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Thursday, April 3, 2008

I am so upset!

I am so upset today. I have been following the children in Georgia. Let me copy and past the article here, just in case you haven't read about it.

WAYCROSS, Ga. (April 1) - A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday.



Waycross Georgia Police Department / AP
A photo shows some of the materials that police in Waycross, Ga., confiscated from a group of third-graders who allegedly were plotting to attack their teacher.
The plot involving as many as nine boys and girls at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said.

School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school. Tanner said the students apparently planned to knock the teacher unconscious with a crystal paperweight, bind her with the handcuffs and tape and then stab her with the knife.

"We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know."

The children, ages 8 to 10, were apparently mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair, Tanner said.

Two of the students were arrested on juvenile charges Tuesday and a third arrest was expected. District Attorney Rick Currie said other students told investigators they didn't take the plot seriously or insisted they had decided not to participate.

"Some of the kids said, `We thought they were just kidding,"' Currie said. "Another child was supposed to bring a toy pistol, and he told a detective he didn't bring it because he thought he would get in trouble."

Currie said the children are too young to be charged as adults, and probably too young to be sentenced to a youth detention center.

Police seized a steak knife with a broken handle, steel handcuffs, duct tape, electrical and transparent tape, ribbons and the paperweight from the students, Tanner said.

Currie said he decided to seek juvenile charges against two girls, ages 9 and 10, who brought the knife and paperweight and an 8-year-old boy who brought tape. He said all three students faced charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and both girls were being charged with bringing weapons to school.

Nine children have been given discipline up to and including long-term suspension, said Theresa Martin, spokeswoman for the Ware County school system. She would not be more specific but said none of the children had been back to school since the case came to light.

The purported target is a veteran educator who teaches third-grade students with learning disabilities, including attention deficit disorder, delayed development and hyperactivity, friends and parents said.

The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child's job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, he said. Another was supposed to clean up after the attack.

"We're not sure at this point in the investigation how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher," Tanner said.

He said the teacher told detectives the children involved weren't known as troublemakers.

"You can't dismiss it," Tanner said. "But because they are kids, they may have thought this was like a cartoon - we do whatever and then she stands up and she's OK. That's a hard call."

The parents of the students have cooperated with investigators, who aren't allowed to question the children without their parents' or guardians' consent, he said. Authorities have withheld the children's names.

Martin told The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that administrators would follow school system policy and state law in disciplining the students.

"From what I understand, they were considered pretty good kids," Martin said. "But we have to take this seriously, whether they were serious or not about carrying this through, and that's what we did."

Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.

Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.

"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."

Not only are these kids going to get by with little or no punishment from the school and law, it is going to teach other kids that hey they can do it and not get in trouble, we can to.

Secondly did you notice that they were trying to blame this on cartoons? The news is trying to blame it on video games and movies. This burns me up. You know the reason that they do these things??? LACK OF GOD. Lack of morals. If these kids had morals and God in their lives, these things would not happen. America made the greatest mistake when they took God from the schools. This nation has been in a downward spiral ever since. I think that if one woman can get God out, why cant a huge group of Christians get him back in??????????

My kids know right from wrong and have morals. Sure they do wrong, that's not what I am saying, we all do wrong, but we know it is wrong. We know these things because we were TAUGHT these things by our parents and teachers. What has happened? This is getting ridiculous!!!

I also want to applaud some schools because they do allow prayer meetings in them, even if it is five minutes in the morning one day a week and free will to go to them. If only more schools would do this. Also some teachers should be applauded because they still speak of God, even though they could lose their jobs for doing so! We all need to be a little bit more like these people! There are great things to be learned in this life and we can teach one another, it just takes some effort and support. We all need to put forth the effort.

I also want to thank some one today. Hope this is for you! You have been a rock in my life lately, you have been there for me when I have been faced with tough challenges with the kids. You have taught me so many things in the last few weeks. I know that you are in my life because of Daniel, but you know I don't talk to a lot of his family, I don't know them that well. I am glad that you are in my life and I have a great friend to talk to about important things and I want you to know that I really look up to! I know that God has put you here for a reason and I thank him for doing that to! So this is for you. I am calling it the rock award LOL!



