Anonymous wrote:Mcps has all sorts of programs and initiatives geared towards understanding and accepting different genders, cultures and so forth but not one to understand special needs kids. They were left out of me too, blm, love is love and every other movement.
Shameful.

You seem to think students with special needs are a monolithic group that stands apart from everyone else in every context. You’re wrong. Our magnets have twice exceptional students who are both gifted and have SN. There are students with IEPs involved in clubs like GSA and MSP. Sometimes, they are even the leaders of these organizations.

Anonymous wrote:Well-heeled rhe elephant innthe room.
MCPS does NOT care about special need kids.
A child with an iq of 79 should NEVER be at school with the general population. But McKnight, et al, would rather spend 1.5 million so you know if Larlos bus is 2 minutes late than to address the needs of special needs students. I would love to see how many seriously bullied kids are SN kids.
The child who was murdered innthe woods in Germantown seemed to have special needs, too, according to his mother.

Where is the investigative reporting on this? How many special needs children are being violently bullied and intimidated at school? Why won't MCPS do better? Special needs students should be protected.

I don’t think you have every known anyone with a 79 IQ if you think they can’t be in the same school as students with average intelligence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

A minor? He was nearly 18
Being threatened? Any number of people he could have gone to for help
Clearly intelligent? I doubt it
Not a homicide? If it wasn’t for the excellent emergency care he received from the school safety officer and former SRO it would have been.
Not a career criminal? Yet.

A minor. Yes. A high school junior.

Threatened. Yes. Nobody can protect you until something actually happens but then it’s too late. Also this applies to the victim who went to the bathroom to
fight. He wasn’t innocent.

Intelligent. Yes obviously since he assembled his own gun from raw parts and was a high school junior not a dropout. They arrested him while he was in class. He gave up the gun without any argument.

Not a homicide. Objectively true. No matter what you say could have happened we don’t punish people for crimes they did not commit.

Not a career criminal. Once again you are just making up stuff to support your harsh judgment.


People like you would just send every single criminal to jail for life no matter what the details. Clueless.

Lol, he wasn’t in HIS class. He ducked into a random classroom when the teachers swept the hallways.

Mcps has all sorts of programs and initiatives geared towards understanding and accepting different genders, cultures and so forth but not one to understand special needs kids. They were left out of me too, blm, love is love and every other movement.
Shameful.

One special needs student from magruder had to bring a gun to school to protect himself after mcps failed to do so. He will now spend as much of his life in jail as he did outside of jail.
Another special needs student from northwest left dead in the woods after his mom begged them to change his school assignment.

How many special needs students is MCPS going to sacrifice before they wake up?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

Where did you learn that he was being threatened by the victim? I have not seen that reported. I think you're having a little too much empathy. Why shouldn't he be punished for shooting somebody?

Different poster here. Magruder parent. He has a 79 IQ, which is almost developmentally disabled. I don't think he should have been charged as an adult. But McCarthy was going to make an example out of him as the first ever school shooter in Montgomery County, during an election year.

Yes, it has been reported that he was bullied badly by kids at the school. Including Dre. THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE SHOOTING HIM. Kids do really stupid things. There is heartache enough for both the boys. It's such a horrifically sad situation.


A larger question is what the hell is MCPS doing about kids the size of grown men bullying one another? These are all vicious cycles and they are happening right under our noses. Jailyn Jones, for example. Killed by a fellow Northwest classmate. We need to wake up.

That information does change my opinion. I had not seen this reported anywhere. But it's also scary to think a developmentally delayed student can order and assemble a ghost gun.

Well-heeled rhe elephant innthe room.
MCPS does NOT care about special need kids.
A child with an iq of 79 should NEVER be at school with the general population. But McKnight, et al, would rather spend 1.5 million so you know if Larlos bus is 2 minutes late than to address the needs of special needs students. I would love to see how many seriously bullied kids are SN kids.
The child who was murdered innthe woods in Germantown seemed to have special needs, too, according to his mother.

Where is the investigative reporting on this? How many special needs children are being violently bullied and intimidated at school? Why won't MCPS do better? Special needs students should be protected.

Please start reading My MC Media. I know it's government media but it has some of the best reporting around.

https://www.mymcmedia.org/magruder-school-shooter-sentenced-to-18-years-for-assaulting-classmate/

During an emotion 90-minute courtroom hearing, Thomas’ mother talked about the pain her son and her entire family continue to endure. Two Magruder teachers described Alston’s learning and cognitive disabilities, and Alston’s attorney read a statement written by the now-18-year-old, who has been in prison since the shooting.

“First, I want to say I’m sorry,” attorney David Felson read from a statement written by Alston. Felson said that the teenager was too nervous to read it himself.

“I hope Deandre and his family can understand and forgive me,” he wrote. “I was frightened and didn’t know what to do.” He added, “I was lost,” and made “a bad decision.” He also apologized to the school and his mother, who sat quietly in the courtroom throughout the proceedings.

