Ridiculous goings on at St. Albans

[Anonymous]

These kids sound as stupid and self-entitled as a Qatari diplomat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These kids sound as stupid and self-entitled as a Qatari diplomat!

But the diplomat won't get punished...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These kids sound as stupid and self-entitled as a Qatari diplomat!

But the diplomat won't get punished...

Oh you're probably right but we can hope that at least the Qatari govnt will recall the moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In response to this comment:

You are exactly what is wrong in this country. We pay school administrators big dollars for their professional judgment. Zero tolerance means zero judgment. We might as well hire a chimp to perform the administrator's job.

Administrators are tasked with the responsibility to make decisions and use good judgment. To refer to an administrator as a chimp is sad and disrespectful. Frankly while I can carry on about this comment, it is clear that your mindset is beyond repair. Students should not bring weapons to school. End of story. Should the boys be prosecuted for a crime? No. But they should be disciplined and the administrator should have responded with caution.

Do you realize you just made the argument against zero tolerance?

And, the poster was not referring to the administrator as a chimp. What's with your reading comprehension skills? The post said that if we don't give the administrator discretion to use his judgment, we might as well hire a non-thinking chimp to do that job. Zero tolerance policies take away discretion to exercise judgment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good grief. Thanks for reminding me why we chose to live in VA with the rednecks instead of in DC with the crazies. Just last week I transported my son's friend's airsoft gun -- across state lines no less (from MD to VA) -- so that they could play after school in our woods (yep, we have woods in VA). Had I gone to DC for an errand and a police officer looked into the back of my SUV (which already appears highly suspicious in DC because it sports a pro-life bumper sticker), I guess I could have been arrested, too. I understand why parents living in DC would not want their sons playing with BB guns, because most people do not have yards big enough to allow safe play. But since some of us in MD and VA do, and some of us feel this is much healthier recreation than socializing with strangers on facebook or sitting in front of a giant screen playing Guitar Hero, DC law enforcement obviously needs to take into account that this is a metropolitan area and not arrest teenagers, who presumably had a MD license plate on their car, for forgetting to take the BB gun out of the back seat!

You know what, I grew up in the country. Learned to shoot at any early age, etc. And my parents would have NEVER allowed us to drive around with the gun on the back seat of our car. That is what a rack or a trunk is for. We were taught how to stow a weapon after we used it, etc. And there was no margin to forget because there are NO margins in gun safety.

I really think the children are in error here, not DC law enforcement.

[Anonymous]

None of you have the correct story, seeing as you all are being mis-led by the news. Myself and other students on the Cathedral close were actually there, we know what happened. We were only on lockdown for 40 minutes, first of all. Not 90. The 18 year old was driving to school with a 17 year old passenger, the older one forgot about the BB gun in the back of his car, the younger one wanted to see it, so he took it out. Some parent flipped out because they thought that he was in possession of an actual rifle. Obviously they cannot tell the different between a toy and an actual weapon. These boy's chances of going to the amazing colleges that they had been accepted to, are most likely ruined. Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. The only reason this seems like such a big deal, is that it is a PRIVATE school. If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist. I am astonished that even adults still believe the stereotypes of typical private school kids. We are just normal teenagers. We make mistakes like any other. So please, get your facts straight, and stop judging us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of you have the correct story, seeing as you all are being mis-led by the news. Myself and other students on the Cathedral close were actually there, we know what happened. We were only on lockdown for 40 minutes, first of all. Not 90. The 18 year old was driving to school with a 17 year old passenger, the older one forgot about the BB gun in the back of his car, the younger one wanted to see it, so he took it out. Some parent flipped out because they thought that he was in possession of an actual rifle. Obviously they cannot tell the different between a toy and an actual weapon. These boy's chances of going to the amazing colleges that they had been accepted to, are most likely ruined. Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. The only reason this seems like such a big deal, is that it is a PRIVATE school. If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist. I am astonished that even adults still believe the stereotypes of typical private school kids. We are just normal teenagers. We make mistakes like any other. So please, get your facts straight, and stop judging us.

Ouch. This is a writing sample from the hallowed halls of STA? How old are you, dear? This certainly makes me think twice about encouraging my sons to look at STA for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of you have the correct story, seeing as you all are being mis-led by the news. Myself and other students on the Cathedral close were actually there, we know what happened. We were only on lockdown for 40 minutes, first of all. Not 90. The 18 year old was driving to school with a 17 year old passenger, the older one forgot about the BB gun in the back of his car, the younger one wanted to see it, so he took it out. Some parent flipped out because they thought that he was in possession of an actual rifle. Obviously they cannot tell the different between a toy and an actual weapon. These boy's chances of going to the amazing colleges that they had been accepted to, are most likely ruined. Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. The only reason this seems like such a big deal, is that it is a PRIVATE school. If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist. I am astonished that even adults still believe the stereotypes of typical private school kids. We are just normal teenagers. We make mistakes like any other. So please, get your facts straight, and stop judging us.

