Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

Yes, of course they are. So many of the people demanding more info NOW obviously have never been part of a leadership team or crisis management team. So much goes on behind the scenes and you have to keep certain critical info close to the chest at first. I think to the horrible murders at that college group house recently where the community was bashing law enforcement for not doing enough. Then when they caught the guy, they were able to say what they had been doing which was actually quite sophisticated. These parents just have no idea.

Yes, but you have to admit that this is different - a murder case investigation by a PD vs. how a public school system handles violent threats. I don't know the Key principal OR the Taylor principal the parents are mentioning, at all, but I'm disturbed that there are two separate issues which are being conflagrated here: The principal question, and the child threatening to kill another with a gun. As a parent of a third grader who believes this could happen anywhere, I'm highly disturbed, if this child is allowed to stay in the general population at school, or moved to another elementary (like they apparently did with the student at Swanson!) and it's all hushed up. I cannot imagine how the parent (and child!) must be feeling who were the target of the murder/gun threat. There is only one answer; it must be crystal clear to all, including to children, that making a weapon or murder threat at school will be handled with the same seriousness as making a threat at an airport. It will be dealt with swiftly, and with the gravity it deserves. Elementary school students in Newport News have to have clear backpacks now and walk through metal detectors... never mind that this 6 yr old should have never been allowed to remain in a general population classroom. And that is the question that matters; will the next violent student be allowed to terrorize his classmates as well?

What do you think should have happened with that Swanson student? Shipped to the island of misfit kids? FWIW, the student is now at my students' school.

Expulsion might not be the answer, but clearly something is better than nothing, and at least an in-school suspension should certainly be considered over any of the softer approaches that I've read about. With third graders and younger, the kids learn a lot, if not most, from.....parents or what's going on in their homes. I have no problem with making life a little bit more difficult for the parents of these children as well. Sorry if that's not a digestible approach, but along with pretending that these problems can never happen in Arlington, maybe we should also acknowledge that not ALL [North] Arlington kids are incapable of such acts as racism and gun threats....and that maybe parents can and should suffer some of the consequences too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

AFTER THE FACT. Kind of how we had the investigation about not telling kids their National Merit awards...AFTER THE FACT.

Bury and hide. It's the Arlington way now.

It was never about not telling kids about their National Merit Awards - that communication happens between the organization that hands out the awards directly to the students. The investigation into schools not telling COMMENDED students of their outcome in a possibly timely manner. COMMENDED students do not and have never received AWARDS.

Fairfax. Fairfax. Fairfax. Not Arlington. Zero relevance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

AFTER THE FACT. Kind of how we had the investigation about not telling kids their National Merit awards...AFTER THE FACT.

Bury and hide. It's the Arlington way now.

It was never about not telling kids about their National Merit Awards - that communication happens between the organization that hands out the awards directly to the students. The investigation into schools not telling COMMENDED students of their outcome in a possibly timely manner. COMMENDED students do not and have never received AWARDS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find out what the child wrote on the wall?

My understanding is that she wrote a note on the wall in the bathroom threatening to kill another student.

The parent wrote a post on AEM about the incident, and that is what they said happened. What is actually said is not PP's business unless she is the parent.

It's everyone's business that a 3rd grader made a gun threat and that the school didn't call the police right away. Do you really think only the one targeted kid was at risk? Third graders aren't exactly great shots and to my understanding they didn't search school grounds and didn't immediately know who made the threat to detain them. The whole school was at risk.

This is PP that you’re referring to. If you follow the discussion thread, you will see I was responding to the poster demanding to know exactly what was said on the wall. She already knew that a threat had been made. In no way am I suggesting that it’s not any parents business that something like this occurred or that APS botched it.

So many parents want every single detail of what goes on whether it’s disciplinary behavior or things that really aren’t their business. You don’t have a right to know every single detail.

The school didn't share that it was a gun threat in a timely manner. That was omitted from school communications. Parents learned by word of mouth. That's not right. Not enough information was shared by APS.

AGAIN, that is not what I was talking about. This is a message board with people replying back and forth like a conversation. You are making assumptions without reading. IF you follow along, you'll see the PP was being a nosy nelly wanting to know the wording of what was on the wall NOT on the day of the incident, but a week later on this message board.

I know how message board works and I'm disagreeing with you.

The ArlNow article finally disclosed the actual threat. That was never shared by the school or APS in any email. You had to hear it from other parents. That's not right. I shouldn't get info only by rumor mill. Even on this thread there are parents "in the know" from rumors and those who still hadn't been told about the actual threat.

