How did your school react to the horrific events in CT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

I expect my school to have a plan in place for the upcoming week for dealing with kids asking questions and making statements that might upset other kids. They email me about everything else under the sun, so yes, I expect an email about that, and I was disappointed to not hear a peep. Don't know why you so wrongly and cynically jump to the conclusion I need my child's school to provide me therapy.

Different poster, but I too thought the original thread asking for info on the range of responses took on a note of carping pretty quickly. I also think the most important thing is what the schools did at school. If they were focused on the kids at school and took steps (which they did, as I learned from talking to my child), I was ok with not getting a "day of" email which it seems to me could ratchet up tension. I'm sure many or most parents share your viewpoint so at a minimum I guess a school would save itself grief by sending out a communication. The age range of the school would matter too (would expect it would be more likely that schools with young children would send out advice on how to talk to your child).

The original "therapy" post was a tad sharp-tongued (although I think I got where they were coming fom) but responders' flame posts ("idiot" "unfeeling" etc) did not seem to heighten the discourse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

I think your response to the poster who would have liked to have heard something from her school was harsh and then you harp on others as being whiners and accusing you of having a heart of stone. No one criticized a school's administration but a general remark of wanting to hear from the school. Is that so bad?

Based on your harsh criticism of those who responded to your remarks and your self-description of you being a flinty-souled cretin, maybe it's you who has too much time on their hands. And maybe it was just the way you worded your response that elicited the negative responses you received.

We should ALL be able to grieve and concern in our own way without judgment from ANYONE.

[Anonymous]

Curious..do people think there was initial worry that this could terrorism and about to happen at schools across the country? This hasn't occurred to me. If this is a thought..what would the schools have done differently Friday..I didn't see anything different at our school that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

My kids are in upper school. I remember when a few years back when the snipers held the D.C/MD/VA area as emotional and mental hostages and the schools were locked down, there was wall-to-wall news coverage nationwide. Family outside of the area could not get through because the phone circuits were tied up. I welcomed the constant emails from the school. Upper school or not, these are still are babies.

And, no, I don't think you have a heart of stone but I think if you had included how you too wept about Newtown's tiny victims instead of castigating the poster who was concerned about emails, this topic would not have taken this turn. Sorry, but that's the way I see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

I think your response to the poster who would have liked to have heard something from her school was harsh and then you harp on others as being whiners and accusing you of having a heart of stone. No one criticized a school's administration but a general remark of wanting to hear from the school. Is that so bad?

Based on your harsh criticism of those who responded to your remarks and your self-description of you being a flinty-souled cretin, maybe it's you who has too much time on their hands. And maybe it was just the way you worded your response that elicited the negative responses you received.

We should ALL be able to grieve and concern in our own way without judgment from ANYONE.

Ripping your school for not emoting enough in their letter is your way of grieving? Cool. Add that on to the stages of grief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. I was disappointed to near nothing. Even though our kids were safe, it just would have helped to have heard from the school.

Why? This happened in another state and had nothing to do with the DC area, private schools, etc. Why does the school have to be the therapist to families? (If kids at school need help processing, that's different.)

Wow! What an unfeeling person you must be.

I've wept when I read the news coverage about the tiny victims and the heroic teachers who died trying to save them. Talked over with friends and colleagues. But I didn't expect the school to immediately contact me about something receiving wall-to-wall news coverage that is not in the DC area. This is Upper School -- perhaps those decrying me as an idiot with a heart of stone have young children.

Let's just leave it with the collective wisdom of DCUM regarding me as a flinty-souled cretin, while I in turn see you as hysterical whiners with too much time on your hands and nothing better to do than use a tragedy as a means to criticize your school's administration.

Ta.

I think your response to the poster who would have liked to have heard something from her school was harsh and then you harp on others as being whiners and accusing you of having a heart of stone. No one criticized a school's administration but a general remark of wanting to hear from the school. Is that so bad?

Based on your harsh criticism of those who responded to your remarks and your self-description of you being a flinty-souled cretin, maybe it's you who has too much time on their hands. And maybe it was just the way you worded your response that elicited the negative responses you received.

We should ALL be able to grieve and concern in our own way without judgment from ANYONE.

Good non-judgmental post calling for no judgments. Oh, wait.

[Anonymous]

I have always thought that elementary schools are sitting ducks for these kinds of crazy people. The schools are full of children with very few adult men around. I think that all schools (private also) should have a rule that a police cruiser is within a 1 minute response from the building. That way, they can be doing other things in the neighborhood, but when called, they can get there quickly.

[Anonymous]

20:44 To spell it out. The reason that parents - especially of young children - feel their school should send out a letter is due to fear of copycat shooters. Right now there is some nutcase who shot 50 rounds in a parking lot at the Fashion Square Galleria, Newport, CA. So, yes, a shooting in school out-of-state is of concern to every parent living in D.C., MD and VA Parents correctly want to know what safety protections are already in place and what new protections will be put into place because these horrific nationally-reported events encourage copycat shootings.

The same occured after 9/ll. Many schools enacted restrictive sign-in/buzz-in procedures. Some got lax about it. Some don't have any at all, like my local public high school. Parents want to know what their schools are doing on Monday in order to address the copycat phenomenon.

Also, for the young, parents want to know how the school is going to address discussion of the event, if at all. Or are they going to have counselors on hand to discuss it? Personally, after 9/ll, we took our kids out of private school for a few days because we lost a dear friend in it and had to handle funeral arrangements - but also our kid were quite young and I didn't want them to hear from other kids on the playground about people burning jumping from windows. We turned off the TVs, put out the flag and hunkered down into mourning. It was the right call - the older child has minimal memories and no nightmares - the youngest doesn't remember it at all In sharp contrast, a mom friend let her same-aged daughter watch tV nonstop and saw the stills in the newspapers of the people jumping. And the mother wondered why the child woke up screaming at night.

[Anonymous]

P.S. Clarification the NP above (me) is trying to address 20:44's position that parents in this area have no right to expecti an email from their schools about an out-of-state shooting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:P.S. Clarification the NP above (me) is trying to address 20:44's position that parents in this area have no right to expecti an email from their schools about an out-of-state shooting.

Your comments in both posts should have been common sense and not needed any explanation. I guess some posters feel better when they post to get a rise and then get defensive when called out. Your explanation was on the money. It's all about the children and our rights to be concerned as parents.

[Anonymous]

Amazing, absolutely amazing, how one poster can turn a meaningful discussion totally around. Thanks, 15:26 for putting things back on track!

[Anonymous]

Our ACPS school -- central office sent out multiple emails, including the emotive messages and also specific steps, including the fact that for the next several days/weeks, all arrivals will be police-monitored, and any school facilities not entry-screened will be. Elementary school principals and counselors sent around more involved notes, typically including (1) note that ACPS made a concerted effort not to discuss the incident with the elementary school kids, and (2) how-to-address/calm info for elementary parents. Highly satisfied with very prompt, thorough info from ACPS.

[Anonymous]

Well, thank you 17:41. I am 15:26. It's rare that anyone gets any positive reinforcement on this site when trying to help!

[Anonymous]

You still sound hysterical.