...

He said Alston felt bullied and scared. “It is fairly clear that Steven was bullied, harassed and terrorized” at Magruder. Students even came to his home at home point and only left when Alston’s mother threatened to call the police.

All this “left Steven in an impossible situation,” Felson said. “We know the victim wanted to kick Steven’s ass,” he said, adding, “None of this justifies Steven’s actions.”

But Alexander Bush, the Thomas family attorney, said it was “disgusting” to make it seem that Thomas was responsible for all the bullying and problems Alston was having and that the defense was attempting to blame the victim.

Resource teacher Stephanie Williams called Alston a quiet, polite student. He was “very sweet, kind, responsible.”

His 11th grade world history teacher, Chris Gamble, said Alston had “academic difficulties” and said very little. He described Alston as respectful and motivated to pass his class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

Where did you learn that he was being threatened by the victim? I have not seen that reported. I think you're having a little too much empathy. Why shouldn't he be punished for shooting somebody?

Different poster here. Magruder parent. He has a 79 IQ, which is almost developmentally disabled. I don't think he should have been charged as an adult. But McCarthy was going to make an example out of him as the first ever school shooter in Montgomery County, during an election year.

Yes, it has been reported that he was bullied badly by kids at the school. Including Dre. THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE SHOOTING HIM. Kids do really stupid things. There is heartache enough for both the boys. It's such a horrifically sad situation.


A larger question is what the hell is MCPS doing about kids the size of grown men bullying one another? These are all vicious cycles and they are happening right under our noses. Jailyn Jones, for example. Killed by a fellow Northwest classmate. We need to wake up.

This is amazing. The first in school shooting. A child brought a gun to school and SHOT another child.
This is mcps , a district which prides itself on antibullying. A system that preaches restorative justice. A place where bullying reports are a thing. A system that offers COSAs. If the shooter was being bullied, he had every opportunity to use the proper channels and do something about it.
Yet he chose to obtain a murder weapon, bring it into the school building where he shot another child. And people feel his sentence was too harsh!?!?
We likely have one of the most robust antibullying systems in the country. If this doesn't work I suppose it's fine for any kid who's being taunted at school to come back and shot kids up and walk away in 5 yeard

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

Where did you learn that he was being threatened by the victim? I have not seen that reported. I think you're having a little too much empathy. Why shouldn't he be punished for shooting somebody?

He was repeatedly in fights with the victim who came to the bathroom specifically to fight.

Of course he should be punished! But within reason. Imagine going straight from your junior year in high school to being almost 40 in jail. Every single thing you have done since you were at the prom didn’t happen.

Two MCPS teachers testified in support of the shooter.

Link?

I am sure this is an unpopular opinion but I feel the sentence was extreme and inappropriate. I feel for the victim but the shooter was 17. He was not an adult. He is not a repeat violent offender. This is way too harsh of sentence. 18 years, makes me sick. We are fine wasting this child’s life? He didn’t break into a house and stab 4 people to death or aim an assault weapon at random classmates. He made an awful mistake and the victim is recovering. Tragedy all around.

I also think that’s pretty severe and I’m not generally soft or crime. The other student was apparently threatening him and it’s not at all clear he intended to fire the gun — the victim pushed the gun away which may have caused it to go off. He then did not threaten or shoot anyone else, and voluntarily surrendered.
It was a really stupid and bad thing to do, but there are rapists and people who intentionally shoot others in robberies and such that don’t get that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

Where did you learn that he was being threatened by the victim? I have not seen that reported. I think you're having a little too much empathy. Why shouldn't he be punished for shooting somebody?

He was repeatedly in fights with the victim who came to the bathroom specifically to fight.

Of course he should be punished! But within reason. Imagine going straight from your junior year in high school to being almost 40 in jail. Every single thing you have done since you were at the prom didn’t happen.

Two MCPS teachers testified in support of the shooter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s extreme.

- he was a minor
- he was being threatened by the victim, repeatedly
- he seemed to be targeting a specific person so I don’t feel like he was a threat to the larger community
- he was clearly intelligent but misguided
- not a homicide
- not a career criminal

I think he needs psychiatric help and a path to recovery. That crazy Russian arms dealer was sentenced to 20 years total for much much more harm to society, domestic and foreign.

It seems like the biggest players get away with murder and some kid that hasn’t even started his life is cast off into the void.

Where did you learn that he was being threatened by the victim? I have not seen that reported. I think you're having a little too much empathy. Why shouldn't he be punished for shooting somebody?

He was repeatedly in fights with the victim who came to the bathroom specifically to fight.

Of course he should be punished! But within reason. Imagine going straight from your junior year in high school to being almost 40 in jail. Every single thing you have done since you were at the prom didn’t happen.