Laffyđł âThe #Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student repeatedly asked administrators for help with the boy but officials downplayed educatorsâ warnings about his behavior, including dismissing his threat to light a teacher on fire and watch her die, according to messages from teachers obtained by The Washington Post.â #shooting #news
Gordon1956@GottaLaff How does a 6 year old get so broken?
@Gordon1956 He has severe disabilities, it says in the article.
@GottaLaff I don't subscribe to WAPO so couldn't read the article. I'm just gobsmacked that a 6 year old has this kind of anger.
Ruth Zakarin đ§¶đȘŹđ·@GottaLaff
OMG. This story only gets worse as we learn more. This teacher will not only live with the trauma of being shot, but also with the trauma of asking for help and being denied it. She and the 6yo (and the whole school community!) have now suffered even more harm because she was not believed.
When people say they are not safe - believe them.
@RuthZ And I do. Believe them I mean.
Bathsheba Blue@GottaLaff
I am a little suspect of the news coverage making the schoolâs leniency the chief culprit ⊠although very possible there is some blame there. The family says the child suffered both mental & emotional disability.
Other questions also deserve attn chiefly how he got the loaded gun! ⊠& the $$ for accommodation /counseling for his disabilities.
@GottaLaff
Just like with issues like ârising crimeâ, the media can be quick to run with conservative narratives like the problem w schools is that theyâre too lenient.
This is the kind of narrative that has lead to overuse of school resource officers - which has only criminalized ordinary misbehavior, replacing school discipline w an arrest record.
A better path forward for criminal justice: Reconsidering police in schools
School police officers have been popular in an era of mass shootings in schools, but have also been linked to negative outcomes for students. In this chapter of âA Better Path Forward for Criminal Justice,â experts offer ways to reimagine public safety in schools.
@inklings The article talked about his disabilities too.
But to be fair, I worked in public schools for years and years, and this is exactly how things were handled when 3 of us reported a fellow teacher for all kinds of things, including abusing girls, for a YEAR. We submitted weekly reports to our principal, in writing, to create paper trail. He did nothing. We finally went to the district. Our principal called us in and yelled at us for going over his head.
@GottaLaff
Thx - I couldnât read the wapo article bc of the paywall. I donât doubt at all that this happens. There are def plenty of lax administrators out there. I think itâs an issue of schools being unwilling to displease parents; and communities that wonât support appropriate disciplinary policies. (âNot my kidâ). Instead of having effective policies & resources, schools default to the SRO, dumping the problem on police & the criminal justice system.
Thx - I couldnât read the wapo article bc of the paywall. I donât doubt at all that this happens. There are def plenty of lax administrators out there. I think itâs an issue of schools being unwilling to displease parents; and communities that wonât support appropriate disciplinary policies. (âNot my kidâ). Instead of having effective policies & resources, schools default to the SRO, dumping the problem on police & the criminal justice system.
@inklings Know why my principal wouldn't listen? He didn't want to ruin the school's reputation. I kid you not.
@GottaLaff
TOTALLY believe that. Have had lots of experience w that type of administrator: cover up all evidence that things arenât perfect ⊠instead of realizing that policies/actions that successfully address issues are actually a sign of effective management.
TOTALLY believe that. Have had lots of experience w that type of administrator: cover up all evidence that things arenât perfect ⊠instead of realizing that policies/actions that successfully address issues are actually a sign of effective management.
@inklings The good news: He couldn't ignore the facts anymore and the guy was fired. But everything was hush hush. It was INSANE. I knew the student personally. SHE finally came forward, with my support, which is why the guy was finally confronted.
@GottaLaff
That is good news. Good for you! It never ceases to amaze how many ppl are motivated by self promotion above all else ⊠even in the public sector. I mean, if youâre all about power and self promotion go into business or politics.
That is good news. Good for you! It never ceases to amaze how many ppl are motivated by self promotion above all else ⊠even in the public sector. I mean, if youâre all about power and self promotion go into business or politics.
@GottaLaff
And circling back to my original point, the problem may not be that the disciplinary policies are too lenient (as Iâve seen described in some articles ) as that the appearance-driven administration fails to follow the disciplinary policies that already exist.
And circling back to my original point, the problem may not be that the disciplinary policies are too lenient (as Iâve seen described in some articles ) as that the appearance-driven administration fails to follow the disciplinary policies that already exist.
Jeremy Shaver@GottaLaff @inklings but was the PRINCIPAL also fired?
@inklings (meaning: HIS reputation)
@GottaLaff
Yep ⊠the appearance that things are perfect, and attributable to his leadership. đ
Yet itâs the school boards who continue to appoint these jokers ⊠and the communities that elect the school boards. I guess Iâm just not for letting parents and communities off the hook completely.
