBC News story.

We have been and remain in communication with the school’s administration. Unfortunately, we do not have any further information or details to share about this incident that have not already been shared by the school.

Please use this incident as a chance to open a dialog with your children about what happened, their thoughts and possible solutions to prevent this from ever happening again. Ask what they would do as stated in this article Bystanders to Bullying? This is a teachable moment to remind and guide our children to be kind, responsible and make the "smarter" choices.

Sending out healing to all families involved,

Monique Roberts-Rabil
PTSA President

In case you missed it, the message below is the statement released by Principal Lane. If you have questions or concerns about the incident, please reach out to the school directly.


01/29/2020

Dear Parents,

As some of you may be aware, a student at Oakton High School was assaulted last week on school property. The moment the school became aware of this incident we began an extensive investigation into this matter, which continues.

As a result of multiple interviews and the significant information received, appropriate disciplinary action as outlined in the FCPS Student Rights and Responsibilities (SR&R) will be assigned. The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) was immediately informed and opened an investigation. The FCPD is continuing their investigation and the school is assisting the police in any way that we can.

Our primary responsibility is the safety and well-being of our students and staff. We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to provide a safe learning environment and instruct our students who see something to say something to a known adult, including parents and/or school staff.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Jamie S. Lane, Principal

[Anonymous]

I’d like the original video shared with the OHS community. It’s important that my kids know who the perps in their school are!

Weird that only the PTA sees the unfiltered version.

PTA should hold a community meeting about this! With Scott, Jamie, Doug, SRO, chief of police, DA. Why the heck not?! This was felony assault at our high school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OHS parent of a freshman.
I WILL update if and when the criminals returns to OHS. I truly could not feel safe if they do!

If they do, I will petition the SB to remove them. If this were a knife that had been used to stab ;but not attempt to murder) another student, my reaction would be the same

1. Kid brought a weapon to school
2. Two kids used this weapon to assault another.
3. Other students held the victim against his will to ensure he could be assaulted

I have premeditation; I have felony assault, I have accomplice to felony assault.

No way could the school ensure a safe and secure learning environment if they allow these criminals to walk the halls.

Please and thank you.

[Anonymous]

This wasn’t bullying / this was assault! What would YOU do if you saw another being violated?! Hmmm. Let’s address the real issue-it’s not bullying. The teachable moment here is what do you do when you see serious crime happening? Answer: dial 911,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakton Families,

My heart is sad as I write this letter. Many of you have reached out to me regarding the disturbing incident that occurred on school grounds last week. As a board, we have seen the original video and NBC News story.

We have been and remain in communication with the school’s administration. Unfortunately, we do not have any further information or details to share about this incident that have not already been shared by the school.

Please use this incident as a chance to open a dialog with your children about what happened, their thoughts and possible solutions to prevent this from ever happening again. Ask what they would do as stated in this article Bystanders to Bullying? This is a teachable moment to remind and guide our children to be kind, responsible and make the "smarter" choices.

Sending out healing to all families involved,

Monique Roberts-Rabil
PTSA President

I’m sorry, but this more of the same lame BS ? ... I don’t know anymore than you do... we are doing all we can.... student privacy prevents me from sharing more... and so on.

What grades are the delinquents in and how many participated or stood by, saying and doing nothing? The school can say without violating privacy.

Where exactly did this occur and when? The school can say without violating privacy.

How did these teenagers get their hands on a stun gun? The school or police can say without violating privacy.

This community deserves answers that are now being withheld for next good reason.

[Anonymous]

I have no kids at Oakton.

This is a horrible event, but it sounds to me like it is being handled properly. Everyone does not have the "right" to see the video. This is for the protection of minors. It is especially important that the victim be protected, as well.

This is an issue for law enforcement. Hopefully, it will be handled fairly quickly.

My concerns about the administration is about supervision. Was negligence involved?

There have always been fights in schools. That does not make it right. The use of a stun gun makes it egregious.

I am not familiar with the current Student Rights policy--but, I think I understand that they have been changed to make it more difficult to suspend or expel kids.

If ever there were kids that need to be expelled, it sounds like some were in that locker room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I have seen happen in FCPS is that admin treats the bully as a victim, and blames the victim in any way possible. They’ll say “oh, if it was really a problem, he would have told someone or gotten help”. Bullying has a paralyzing effect such that victims usually do not speak up. That’s why bystanders are so important. Recognize subtle signs and look out for each other. Do not blame victims! Do not assume they are ok, just because they aren’t crying/screaming for help. The long lasting psychological effects of extreme bullying are similar to being in a war-torn country.

+1

FCPS close ranks and simply don't want to deal with the real issue. If someone is a known drug dealer, for example, it is easy to get rid of that student or small group of students, because they are a known problem doing something blatantly illegal, repeatedly. If someone is a bully, they are sneaky by nature. FCPS has cameras, and are extremely careful what they show the victim's families. FCPS has a lawyer behind this, because FCPS has years of experience, and they need to protect their "brand". It's not such a great school system, but it is extremely large. People from outside the area are sometimes impressed with that.

They do not get rid of drug dealers. Plenty have been caught and remain at school.

You are correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So how were these kids unsupervised in a locker room long enough for this to happen? Do the supervision requirements for students change that dramatically in high school? In our middle school there is always a teacher with groups of students.

It’s Lord of the Flies.

[Anonymous]

Schools have to tread extremely carefully in all respects here. As a general matter, that means taking the greatest care to ensure the rights and privacy of alleged perpetrators too. Otherwise, the accused can collect jackpot verdicts or settlements.