Will school weapon detections cause class time delay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Wtf are you talking about? It doesn’t say that at all in her email. It says they will be reduced in how many passes they can get to leave class. The kid doesn’t get the privilege of leaving class so often anymore since they clearly have a problem with cutting or being late. The kid can use the bathroom at lunchtime or in between classes. This is not unreasonable at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Wtf are you talking about? It doesn’t say that at all in her email. It says they will be reduced in how many passes they can get to leave class. The kid doesn’t get the privilege of leaving class so often anymore since they clearly have a problem with cutting or being late. The kid can use the bathroom at lunchtime or in between classes. This is not unreasonable at all.

It's really not. Going to the bathroom isn't some special privilege. You get to go to the bathroom because human beings actually have to go to the bathroom -- some more than others. This isn't prison. If a kid is known to be cutting class, that should be dealt with according to normal procedures (i.e., detention). Assuming every kid who has accumulated tardies is cutting class rather than actually establishing that is what is happening is lazy and then imposing this special punishment that could be difficult or embarrassing for some kids is cruel. My kids have been late to first class every day this week, despite arriving on time, due to the weapons screening line. Punishing them for the schools failures is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the machine beeps the teacher is supposed to pat the student down or search their backpack? What if the teacher fails to find a weapon but the studbet actually has one? Who’s liable? Did the school board even consider this?

Have students been told their rights for if system goes off as to what they have to agree to or not agree to, can they call their parents, etc?

And there is NO way any teacher will be willing to “pat down” a student. SO many ways for that to go wrong from missing a weapon, to finding a weapon to assault claims.

Woodson is resolving these difficult questions by just giving a thumbs-up-and-carry-on to every kid who sets off the detector. Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

+1. Also a teacher. We're in the second week of school and my school doesn't have metal detectors yet. Some kids already have dozens of unexcused tardies across various classes. They're the same ones who roam the halls and start problems in the bathrooms. Schools should be addressing this early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Wtf are you talking about? It doesn’t say that at all in her email. It says they will be reduced in how many passes they can get to leave class. The kid doesn’t get the privilege of leaving class so often anymore since they clearly have a problem with cutting or being late. The kid can use the bathroom at lunchtime or in between classes. This is not unreasonable at all.

Yes, it is completely absurd. The class is 90 minutes. There is very little time between classes and the building is huge. Some of the bathrooms are closed and there are waits to use the open ones. And girls on their periods
need to be able to use the bathroom whenever.

This is crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Wtf are you talking about? It doesn’t say that at all in her email. It says they will be reduced in how many passes they can get to leave class. The kid doesn’t get the privilege of leaving class so often anymore since they clearly have a problem with cutting or being late. The kid can use the bathroom at lunchtime or in between classes. This is not unreasonable at all.

It blows my mind that the schools are finding a way to make a FCPS-created problem the kids' fault. I jokingly said it would come to this because the system is not going to own up to its mistakes, but perhaps my joke is not so far off from the actual reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

Wait, the email said students with X number of accumulated tardies will "be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day)." That sounds like bathroom restrictions to me, yes? At Woodson, they've said normal tardies would be issued this week, and have not walked that back. My kids have been late to first class every day due to the line, and have no idea how their teachers are marking it. So, I fail to see how this is hysteria. Kids who are late due to the school's procedures should not be thrown in the same bucket with kids who are randomly roaming the halls during the day. My kids actually use zero passes because they don't like being in the school's bathrooms, but every kid is different and how many times you have to go to the bathroom in a day should not be used as a basis for punishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Kids in FCPS can't go to the bathroom anyway....they seem to be all locked down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if the machine beeps the teacher is supposed to pat the student down or search their backpack? What if the teacher fails to find a weapon but the studbet actually has one? Who’s liable? Did the school board even consider this?

Have students been told their rights for if system goes off as to what they have to agree to or not agree to, can they call their parents, etc?

And there is NO way any teacher will be willing to “pat down” a student. SO many ways for that to go wrong from missing a weapon, to finding a weapon to assault claims.

