"Zero-tolerance" policy on guns extends to private property.

[chasfm11]

Do you understand what these socialists are doing? They are nudging... They as shoving... They are educating the children and everyone else that guns are the most evil things in the world. They take events like this and make examples out of those children. Just like the parent who was arrested and charged with second degree assault on a police officer for asking questions about Common Core. They are making examples so the rest of the people become scared cattle.

And the administrators in many school districts are the socialists who are using the power of the government to do it. Common Core is the Federal government's vehicle to enable it all.

Zero tolerance is a cop out to absolve those involved of the blame. "We are just enforcing the rules".

[sjfcontrol]

Fox just reported that the kids were expelled for THE ENTIRE YEAR!!
Said something about a hearing in January to see if they can come back earlier than that.

[Purplehood]

It is bovine excrement....This is the close to the neighborhood I grew up in. That is the middle school my siblings went to. Even in VA you have to be at the school bus stop to be considered under school authority. Being in a yard half a block away is not under the authority of the schools--I know this because I experienced thier "not my table policies" in my day.

These particular schools did such a "good job" protecting my siblings and I that we would not send our dogs to these schools and they are considered "good schools." They are pretentious miserable places where the majority of the teachers, if you were not in a gifted class, did not try to teach you anything. If you were the 100lb 12 year old being bullied you were told to "stand up to the bully" that was 100 lbs heavier and a foot and a half taller--but don't get yourself punched because then they will have you suspended for a week.

How I despise these schools. The teachers are happy to let Lord of the Flies take place as long as it makes their path smooth. They get all uppity about kids playing in a yard half a block from the bus stop, but did not bother to stop me being thrown into thorn bushes and having to run home from school and lock my doors. It got to the point where I joined enough after school clubs to be able to stay after nearly everyday till my mom was done with work--those days I could not stay after I took another bus and sat on my moms car till she was done.

No, I have nothing but contempt for them and their policies, and my kids will never ever darken the door of a VA public school.

Why don't we all just shut-down Public Schooling throughout the USA?

The Liberals win everytime we run and hide in our Private Schools.

[MotherBear]

Why don't we all just shut-down Public Schooling throughout the USA?

The Liberals win everytime we run and hide in our Private Schools.

No, they don't. The liberals lose. The liberals don't get to indoctrinate MY kids, or the other homeschooled kids I know (forget private school -- I want it done right and I'll do it myself). My kids are being raised to understand true American values, to be able to think, to value their liberty and their independence. My kids are being taught that every time the polls are open, we go. And that we don't vote for people who trample on our rights.

In the meantime, I still have a vote in my school district. They don't take that away, any more than they give my tax money back (darn it).

[Purplehood]

Why don't we all just shut-down Public Schooling throughout the USA?

The Liberals win everytime we run and hide in our Private Schools.

No, they don't. The liberals lose. The liberals don't get to indoctrinate MY kids, or the other homeschooled kids I know (forget private school -- I want it done right and I'll do it myself). My kids are being raised to understand true American values, to be able to think, to value their liberty and their independence. My kids are being taught that every time the polls are open, we go. And that we don't vote for people who trample on our rights.

In the meantime, I still have a vote in my school district. They don't take that away, any more than they give my tax money back (darn it).

That is great for your kids in a very narrowly-focused way.

But the rest of the future voting pool is growing up to be liberal and scared-silly of evil guns and they are being taught to vote.

[MotherBear]

Why don't we all just shut-down Public Schooling throughout the USA?

The Liberals win everytime we run and hide in our Private Schools.

No, they don't. The liberals lose. The liberals don't get to indoctrinate MY kids, or the other homeschooled kids I know (forget private school -- I want it done right and I'll do it myself). My kids are being raised to understand true American values, to be able to think, to value their liberty and their independence. My kids are being taught that every time the polls are open, we go. And that we don't vote for people who trample on our rights.

In the meantime, I still have a vote in my school district. They don't take that away, any more than they give my tax money back (darn it).

That is great for your kids in a very narrowly-focused way.

But the rest of the future voting pool is growing up to be liberal and scared-silly of evil guns and they are being taught to vote.