To be clear, the email from the principal on the 19th mentioned the threat and the racist language but not mention that it was a fun threat.

“I wanted to let you know that today we were made aware of threatening and racist messages written on the inside of a bathroom stall, directed at one student.“

ArlNow reports that 54 kids stayed home the next day. Do you think it was based on the non-information in that email or parents and kids sharing with each other what actually had happened? Some parents were in the rumor chain and other are still learning details, as the school as shared very, very little information.

There is only one answer; it must be crystal clear to all, including to children, that making a weapon or murder threat at school will be handled with the same seriousness as making a threat at an airport. It will be dealt with swiftly, and with the gravity it deserves.

+1 to this and to needing to take bullying more seriously, and this situation was not taken seriously at all. And to the poster above who said it was only 5 minutes they were alone the next day- how many kids could have been killed in that 5 minutes had the as yet unidentified student brought the gun to school that Friday? Why were student patrols involved at all when an unknown person possibly with a gun was still out there and potentially among students that day? Instead of student patrols, every adult from here to Syphax should have had eyes on the kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

Yes, of course they are. So many of the people demanding more info NOW obviously have never been part of a leadership team or crisis management team. So much goes on behind the scenes and you have to keep certain critical info close to the chest at first. I think to the horrible murders at that college group house recently where the community was bashing law enforcement for not doing enough. Then when they caught the guy, they were able to say what they had been doing which was actually quite sophisticated. These parents just have no idea.

Yes, but you have to admit that this is different - a murder case investigation by a PD vs. how a public school system handles violent threats. I don't know the Key principal OR the Taylor principal the parents are mentioning, at all, but I'm disturbed that there are two separate issues which are being conflagrated here: The principal question, and the child threatening to kill another with a gun. As a parent of a third grader who believes this could happen anywhere, I'm highly disturbed, if this child is allowed to stay in the general population at school, or moved to another elementary (like they apparently did with the student at Swanson!) and it's all hushed up. I cannot imagine how the parent (and child!) must be feeling who were the target of the murder/gun threat. There is only one answer; it must be crystal clear to all, including to children, that making a weapon or murder threat at school will be handled with the same seriousness as making a threat at an airport. It will be dealt with swiftly, and with the gravity it deserves. Elementary school students in Newport News have to have clear backpacks now and walk through metal detectors... never mind that this 6 yr old should have never been allowed to remain in a general population classroom. And that is the question that matters; will the next violent student be allowed to terrorize his classmates as well?

What do you think should have happened with that Swanson student? Shipped to the island of misfit kids? FWIW, the student is now at my students' school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find out what the child wrote on the wall?

My understanding is that she wrote a note on the wall in the bathroom threatening to kill another student.

The parent wrote a post on AEM about the incident, and that is what they said happened. What is actually said is not PP's business unless she is the parent.

It's everyone's business that a 3rd grader made a gun threat and that the school didn't call the police right away. Do you really think only the one targeted kid was at risk? Third graders aren't exactly great shots and to my understanding they didn't search school grounds and didn't immediately know who made the threat to detain them. The whole school was at risk.

This is PP that you’re referring to. If you follow the discussion thread, you will see I was responding to the poster demanding to know exactly what was said on the wall. She already knew that a threat had been made. In no way am I suggesting that it’s not any parents business that something like this occurred or that APS botched it.

So many parents want every single detail of what goes on whether it’s disciplinary behavior or things that really aren’t their business. You don’t have a right to know every single detail.

The school didn't share that it was a gun threat in a timely manner. That was omitted from school communications. Parents learned by word of mouth. That's not right. Not enough information was shared by APS.

AGAIN, that is not what I was talking about. This is a message board with people replying back and forth like a conversation. You are making assumptions without reading. IF you follow along, you'll see the PP was being a nosy nelly wanting to know the wording of what was on the wall NOT on the day of the incident, but a week later on this message board.

I know how message board works and I'm disagreeing with you.

The ArlNow article finally disclosed the actual threat. That was never shared by the school or APS in any email. You had to hear it from other parents. That's not right. I shouldn't get info only by rumor mill. Even on this thread there are parents "in the know" from rumors and those who still hadn't been told about the actual threat.

To be clear, the email from the principal on the 19th mentioned the threat and the racist language but not mention that it was a fun threat.

“I wanted to let you know that today we were made aware of threatening and racist messages written on the inside of a bathroom stall, directed at one student.“

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

AFTER THE FACT. Kind of how we had the investigation about not telling kids their National Merit awards...AFTER THE FACT.