Woodson is resolving these difficult questions by just giving a thumbs-up-and-carry-on to every kid who sets off the detector. Easy peasy.

aah so a true FCPS show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

Wait, the email said students with X number of accumulated tardies will "be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day)." That sounds like bathroom restrictions to me, yes? At Woodson, they've said normal tardies would be issued this week, and have not walked that back. My kids have been late to first class every day due to the line, and have no idea how their teachers are marking it. So, I fail to see how this is hysteria. Kids who are late due to the school's procedures should not be thrown in the same bucket with kids who are randomly roaming the halls during the day. My kids actually use zero passes because they don't like being in the school's bathrooms, but every kid is different and how many times you have to go to the bathroom in a day should not be used as a basis for punishment.

I would be contacting the admin if the tardies are due to the weapons screening. Simple as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

+1. Also a teacher. We're in the second week of school and my school doesn't have metal detectors yet. Some kids already have dozens of unexcused tardies across various classes. They're the same ones who roam the halls and start problems in the bathrooms. Schools should be addressing this early.

Ok well as a teacher I need to ask you what are the middle and high schools doing about no one being able to use bathrooms because of all the "trouble"in them. I'm an educator we all know kids have trouble learning in situations/enviornments where they can't have their basic needs met. People need to use the restrooms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

Wtf are you talking about? It doesn’t say that at all in her email. It says they will be reduced in how many passes they can get to leave class. The kid doesn’t get the privilege of leaving class so often anymore since they clearly have a problem with cutting or being late. The kid can use the bathroom at lunchtime or in between classes. This is not unreasonable at all.

It's really not. Going to the bathroom isn't some special privilege. You get to go to the bathroom because human beings actually have to go to the bathroom -- some more than others. This isn't prison. If a kid is known to be cutting class, that should be dealt with according to normal procedures (i.e., detention). Assuming every kid who has accumulated tardies is cutting class rather than actually establishing that is what is happening is lazy and then imposing this special punishment that could be difficult or embarrassing for some kids is cruel. My kids have been late to first class every day this week, despite arriving on time, due to the weapons screening line. Punishing them for the schools failures is ridiculous.

It doesn’t assume that at all. It said unexcused tardies OR cutting class. Now if the unexcused tardies are due to weapons screening that is one thing. Why don’t you actually check what class the unexcused tardy was in on SIS? Are you sure they are giving out “unexcused” tardies for weapons screening or are you just going by what your kid says? I’m pretty sure those are “excused” tardies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Westfield today. We have received zero messaging about weapons detection.

Greetings. All Westfield families are receiving this message. Please note that students who accumulate between 5 and 10 unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive lunch detention and be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day). Students who accumulate 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts in one week will receive an afterschool detention and will be pass restricted to 1/day. When students have four weeks of 11+ unexcused tardies or class cuts (consecutively or not), they will be placed on full day escort and parents will be invited to a meeting at school. This is a change from last year. Tardies and class cuts will be monitored on weekly basis. Please talk with your student and remind them to arrive to class on time and to not leave class without permission. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Best,
Maranda Black
Dean of Students

What is this nonsense? Is this the worst run school in Fairfax? You were tardy because our line is too long, so now YOU CANT GO TO THE BATHROOM? That's what "passes" are, bathroom passes.

Their punishment for tardies is can’t go to the bathroom????????

I’m a teacher and think the entire weapon detection system is for show, but nowhere in that email does it mention preventing students from using the bathroom. You are trying to cause hysteria for no reason. Of course it’s stupid to hold them up for class for this, if it makes them late for class, but that wouldn’t be an unexcused tardy anywhere.

Wait, the email said students with X number of accumulated tardies will "be placed on pass restrictions (from 4 to 2 per day)." That sounds like bathroom restrictions to me, yes? At Woodson, they've said normal tardies would be issued this week, and have not walked that back. My kids have been late to first class every day due to the line, and have no idea how their teachers are marking it. So, I fail to see how this is hysteria. Kids who are late due to the school's procedures should not be thrown in the same bucket with kids who are randomly roaming the halls during the day. My kids actually use zero passes because they don't like being in the school's bathrooms, but every kid is different and how many times you have to go to the bathroom in a day should not be used as a basis for punishment.

I would be contacting the admin if the tardies are due to the weapons screening. Simple as that.

Yes and make them send you a confirmation in WRITING that the issue was cleared up-check in SIS as well. Westfield was a mess with this last year during their "pilot". Parents will need to be vigilant and on top of them!!!!