Possible Tragedy Averted at Eckstein
Today at Eckstein (from a reader):
Principal messsage:
"At approximately 9:30, Eckstein went into Shelter-in-Place. All students and staff were safe. Police reported that there was an Eckstein student in the neighborhood who might be armed. Police apprehended the student at approximately 9:50 and we returned to business as usual. The student is in custody at this time. I would like to thank your student, the staff and SPD for their quick response in ensuring student safety.
Your student's safety is our top priority. If your student texts you that we are in an emergency situation, please do not call the school as we need our communication lines open. I promise you that I will communicate the situation as promptly as possible. Thank you for all you do to support Eckstein staff and students."
Have since heard grandmother called 911 this morning that her gun was stolen and police found a gun in the bushes near the student when he was apprehended, just a few blocks from the school.
Wow. Amazing how everyone - the grandmother, the police, the Eckstein staff - all did exactly the right thing to prevent what might have been a tragedy.
Principal messsage:
"At approximately 9:30, Eckstein went into Shelter-in-Place. All students and staff were safe. Police reported that there was an Eckstein student in the neighborhood who might be armed. Police apprehended the student at approximately 9:50 and we returned to business as usual. The student is in custody at this time. I would like to thank your student, the staff and SPD for their quick response in ensuring student safety.
Your student's safety is our top priority. If your student texts you that we are in an emergency situation, please do not call the school as we need our communication lines open. I promise you that I will communicate the situation as promptly as possible. Thank you for all you do to support Eckstein staff and students."
Have since heard grandmother called 911 this morning that her gun was stolen and police found a gun in the bushes near the student when he was apprehended, just a few blocks from the school.
Wow. Amazing how everyone - the grandmother, the police, the Eckstein staff - all did exactly the right thing to prevent what might have been a tragedy.
Comments
An estimated 200,000 victims of bullying bring weapons, including guns, to school over the course of a month, according to the authors' analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control's 2011 Youth Risk Surveillance System Survey. That's a substantial portion of the estimated 750,000 high school students who bring weapons to school every month.
http://m.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/bullying-victims-carry-weapons-guns
Department of Health and Human Services's Stopbullying.gov website reports that the perpetrators of 12 of 15 school shootings in the 1990s had a history of being bullied.
At the CDC website the data for Seattle shows that in 2011, 11.1% of male high school students had taken a weapon to school in the preceding 30 days (sample size of 951).
We need to address bullying AND the widespread availability of firearms in our communities…
Food for thought
I would not have said the grandmother did everything she should, since she did no keep her gun safely away from a child.
zb
Here is the link for the CDC report (select "carried a weapon on school property at least 1 day) http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/QuestionsOrLocations.aspx?CategoryId=1
Food for thought
http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS14L1_2725.3&terms=
(Also, I guess we can Imagine that the rate might be lower in Seattle)
FFT
The grandmother's house is on the 6800 block of 27th Ave NE (source: Seattle Police Department). There are enough grandmother-aged female homeowners and perhaps tenants on that block that it's difficult to identify anyone.
The student had stolen a loaded antique German Luger from his grandmother's house. (source: Eckstein Principal Kokx)
The student was, it has been alleged, suspended (KOMO news reporter on Twitter; unsure if suspension happened before or after gun event).
Yet this topic garners little attention, whereas a post mentioning APP for instance, generates hundreds of comments.
I think it is sad indictment that folks are more interested in quibbling about APP than discussing or debating what is going on with US society that leads to so much potential for, or actual, violence at school, and doing something to address this.
Look at what happens after every school shooting - after the handwringing and memorials does anything ever change? - NO. Meanwhile the cult of the gun grows ever more powerful, guns laws are loosened, 'smart gun' technology is blocked, public hearth research into gun-related death/injury is quashed. No wonder our kids are growing up thinking a loaded weapon is the answer to any issue they have at school - this is modeled for them on a daily basis here, and they are only all too easy to get hold of.
Just say no to guns
He was not a bullied student. He was very popular and well liked. Just a troubled kid who was ramping up his behavior in order to get help, or get put away, or whatever he was needing badly enough to self-destruct. I'm glad he did not get a chance to destroy anyone else, and given his age I'm trying not to be too concerned that he will probably be in school with my child for the next four years.
I know he had issues with a student at Nathan Hale, and it is possible he was not on his way to Eckstein. It is still scary and sad. The more the media plays up kids with guns at school, the more these kids think that looks like a pretty powerful option.
Eckstein Mom
I am writing to counter your point on people who write in on APP versus people who wrote on this thread. The difference, I think, is that lots of parents (APP, Spectrum, Gen Ed) have opinions on APP and gifted/gen ed tracking generally, based on their personal experiences with it (either as parents or kids). I don't think that means people are less concerned about guns in school, gun availability, etc. -- I just think most (including me) have far less experience, and thus feel that whatever we say wouldn't have as much merit. I assume that my feelings (that kids shouldn't take guns to school) are shared by all. But I don't personally know how to move this policy forward (background checks?, video game issues?, mental health professionals in schools or otherwise available to kids?, media glorification and/or overreporting?
Just because people don't comment doesn't mean they are not concerned. Particularly as many of us don't know anything about the child involved. In some cases (my case, at least) it may just mean they don't feel that they have anything particularly constructive to add to the discussion -- that would move it forward (as opposed to just being an "I concur" comment).
Jan
So my "I concur" is with your comment.
We have to start discussing and agitating, and making our point of view about kids and guns and gun violence heard. We don't have to have all the answers but we need to start asking the questions and demanding some answers, some action - otherwise the only voices that are heard are those of the NRA/gun lobby/gun-fetishists who think that we need more guns everywhere (and are busy enacting laws to ensure this while the sensible, moderate majority stay silent). We have to stop being quietly concerned and start being demonstrably outraged about the status quo.
FFT