It was an opportunistic one of prank unless these kids have a history of victimizing this child or others..sorry, tat is the generally accepted definition of bullying.

Anonymous wrote:You don't know the definition of bullying. A one of is not bullying. It is a dumb prank.

A one-off may mean it's not technically "bullying" but it's harassment - it's not a prank. This example is more similar to committing a hate crime than it is to playing a "kids will be kids" prank.

My fear is Latin caved to PC optics. God I hope not. If these were Princeton bound students, they had probably worked their butts off at WL and were decent community members. If this is a first and only offense, I have a problem with this.

You don't know the definition of bullying. A one of is not bullying. It is a dumb prank.

How about we stop calling this a "prank" and start calling it an example of pretty extreme racial/religious bullying that also involved making an illegal threat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a Latin parent who completely supports the school's decision. In this electronic age, this fraudulent threatening email could follow the student victim like a cloud due to his ethnicity, causing serious and lasting scrutiny for the student and their family. The prank email went into cyberspace to more than 500 addresses. The expulsion decision is arguably less harmful to the two students than the potential damaging implications to their victim. It no doubt was an extremely agonizing decision for the school and all involved. One of the school's core values is that "Words Matter"-- this decision, painful as it is, has reinforced that lesson to the entire school community.

I've been told by another parent that one of the boys had been accepted to Princeton on a full-ride. I wonder if the offer will be rescinded. Ugh, I am sorry for all the boys involved. I remember my prankster days and the pulling of the fire alarm. And yes, I understand it's a different world that our children are navigating through.

If this is true, yes the admission offer will be pulled.

Anonymous wrote:I am a Latin parent who completely supports the school's decision. In this electronic age, this fraudulent threatening email could follow the student victim like a cloud due to his ethnicity, causing serious and lasting scrutiny for the student and their family. The prank email went into cyberspace to more than 500 addresses. The expulsion decision is arguably less harmful to the two students than the potential damaging implications to their victim. It no doubt was an extremely agonizing decision for the school and all involved. One of the school's core values is that "Words Matter"-- this decision, painful as it is, has reinforced that lesson to the entire school community.

I've been told by another parent that one of the boys had been accepted to Princeton on a full-ride. I wonder if the offer will be rescinded. Ugh, I am sorry for all the boys involved. I remember my prankster days and the pulling of the fire alarm. And yes, I understand it's a different world that our children are navigating through.

Not a Latin Parent, but a parent of two good kids. And if one of them ever pulled something like this, I would expect them to be expelled. And if they were seniors (17-18) be very thankful that's they were not arrested. It's a post-911 world, and since the Paris attacks several school systems have shut down for just this type of threat. This should be a zero tolerance offense.

Anonymous wrote:PP I think part of the anguish is that Latin is small and like a family, some of the students have been there since fifth grade, whatever the handbook 'says' we all know it is a school that offers a lot of mentoring, counseling and 2nd chances. Some of our children have benefited from that. Expulsion spring of senior year almost feels like Amish shunning. Not only are you removed from your last leg of precollege, but also from a home of sorts, and from future links as an alumni. I think it's got to be pretty anguishing as mentioned for all around. I am just not sure what to make of it.

I agree. Actually, the handbook says suspension or expulsion, even though the school's email only mentions expulsion. My child graduated last year and we saw 'loose' following of the handbook over the years. Previously, a senior had a serious infraction and was suspended for the remainder of the year but still graduated from Latin.

Anonymous wrote:PP I think part of the anguish is that Latin is small and like a family, some of the students have been there since fifth grade, whatever the handbook 'says' we all know it is a school that offers a lot of mentoring, counseling and 2nd chances. Some of our children have benefited from that. Expulsion spring of senior year almost feels like Amish shunning. Not only are you removed from your last leg of precollege, but also from a home of sorts, and from future links as an alumni. I think it's got to be pretty anguishing as mentioned for all around. I am just not sure what to make of it.

Maybe I wasn't clear. I am a WL parent. I understand how the community is and that is part of why I chose the school for my kids. I think that's why I fully support the expulsion. All three kids incolved had been a part of the community for a long time. The two who sent the email treated the 3rd with so little respect. What if it had not been determined so quickly that the email was not real? What if the student whose email was used was thought to be guilty? I realize these are what ifs right now but could have been the real outcome of their actions.

PP I think part of the anguish is that Latin is small and like a family, some of the students have been there since fifth grade, whatever the handbook 'says' we all know it is a school that offers a lot of mentoring, counseling and 2nd chances. Some of our children have benefited from that. Expulsion spring of senior year almost feels like Amish shunning. Not only are you removed from your last leg of precollege, but also from a home of sorts, and from future links as an alumni. I think it's got to be pretty anguishing as mentioned for all around. I am just not sure what to make of it.

Anonymous wrote:Oh man. When I was 11 I and another girl faked a love letter to someone and said it was from someone else. Kind of reminds me of this. I realize this is far more heavy, but I remember immediately realizing how stupid it was and then finally realizing how I hurt the girl it was to. I think the framing a muslim part is pretty bad, but I also see the other side here that ruining kids' lives is pretty drastic.

WL parent. These kids weren't 11, they are seniors. Kids do make stupid mistakes and a love letter would not have been grounds for expulsion. The WL handbook explicitly says that threats of violence are grounds for expulsion. I don't want the's kids lives to be ruined but it is an important lesson that sometimes unintended consequences can be severe and truly hurt people. This email had the potential to do serious harm to the child whose email was used. I believe the punishment is correct and I also believe the school is helping the kids who were expelled in the transition.

[list]

Anonymous wrote:It's stereotypical dumb grammar. Tons of people make dumb bomb jokes at the airport. They could get arrested, but actually get taken to the side counseled and sent on their way.

Believe me, there are people who get arrested at airports for making even what they think are "jokes" about bombs.

Anonymous wrote:I love how the Latin parents rush to support the two expelled students, but for the most part, none have mentioned the VICTIM at all. What do you think the psychological impacts will be on this poor child?

The real victims are the students and teachers whose day was disrupted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how the Latin parents rush to support the two expelled students, but for the most part, none have mentioned the VICTIM at all. What do you think the psychological impacts will be on this poor child?

Agree. This confirms the earlier suspicion that the kids were white. Sadly, if they were black, these people would be screaming "off with their heads" and "Muslim lives matter." Even the person right after your comment says, "newspaper says the victim is getting support" like that is supposed to make it okay to defend these thugs. And before anyone condemns me for calling them thugs, you know good and damn well that if they were or are black, you'd all be calling them thugs.

I'm a Latin parent whose child graduated last year. Look at the picture of the class of 15 on the website. About three to five kids are sort of white. It did not even occur to me to wonder if these kids were, though now that you bring it up its statistical unlikely. You know nothing about Latin to think parents would wonder that. More likely they are wondering if the kids had a history of bullying, fighting, pranks etc or if this was a first and only. Knowing Latin I am confident the victim is well taken care of and his/her life is not over. To be kicked out in spring of senior year is a valid part of the discussion. Its just sad all around though I generally trust the administration. We on the outside just don't know what we don't know.