Bury and hide. It's the Arlington way now.

Wasn't the National Merit thing Fairfax, not Arlington?

If you don't think things like that happened in APS, I have a bridge to sell you.

We pulled my kids out of APS after during Covid they refused to teach any 'new material' because it was unfair to others. Instead of addressing that they wanted to dumb everyone down. And, yes, I have seen them want to take out merit so that everyone can have healthy self-esteem just like they did in Fairfax and Loudoun. I'm not convinced that we won't later hear it happened here too. It would go along with their dislike of anything merit-based.

This is nuts. At least be pissed at APS for things that happened in APS. You don't need to import issues from Fairfax to find reasons to be upset with APS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

Yes, of course they are. So many of the people demanding more info NOW obviously have never been part of a leadership team or crisis management team. So much goes on behind the scenes and you have to keep certain critical info close to the chest at first. I think to the horrible murders at that college group house recently where the community was bashing law enforcement for not doing enough. Then when they caught the guy, they were able to say what they had been doing which was actually quite sophisticated. These parents just have no idea.

Yes, but you have to admit that this is different - a murder case investigation by a PD vs. how a public school system handles violent threats. I don't know the Key principal OR the Taylor principal the parents are mentioning, at all, but I'm disturbed that there are two separate issues which are being conflagrated here: The principal question, and the child threatening to kill another with a gun. As a parent of a third grader who believes this could happen anywhere, I'm highly disturbed, if this child is allowed to stay in the general population at school, or moved to another elementary (like they apparently did with the student at Swanson!) and it's all hushed up. I cannot imagine how the parent (and child!) must be feeling who were the target of the murder/gun threat. There is only one answer; it must be crystal clear to all, including to children, that making a weapon or murder threat at school will be handled with the same seriousness as making a threat at an airport. It will be dealt with swiftly, and with the gravity it deserves. Elementary school students in Newport News have to have clear backpacks now and walk through metal detectors... never mind that this 6 yr old should have never been allowed to remain in a general population classroom. And that is the question that matters; will the next violent student be allowed to terrorize his classmates as well?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find out what the child wrote on the wall?

My understanding is that she wrote a note on the wall in the bathroom threatening to kill another student.

The parent wrote a post on AEM about the incident, and that is what they said happened. What is actually said is not PP's business unless she is the parent.

It's everyone's business that a 3rd grader made a gun threat and that the school didn't call the police right away. Do you really think only the one targeted kid was at risk? Third graders aren't exactly great shots and to my understanding they didn't search school grounds and didn't immediately know who made the threat to detain them. The whole school was at risk.

This is PP that you’re referring to. If you follow the discussion thread, you will see I was responding to the poster demanding to know exactly what was said on the wall. She already knew that a threat had been made. In no way am I suggesting that it’s not any parents business that something like this occurred or that APS botched it.

So many parents want every single detail of what goes on whether it’s disciplinary behavior or things that really aren’t their business. You don’t have a right to know every single detail.

The school didn't share that it was a gun threat in a timely manner. That was omitted from school communications. Parents learned by word of mouth. That's not right. Not enough information was shared by APS.

AGAIN, that is not what I was talking about. This is a message board with people replying back and forth like a conversation. You are making assumptions without reading. IF you follow along, you'll see the PP was being a nosy nelly wanting to know the wording of what was on the wall NOT on the day of the incident, but a week later on this message board.

I know how message board works and I'm disagreeing with you.

The ArlNow article finally disclosed the actual threat. That was never shared by the school or APS in any email. You had to hear it from other parents. That's not right. I shouldn't get info only by rumor mill. Even on this thread there are parents "in the know" from rumors and those who still hadn't been told about the actual threat.

Was the threat against your student?

A third grader with a gun isn't a danger to only one kid. You think they're a sharp shooter?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

AFTER THE FACT. Kind of how we had the investigation about not telling kids their National Merit awards...AFTER THE FACT.

Bury and hide. It's the Arlington way now.

Wasn't the National Merit thing Fairfax, not Arlington?

If you don't think things like that happened in APS, I have a bridge to sell you.

We pulled my kids out of APS after during Covid they refused to teach any 'new material' because it was unfair to others. Instead of addressing that they wanted to dumb everyone down. And, yes, I have seen them want to take out merit so that everyone can have healthy self-esteem just like they did in Fairfax and Loudoun. I'm not convinced that we won't later hear it happened here too. It would go along with their dislike of anything merit-based.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find out what the child wrote on the wall?