Whereas if I send them to public schools, everyone else's kids will miraculously NOT grow up to be liberal and scared-silly of evil guns? There's only so much I can do, and one of those things is educate my own kids properly. And, like I said, I still get a vote in the school district. I still know members of the school board. I'm not checking out and unaware of things. But I don't see any reason that leaving my own kids in that wreck of a system is beneficial to anyone. I'm not running and hiding, and I'm not ceding a victory to the liberals. But my kids don't belong on that battlefield.

[mamabearCali]

I was going to reply, but mother bear took care of most of what I could say. What I will add is that while I also vote and pay attention to the school system I WILL NOT sacrifice my children education or their very souls on the alter of a suicide pact education. I care very much what is being taught in the schools but my kids come first to me.

In case you missed what I said...the schools I went to permitted horrible abuse to occur to me on their watch. I am very much in favor of keeping that from happening to anyone, but I will be CURSED to Perdition if I let it happen to my kids.

If your neighbor babysitting you beat the living tar out of you would you send your children to the same babysitter? I doubt it.

[Purplehood]

Just so you know, I have 5 children and I stand by my comments and respect yours.

[MotherBear]

Just so you know, I have 5 children and I stand by my comments and respect yours.

Fair enough.

[Dragonfighter]

Anyone wanting a good insight into public education and how it harms our children should read The Underground History of American Education. It is written by a former teacher (John Taylor Gatto) who won national recognition multiple times and refused the award the last time with a scathing speech to his colleagues.

If you read this and don't home school your children, at least you'll understand those that do.

[Moby]

In a letter obtained by WAVY.com, school principal Matthew Delaney found that the "children were firing pellet guns at each other, and at people near the bus stop." Delaney states in the letter that one child "was only 10 feet from the bus stop, and ran from the shots being fired, but was still hit."


Typical twisting of the truth. The boys were shooting at other kids waiting for the bus. Non participants to the fun and games.
A little different than innocent playing in their own yard. they were shooting "outside" of their yard at others not playing with them.

[mamabearCali]

And if the kids had been throwing small pebbles or wood chips at each other and at kids at the busbstop would the children have been suspended for the rest of the year.....,I doubt it. Only because there was an evil gun was this level of disciplined used.

[chasfm11]

In a letter obtained by WAVY.com, school principal Matthew Delaney found that the "children were firing pellet guns at each other, and at people near the bus stop." Delaney states in the letter that one child "was only 10 feet from the bus stop, and ran from the shots being fired, but was still hit."


Typical twisting of the truth. The boys were shooting at other kids waiting for the bus. Non participants to the fun and games.
A little different than innocent playing in their own yard. they were shooting "outside" of their yard at others not playing with them.

You make a good point. But here are some other considerations:

- I would like to hear from the witnesses. The principal's information is 2nd hand (at least).

- I'm still concerned about the jurisdiction of the school in this matter. My follow up question is: where does it end?

I certainly don't condone the shooting of pellets at each other and especially not at non-participants. That is wrong and it needs to be dealt with - by the students parents (again, assuming the report is accurate). An arranged meeting among the students and parents who were involved and the principal should have been held and an action plan determined from there. At best, it should have been a mutually agreed approach and not a unilateral one from the principal. In addition, there are other levels of discipline possible including the suspension of bus riding privileges.

I could be absolutely wrong but I see these situations exactly in the same light as I do the ones where out of State people were punished for gun control infractions in places like D.C. and NJ. The goal is to "make an example.". If this hadn't involved guns, it would have been handled differently.

I'm very biased. I've had personal experience with school administrators acting on incorrect information and with malice. I do not assign divine qualities to anything that they say. They are humans just like the rest of us. I'm not sure that all of them believe that.

Edit - typo

[Hamourkiller]

Save your kids! Get out of public schools! Best move I ever did for mine.

[rbwhatever1]

Fox just reported that the kids were expelled for THE ENTIRE YEAR!!
Said something about a hearing in January to see if they can come back earlier than that.

Lucky Kids. Perhaps Mom & Dad will not let them go back ever...