But you tell me: are parents willing to actually implement an operational disciplinary policy?
@inklings Depends on the parents. We were in Simi Valley, Calif. a conservative area. The board gave us one or 2 allies who kept the school open and allowed us some of the things we needed. (It was a jr. high that was transformed into a performing arts magnet high school, so there was a lot of resentment that we "took their school away"). So it varies from community to community. We were VERY pro-active at meetings.
@GottaLaff
I would expect simi valley to be better about that. And to actually resource the school: accommodation of disabilities, counselors, psychologists etc. thinking too many schools donât have enough. Most schools donât even pay teachers enough.
I would expect simi valley to be better about that. And to actually resource the school: accommodation of disabilities, counselors, psychologists etc. thinking too many schools donât have enough. Most schools donât even pay teachers enough.
@inklings We had all of those. Well, not psychologists. They were great for kids with disabilities.
And no, they don't pay teachers nearly enough.
SeaGoatGirlThe biggest part of the story for me, just one small sentence in the article:
"There have been three shootings on school grounds in Newport News since late 2021."
THREE SHOOTINGS on school grounds in 12-14 months in one school district!!!!!!
This is how inured we are now to gun violence
Here's the link since we can't QT here.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/21/richneck-elementary-school-shooting-warnings-downplayed/
nobodyzhome 
They're mandatory reporters. They should have to pursue other lines of work now. They're not fit.
LibertyForward1@GottaLaff Jesus christ..
Statmonkey đI would say more Damien but given the way Evangelicals in America represent the teachings of Christ I can't really say this is a poor deduction.
@LibertyForward1 The article says he has severe disabilities. Why was he anywhere near a gun? Where were the parents?
MichiganReadingTeacher âïž@GottaLaff nobody should be surprised here.
Unfortunately, in many cases, this is the standard story when it comes to behavioral issues in classroom, especially lower elementary. In other words, administrators have a habit of acting as though teachers are children themselves. I've heard administrators refer to teachers like they are "crying wolf."
They will also outright accuse teachers of exaggeration, and push back on the teacher for having poor classroom management skills.
Unfortunately, in many cases, this is the standard story when it comes to behavioral issues in classroom, especially lower elementary. In other words, administrators have a habit of acting as though teachers are children themselves. I've heard administrators refer to teachers like they are "crying wolf."
They will also outright accuse teachers of exaggeration, and push back on the teacher for having poor classroom management skills.
Antone Johnson@GottaLaff The "light on fire" threat is deeply disturbing. Psychopathy from early childhood is a real thing. This Atlantic piece from a few years back is hard to read, but I found it a real eye-opener: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/when-your-child-is-a-psychopath/524502/ #shooting #psych
@GottaLaff Couldn't unsee:
Starting at 6, Samantha began drawing pictures of murder weapons: a knife, a bow and arrow, chemicals for poisoningâŠ. She tells me that she pretended to kill her stuffed animalsâŠ.
"How did you feel when you were doing that to your stuffed animals?"
"Happy."
"Why did it make you feel happy?"
"Because I thought that someday I was going to end up doing it on somebody."
âDid you ever try?â
Silence.
âI choked my little brother.â
@antone Imagine how the parents felt too.
@antone Pay wall but yes, itâs real. I never doubted that. Very upsetting.
@GottaLaff Sorry about that. They're probably doing you (and all of us) a favor by paywalling, as it's a sobering (though informative) 7,000 word deep dive. Reinforces your point that as terrible as the child gun access problem is, there was also obvious failure to take warning signs seriously (probably all too common). đ
ăă«ăčă»ăčăăăŒă«@GottaLaff
We'll the boy is White......
We'll the boy is White......
Andrew Leahey@GottaLaff And yet, had he run at a police officer with a water pistol odds are good the outcome is reversed.
Our taxonomy of threats needs some serious reworking.
Wayne Werner@GottaLaff I have a 6 year old boy and I have to ask what in the actual forking shirtballs was going on at this kid's house???
My kid is wild but I've never heard him do or say anything remotely close to that.
Pixie Pancake@GottaLaff I had a very difficult student in 6th grade one year. The principal berated me the entire year for failing to control him. Near the end of the year, he pummeled her with a door, and punched her repeatedly in the kidneys. He was arrested and she pressed charges. I tried to tell her.
@GottaLaff Ironically, she came to me for sympathy, and I did feel badly for her. She was traumatized and in a lot of physical pain. But I tried to tell her over and over how troubled he was, and she just turned it around on me.