This is an award I received from Charlotte! Thank you so much! I love it.

I want to pass it on to Mary at Mary's writing nook, Lady Di, at Kitty justice, hope at second time around, Jennifer at Dust Bunny hostage and Karen!

Well I will go for now. Have a good day!

10 comments:

Lady Di Tn said...

Thanks for the award. You stay on that soap box and if more Christian took up the call instead of letting our political counterparts rule we could take America back. I have to believe good people are in the majority and only the bad get the press. The Baby Boomers of which I am a member have fail to keep God where he belongs. So now it is up to Generation X & Y.
I might have told you this before but in college I studied American History through Religion and everything was done with God in mind so how can we let a few take him out of public life. Seperation of Church and School did not mean seperation from God. Peace be with you.

j said...

Thank you! You are one of my blog friends too. I hope that you are doing well. I'm going up to read the post on those kids now. It really is sad, isn't it?

Jen

Karen H. said...

Good Afternoon Brandy,
I am glad you are back. I have been a bad blogger lately. I haven't posted like I normally do or even visited much. I think it may be due to all the rains we have been having and being so cloudy outside alot. I did hear a bit about this incident on the news the other day. It is so sad. Our world is in such bad shape right now and we as Christians do need to step in and try to get GOD back into our Schools. The problem with kids these days does begin at home with the Parents. Alot of Parents these days just let their kids run wild. We have done our best to teach our girls right from wrong and all we can do is pray for them to make the right choices. Ours are not perfect either, but they do know right from wrong. "CONGRATUALTION'S" on your very well deserved Award and "THANK YOU" for passing it on to me and the others. I do appreciate it very much. Take care my friend and have a great afternoon. May God Bless You and Yours.

Love & Hugs,
Karen H.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your award!

I read about this in the news here and was so shocked, I can't believe they aren't going to be punished! And you are so right, they need Jesus, they need God in their lives otherwise nothing will change.

~blessings.

Hope said...

Hey girl,
I'm going to pick up my rock (LOL) and my other award and post tomorrow!! I love both my awards, especially my rock, but I love you more!

Hugs,
Aunt Hopie :O)

PS: I'm going to look this up on the news and read about those kids.

Unknown said...

Brandy, It's good to have you back. The story about the kids is so sad. You are so lucky to have a person like Hope in your life! She is a Blessing. She is also Blessed to have you in her life! Have a great week. Hugs, Lisa

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

You are tagged. Please go to my blog- Random Thoughts, and read my latest post "10 Reasons Why I Blog." After reading it, please make your on post on "10 Reasons Why I Blog," then copy the tagboard after the meme and add your name next to mine. Then tag as many persons as you could, giving them these same instructions. Please copy and include the tagboard after your meme and instruct those you will tag to do the same. This will ensure a tremendous surge in the number of traffic and viewers in our respective blogs. Do this and see how traffic and viewership figures in your blog increase exponentially. Thank you very much and God bless.

Mike Golch said...

I think there is a lack of disapline in our society now.It used to be that if a child was acting out that the parents would get to the seat of the problem,noe a days that is frowned apon and even called child abuse,for God's sake.what ever happened to "spare the rod and spoil the child".that is what has done.A good paddling when I was young taught me right from,Thank you Mom and Dad.
that's my story and my take one the world today.

Mary said...

Brandy,

I agree with Lady Di. Stay on that soapbox and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We need God in our homes and our schools.

Jordan is 10 and would know better than this. Brandon is on the autism spectrum and when he was 10 he knew better. They cannot blame this on cartoons. Kids know and like Mike, I believe in "sparing the rod, and spoiling the child." It may be frowned on in today's society but it is Biblical. A good spanking did me the world of good. LOL And I got a few of them.

Take care, Brandy. Hope you can get by to visit soon. I've missed our visits. I'm so glad you have Hope in your life.

Love and blessings,
Mary

Mary said...

PS I got on my soapbox and forgot to thank you for the award. I love it and appreciate you thinking of me.