Reply to Hoax Bomb Threat at Washington Latin

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No idea but am pretty sure the prior joke emails weren't bomb threats and also pretty sure they didn't have the potential to do long-lasting harm to another child due to his ethnicity. [b] It's the combination that led to the expulsion.[/quote][/b]

Now you're speculating. Didn't Cutts originally state that the boy wasn't targeted because of his religion?  And when did ethnicity get in the equation? When and where has his ethnicity been mentioned? [/quote]

No Cutts did not say this.  I don't know the kids who sent the email but from the school rumor mill, I don't believe they meant the email as a hate crime.  However, [b]unintended consequences [/b]can be much worse than intended ones.  I'm a WL parent who supports the administration's decision.  This is harsh punishment but I believe deserved in this case.  From emails the parents have gotten, it appears that Latin is working with the kids who were expelled to help in the transition to a new school.  This can be a huge opportunity for these kids and others to learn the importance of thinking through what they say and do.  They will not learn if there are not consequences for their actions.[/quote]

Wouldn't logical consequences be an appropriate response to the unintended consequences of their action?  Or are you conflating the unintended consequences of their actions (hurt and pain caused) with the intentional consequences of the administration (expulsion)which I'm agreeing these two students most likely did not expect.  For the unintended hurt or disruption caused by their thoughtless actions wouldn't the route of an apology, working to repair it with the community through service or education bring about the most learning for everyone?  How does exclusion help here exactly for the kids involved and the kids in the 'to learn' as you state above?  Please explain. And feel free to check out the diagrams of the "expulsion to prison" pipeline in the sources below.

http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/content/unintended-consequences-school-discpline

https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/sssta/20110323_Implementation5.pdf

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/112/5/1206.full?cited-by=yes;112/5/1206[/quote]

I wanted to read these before responding.  The overarching theme I saw in all three sites was that expulsion and/or suspension can increase dropout rates, crime, and drug abuse.  However, in reading the material, the caveat is usually made that this “is for students at risk” or “when students are provided with no immediate educational alternative”.

I understand this and do not want the kids who were expelled to go down a path like this.  But I also think about the kid whose email was used.  I can’t imagine the fear and alienation he felt when he first saw the email.  I don’t know that this kid has had to deal with discrimination because of his religion in or out of school, but I’m sure he is very aware of what could happen to him and his family.  The news is full of what could be done to him.  
If I trust the school’s correspondence, they are helping the students who were expelled. They are not leaving them or the families to face this alone.  I’m very glad that they are doing this. I think this shows the kids that they have made a mistake and there is a cost to that, but that doesn’t mean that they are no longer worthy of help or support or a second chance.

Again, I feel for all that are involved and wished we didn’t have to deal with this as a school community and a society, but that is the reality.  I truly hope the kids expelled are able to learn something.
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Below are some of the highlights I pulled out from the sites you gave.
The knowledge Center graphic has a couple of key statements/stats that stand out to me. When talking about the impact of expulsion or suspension on the dropout crisis, it states “particularly for those students at greatest risk.”  It doesn’t seem to me that someone who was already accepted to Princeton is at the “greatest risk”.

Further down when it mentions the 56% who failed to graduate, it mentions those with 11 or more suspensions or expulsions.  I don’t know the history of the two kids who sent the email, but there has been no indication that they have a history of expulsion/suspensions.

The information provided at the safe support site seems to be a power point presentation but does not show where the information provided comes from in terms of research.  I did find interesting the following: “Developmental stages of wiring in early adolescence resemble wiring of toddlers in which emotional deregulation and egocentrism are high.” The corresponding chart, shows that he was talking about 13 year olds. The chart only shows images for kids up to 15.5 years of age. I presume the high school seniors are older than that.  The presentation also talks about how when pressured or under stress, a young person’s ability to “stop and think” drops off rapidly.  Further it states that exposure to prior trauma (e.g., child abuse, violence) worsens performance dramatically.  No one has claimed that the two students who sent the email fit this description.

The last site discusses the use of zero tolerance which does not apply to this case.  As several have said, expulsion is one of the punishments listed in the handbook but not the only one.  There is also an appeals process which has been shared with the parents of the kids expelled (according to the school administration).  The following quote from this site links back to the overarching theme I mentioned above.
“Suspension and expulsion may exacerbate academic deterioration, and when students are provided with no immediate educational alternative, student alienation, delinquency, crime, and substance abuse may ensue.”

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