My understanding is that she wrote a note on the wall in the bathroom threatening to kill another student.

The parent wrote a post on AEM about the incident, and that is what they said happened. What is actually said is not PP's business unless she is the parent.

It's everyone's business that a 3rd grader made a gun threat and that the school didn't call the police right away. Do you really think only the one targeted kid was at risk? Third graders aren't exactly great shots and to my understanding they didn't search school grounds and didn't immediately know who made the threat to detain them. The whole school was at risk.

This is PP that you’re referring to. If you follow the discussion thread, you will see I was responding to the poster demanding to know exactly what was said on the wall. She already knew that a threat had been made. In no way am I suggesting that it’s not any parents business that something like this occurred or that APS botched it.

So many parents want every single detail of what goes on whether it’s disciplinary behavior or things that really aren’t their business. You don’t have a right to know every single detail.

The school didn't share that it was a gun threat in a timely manner. That was omitted from school communications. Parents learned by word of mouth. That's not right. Not enough information was shared by APS.

AGAIN, that is not what I was talking about. This is a message board with people replying back and forth like a conversation. You are making assumptions without reading. IF you follow along, you'll see the PP was being a nosy nelly wanting to know the wording of what was on the wall NOT on the day of the incident, but a week later on this message board.

I know how message board works and I'm disagreeing with you.

The ArlNow article finally disclosed the actual threat. That was never shared by the school or APS in any email. You had to hear it from other parents. That's not right. I shouldn't get info only by rumor mill. Even on this thread there are parents "in the know" from rumors and those who still hadn't been told about the actual threat.

Was the threat against your student?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do I find out what the child wrote on the wall?

My understanding is that she wrote a note on the wall in the bathroom threatening to kill another student.

The parent wrote a post on AEM about the incident, and that is what they said happened. What is actually said is not PP's business unless she is the parent.

It's everyone's business that a 3rd grader made a gun threat and that the school didn't call the police right away. Do you really think only the one targeted kid was at risk? Third graders aren't exactly great shots and to my understanding they didn't search school grounds and didn't immediately know who made the threat to detain them. The whole school was at risk.

This is PP that you’re referring to. If you follow the discussion thread, you will see I was responding to the poster demanding to know exactly what was said on the wall. She already knew that a threat had been made. In no way am I suggesting that it’s not any parents business that something like this occurred or that APS botched it.

So many parents want every single detail of what goes on whether it’s disciplinary behavior or things that really aren’t their business. You don’t have a right to know every single detail.

The school didn't share that it was a gun threat in a timely manner. That was omitted from school communications. Parents learned by word of mouth. That's not right. Not enough information was shared by APS.

AGAIN, that is not what I was talking about. This is a message board with people replying back and forth like a conversation. You are making assumptions without reading. IF you follow along, you'll see the PP was being a nosy nelly wanting to know the wording of what was on the wall NOT on the day of the incident, but a week later on this message board.

I know how message board works and I'm disagreeing with you.

The ArlNow article finally disclosed the actual threat. That was never shared by the school or APS in any email. You had to hear it from other parents. That's not right. I shouldn't get info only by rumor mill. Even on this thread there are parents "in the know" from rumors and those who still hadn't been told about the actual threat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The article left out the fact that the day after the threat, when the writer was as yet unidentified, the kids arrived to the trailer and were left totally unattended- like parents realized there were no staff watching the kids and jumped in and watched them. I really wish, before jumping to defense of the school staff, people would wait for the investigation to be complete.

What? Where were the teachers?

They were on their way back from a staff meeting… they went to pick up the kids, but patrols had already led the kids to the trailer. It was only about 5 minutes, though obviously still a problem, especially on that day.
I have a third grader at Key. I can acknowledge that mistakes were made, including at the school level, but I still think APS is mainly at fault here, and that removing our principal is NOT the right course of action.

So do I and I disagree with you. A leave while they figure out what went on and all that led up to this mess is absolutely appropriate. As for who is responsible, imo, many people at many levels, but hopefully that’s what the investigation will determine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like APS is doing an investigation, which is appropriate. When investigations happen, the relevant staff are put on leave with pay, also appropriate. Imagine if they didn't!!!

AFTER THE FACT. Kind of how we had the investigation about not telling kids their National Merit awards...AFTER THE FACT.

Bury and hide. It's the Arlington way now.

Wasn't the National Merit thing Fairfax, not Arlington?