Posted on 10/21/2010 8:09:47 PM PDT by Sybeck1
Today my 12 year old daughter was in class when a student came in and asked her if she would come into the hall to talk to the police. When she went into the hallway a police officer explained that she needed to go to the principal's office with him and she then asked if she was in trouble. He gave her no reply. He asked her if she wanted to walk by herself so she wouldn't be seen with him and she said, "No, I don't care." When she finally arrived at the principal's office across campus there were four other officers present along with the assistant principal. The assistant principal had a letter written which was threatening to kill a fifth grader who was at another school across town. It said, "I'm going to kill you." Signed "My daughter, 7th Grader." The 5th grader claimed that my daughter was threatening her with notes on the bus.
My daughter does not ride a bus. My wife is a teacher and we live in another city. She rides to school with my wife. My daughter knows the little girl's older sister from church, and to my knowledge the older sister of the accuser is my daughter's friend. She spent the night at our house once.
These police officers proceeded to question her several several minutes. The school never contacted us. The police officer told my daughter to be sure and tell her mother about it.
Then my daughter had to RUN back across campus, all the time crying and knowing that people saw her with a police officer, THE ONE THEY ALL KNOW RUNS THE BULLYING PROGRAM AT THE SCHOOL.
My son is in 8th grade and heard that his sister "was in trouble with the police." My daughter's reputation has been ruined by someone who simply does not like her. This person chose to try to get her in trouble for that reason and that reason only. Isn't that bullying in itself? Can my daughter be questioned without a parent present?
Threatening to go to the local newspaper with your story always works well, the cops and the school do not want this in the paper!
Just wanted to add that I remember in 6th grade I had a friend that became unkind. I wrote a note to her, telling her how I felt. I left several blank places where I didn’t write in words... like I am mad as _________ (heck is what I would have said but didn’t think it was nice to write). She came up to me later and had written horrible words in the blanks and had lightly erased them, and accused ME of writing the very bad words.
I instantly grabbed the letter from her hands and tore it up quickly before she had a chance to show the teacher, which she had threatened to do. Her face was priceless.... she couldn’t believe that she had lost the note she had prepared to blackmail me with!
I can only imagine if it would have been 2010 and I would have been surrounded by five policemen and accused of bullying!!
Lawyer up, my friend, and get ready to sue someone immediately.
I kid you not. Make the first strike.
My family was harrassed by a POS for 2 years. Then, she turns to her uncle, an officer, and claims my sister was the one harrassing her! They dragged my sister to the police station, never read her her rights, did not allow my parents to be present (even though my sister was a minor), and then my sister was summoned to court!
My father hired the most ferocious attorney he could find. He got that girl on the stand and tore her apart. Judge threw the case out.
Seriously. Put someone on retainer just in case.
Liars often screw up details, but the truth remains constant. Pin point this bitch down to a specific date. Then get the tape to prove she is A LIAR.
The only way to stop a bully is to win decisively - in your case, in front of the school officials and/or the courts.
It will ensure that NO ONE messes with your kids again.
It sounds like the police were respectful, and they were clear to her and you about the situation. Your daughter is innocent, and she helped them clarify the situation.
Yes, its not at all a comfortable situation to be involved with police (only for law-abiding citizens it seems!), but why be so upset?
If that's what the note said, I doubt the police really believe your daughter wrote it. ;-) Why would a student not only sign her own name, but also list her grade next to her name, in a death threat?
Until this matter is resolved, I wouldn't trust the older sister, either.
You and me both.
And we were not Guilty!
(youngest white devil 11 yr old female pimp in East Oakland)/hummer er humor..spell check!
Better yet hook up with all the R’s needing votes come Nov. and let them exploit the story to newsmedia.
Ahhh. A moment of internet clarity.
I like you.
This is accurate, and it escaped my notice. She was REQUIRED to be given a Miranda, and since she was a 7th grader, those rights had to be made understandable to her.
I was a 7th grader, and my interrogating officer lied. He wanted me to sign a waiver of my rights. Not understanding what the work 'waive' meant, he explained that it meant that I acknowledged them. He lied, and when I brought up the lie later, he denied it.
It was my first introduction to the fact that cops lie too.
If a parent places a child in a prison-like educational setting, they should fully expect their child to suffer from the **same** types of social pathology found in hardcore prisons.
Solution: HOMESCHOOL
1) Now is the time to homeschool and not just “consider” it.
2) Do you absolutely, positively, utterly, and completely **need** to have your wife working? There is absolutely, positively, and completely no possibly way to downsize your lifestyle? I thought teachers got paid pennies anyway.
Overtime and pension upgrades.
I can only imagine how upsetting it is for your family that this little witch hunt has been perped against your daughter.
On the subject of bullying programs; they are often perceived by students as harassment and snitch programs. It is often used by radical adults to go after their politically incorrect enemies at the school, ie, a kid who tells a gay teacher he does not care to hear about and rejects gay sexual behavior. It is often selective by race; only going after racially and sexually politically incorrect bullies while other bullies do as they wilt w/o consequence. Also it targets your daughter with the meanest attention in the school as she have been selected to bully the bullies.
I don’t know what the adults are like at your daughter’s school, but bullying the bullies it is an adult sized complication that I would not have my kid involved with. The adults don’t have the wisdom and honor to protect your daughter from the abuse that will come her way which is why they need a bullying program to begin with.
As to your question. Go get a lawyer NOW. Sue if you have to (and the lawyer thinks you have a case) but let the school administration know that you will not tolerate this crap again - -to any of your kids. I speak from personal experience but trust me when I tell you attitudes in the school regime change dramatically when a lawyer is involved.
“A parent is negligent...”
I have told my children if they are taken out of class and questioned by the police OR school administrators to ask that their parents be notified right away. I have also told them if the police are involved to ask that their parents be notified and present and if that is ignored, ask for an attorney. When my son was in kindergarten, he and some other kids were pulled out of class by the principal over a missing toy. My son said, “I want my parents notified immediately and I have the right not to answer your questions without my attorney present”. Fortunately, our principal hid her laughter, sent him back to class and gave me a call. As parents, we have to assume the worst scenarios (unfortunately) and give our kids the knowledge before hand. Just a thought.
From a retired school administrator (Texas)
Yes, in most states school administrators must defer to law enforecement for interviews. A smart principal calls the parents but allows the interview to proceed. Here’s where there’s a problem. Where I worked (21 years in a 5A district) our officers would not have interviewed a student on evidence that flimsy and so easily concocted. First an assistant principal would have made the accused put the accusations in writing, naming witnesses to support the contention. Then, each witness would have been put throught the same process.Usually a grudge complaint starts to fall apart pretty quickly - no history, no eyewitness, just “she said/she said” stuff. The whole incident sounds like somebody at the school failed to engage their brain.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.