No, these mistakes are actually quite impressive -- even for the internet. Isn't anyone teaching you kids how to write? If the attitude weren't so spot on, I'd be convinced this post was a hoax. May it's a teenager from another school doing his or her impression of a St. Alban's boy. If so, well-played, Prankster!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of you have the correct story, seeing as you all are being mis-led by the news. Myself and other students on the Cathedral close were actually there, we know what happened. We were only on lockdown for 40 minutes, first of all. Not 90. The 18 year old was driving to school with a 17 year old passenger, the older one forgot about the BB gun in the back of his car, the younger one wanted to see it, so he took it out. Some parent flipped out because they thought that he was in possession of an actual rifle. Obviously they cannot tell the different between a toy and an actual weapon. These boy's chances of going to the amazing colleges that they had been accepted to, are most likely ruined. Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. The only reason this seems like such a big deal, is that it is a PRIVATE school. If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist. I am astonished that even adults still believe the stereotypes of typical private school kids. We are just normal teenagers. We make mistakes like any other. So please, get your facts straight, and stop judging us.

Actually, if this happened at a public school, the students would be totally screwed because those schools worship at the alter of zero tolerance much more than private schools do. (And, by the way, many public schools have forums available to them.)

I'm hoping that the student writing this is actually a younger sibling of a STA boy, because there are so many mistakes in it. "None of you HAS" "seeing as you" "Myself and other students" "18 year old" "17 year old" (the latter mistakes were in a run-on sentence) "Some parent flipped out because THEY" "Obviously[] they" "These boy's chances" "to, are" "deal, is" "If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist" [what does the latter have to do with the former?]

Phew. I'm tired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of you have the correct story, seeing as you all are being mis-led by the news. Myself and other students on the Cathedral close were actually there, we know what happened. We were only on lockdown for 40 minutes, first of all. Not 90. The 18 year old was driving to school with a 17 year old passenger, the older one forgot about the BB gun in the back of his car, the younger one wanted to see it, so he took it out. Some parent flipped out because they thought that he was in possession of an actual rifle. Obviously they cannot tell the different between a toy and an actual weapon. These boy's chances of going to the amazing colleges that they had been accepted to, are most likely ruined. Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. The only reason this seems like such a big deal, is that it is a PRIVATE school. If this had happened at a public school, this forum would not even exist. I am astonished that even adults still believe the stereotypes of typical private school kids. We are just normal teenagers. We make mistakes like any other. So please, get your facts straight, and stop judging us.

Assuming this post is real (a big if, and if it is, I'm glad my tuition dollars are going to another institution) . . .

"Nothing dangerous happened, and nothing was going to happen. We have a very safe campus, with strict rules, that everyone is well aware of. "

Oh, there are RULES against it. Well, then never mind, sorry for the concern. Because we all know teenagers ALWAYS obey the rules.

[Anonymous]

to "May it's a teenager" ...let's not be the grammar police...

[Anonymous]

It's always easy to judge other people. I have 4 brothers and I know they all did some of the stupidiest things people could do and still avoid jail time. My mom rarely got sleep during my bros teenage years. Imagine what the parents of those boys are having to deal with. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes.

[Anonymous]

Private/Public aside. The school thought there was a gun on campus, went into lock down to keep the students safe until the situation was resolved. They called the police becuase they were working under the premise that there was a REAL GUN (the kind that can kill you darling children) on campus. The police came, found said gun, thank god it was only a bb gun, and took the child into custody becuase guess what, having a BB gun not on your property in DC is illegal, so he was breaking the law. Once the school realized it was a BB gun and everything was taken care of, poof, no more lock down and things continued normally for the rest of the day.

[Anonymous]

* should be "your darling children"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone has a problem with the kid owning a BB gun. But when they initiated all the hoopla, no one knew what kind of gun it was.

You are wrong about this. I have a problem with guns period, any kind of gun. I have a zero tolerance policy regarding guns. No squirt guns, no plastic guns, no making guns out of Legos, no guns anywhere on my property, and no kids bringing guns or toy guns or violent-looking toys over to play with my kids.

I think the school was right. BB guns can be dangerous. I know a kid who was injured by a bb gun. He nearly lost an eye. And if they can't tell the difference between a real gun and a bbgun from looking at the gun, they were right to arrest the kids. The kid had no right to have any kind of gun in the back of his car on school grounds.

Good for the school and for the police. I think zero tolerance goes too far sometimes (like the case of the kid expelled for taking a boy scout knife/spoon to school), but in this case, the action of the school officials and police sounds reasonable.