Thanks for the heads up Bill. I'll get right on it. Film at eleven.

I heard that the Harriman City police department did not know about the incident until several hours after words.

If this makes you mad then this will blow your mind...the 13 (almost 14)year old child was not bullied...he WAS the bully!! He is getting NO punishment at home and is being made out to be a HERO!! BULL!! He has been on his X-box and his facebook page..and his parents are vowing no punishment for him even though he endangered the whole school body in the cafeteria that morning and it is rumored that he brought that gun with 2 loaded clips to school the day before as well...if it had been any another child without parents that are connected to the ambulance, etc...i could only imagine their punishment!! His parents should be held criminally responsible as well!!

Also the principal called all 8th grader into lunch room. and told them they were all the reason for the gun being brought to school.. It sounds like he is the reason of it actually happening.. It seems like he is not aware of everything going on in his school...
It is also rumored that the kid with the gun has been in trouble many times this year at school and out of school..
people open your eyes and learn how discpline your kids and teach them morals and respect...

Let's not report rumors on personal situations here. It is tough to wade through all the blather that gets generated in situations like this so please go slowly. I've seen so many things wind up in the mytholog of a situation that eventually turn out to be false and yet personal reputations ge harmed and bear scars unjustly. I think this situation needs open discussionbased on facts but when you are dealing with school children, special consideration is warranted.

Was the weapon brought in as a response to a bullying situation? If so we have to teach that this isn't how bullying should be handled in addition to dealing with the fact of the weapon itself. If the Principal is trying to ask the kids to change their attitudes toward bullying, I applaud that, but I don't condone using a guilt trip to do so. What do we know for certain about this?

the gun carrier has been in office more than 3 times just this year since january for attitude. He is the one that bullies. So i use the word rumor very lightly.
He has been warned about his excessive aggression and contact during sports. he has an anger issue..
I have witnessed this much..
My child was sitting not even 10 feet away from him when he had gun at breakfast that morning..
it all comes back to discpline at home..

... that KNOWS all these things as facts taking the time to inform the school administration (meaning at the individual school, not just at the system office), or are they being taken to task simply for "not knowing." If somebody knows and doesn't tell them, they bear just as much burden if not more than administrator who doesn't just "automatically know."

RB

a teacher and principal was told of the rape list that day after it was shown to the group... and yes many calls have been made to the school board..

my main concern is what are they going to do to keep it from happening again... we need 0 tolerance... make these kids respect others.. some have such smart mouths with no respect.. including during sports..

i really do not believe it is all due to bullying..

Its the public school system. Its been broken for decades now...this stuff is par for the course. It was just two years ago that a kid brought a large knife to cherokee middle, got ratted out, and gave the knife to a male school nurse who hid the knife for the kid in a mechanical room. The KPD sniffed it out and the kid was expelled, however the nurse never skipped a beat.

3 weeks ago a RCHS student was stopped for a traffic violation where the RCSD found quite abit of mary jane, cocaine, and cash in his car. This is the same kid that has been dealing drugs in the school system for years and who's wild as a buck mother drives a school bus. Gotta love it!

My son is a junior and he has told me that all types of drugs are available at the school's black market. I have taked to the RCSD, KPD, DA office, and they act like they are concerned but appear to do nothing...atleast that I can see. So as a parent I drug test my kid randomly and often just to make sure that he is not partaking of the school ammenities. If he gets caught he knows he gets to tangle with dad out in the yard.

One other thing about the school system that really chaps me is this free lunch program for the kids whos parents can afford liquor, drugs, cigarettes, cable tv, and virtually everything but food for their kids. Now I don't blame the kids and certainly this great America has evolved to the point where I guess the tax payer has no choice but to step up and support kids of dead beat parents. I don't like it but I can learn to live with it. What I detest is the fact that last week my kid did not get to eat one day becuase his lunch account was zero and the lunch crew turned him away. The only time in 11 years that his lunch account was at zero he did not get to eat lunch. That pissed me off and I make no political correct apologies about it! I did not raise cain at the school for the sole reason that he is a big boy and should have more closely monitered his account and been more responsible...he learned his lesson. However the school could have handled it better although I realize they are probably not capable of handling it better. Its the public school system!

We live in a world where we can raise our children the best we can with God as our focus, but there is so much in the world for them to get into. We blame young people (and, yes, these young people should know better), but think about it -- They don't manufacture the drugs or the guns (and I don't think they are allowed to buy the guns). It is the greed and sin, the greed of the adults that want the money from the drugs, etc., that get them into these things. And this greed is not just from people on the "wrong side of the tracks." It is is our elected officials, our lawyers, our doctors, our teachers, our police departments, our churches and pastors, our christians, our every day people, etc. Children should be punished for what they are doing, but until we can start at the top, we will never be able to change things.

I would like to give my opinions on some of your comments:

Crappieman - if you knew this happened with the kid and nurse about the knife, did you talk to the school administration concerning the fact that the nurse should have been punished, etc., also? Was it possible, something was put in his (the male nurse) file; and if not, why not?

I admire you for talking to the RCSD, KPD, and the DA; even though it is not easy, it is going to take people like you to keep talking, asking for answers, and make sure these officials know that you expect answers and that we want our children protected.

No. 2 - The student that was stopped for a traffic violation and found with drugs -- did you talk to the police department about this situation? I am sure they cannot give out personal information, etc., but did you ask them to help with this child? I am not saying the child needs jail or prison, but he does need help. Has anyone talked to the child and tried to help him or find help for him? Did the police try to find out where the child obtained the drugs? What does it matter that the child's mother drives the school bus? Does she do drugs?
Have you offered to spend time or try to talk to that student? I know that we do not want our children to spend time with someone on drugs or selling drugs, but it is going to take God and caring adults to help some of these people.

Sometimes we take time to gripe or complain, but we never offer help. And I am including myself here also. Sometims we try to help and we get punished for it, but until we take a stand, things will only get worse.

The lunch program - this breaks my heart. Kids cannot help what their parents do and what their parents do with their money. The free lunch might be the only meal that the child has for the whole day. Not only that, but they live with the embarassment of having free lunch when the other kids know. As for your son - I am shocked that the lunch crew (knowing that your son had a lunch account for years) would not let him have lunch "on-credit." If it was because of "rules," sometime rules do not fit the case. Sometimes we just have to use common sense. It will not hurt anyone to miss a meal, but how much better we can operate after a meal.

I don't think we should put the "public school" system or "Harriman school system" down unless we have tried everything we can to make it a better school system - by donating time, money, volunteering, etc., - even it is means just making a visit (with permission of course) to the school to let officials/teachers and students know that we care about them and about our community.

You say the system is broken - how do you suggest fixing it? Have you been to a school board meeting with your list of ideals to fix the system? Why kind of school do you want your child to go to? Private schools might be considered better but they also have "problem" children.

Note to Utility Bill: Have YOU checked into the situations and let the officials know that you are concerned and would like/expect some answers. What did you do about your child's name being on the rape list? If you have a child in that school, you have a right to want to know how it will be handled the next time. Ask for a meeting with the teacher/principal and the other child and his parents - you might not get it, but ask.
Did you ask to meet with the principal at Walnut Hill and explain your concerns about her child and video porn?

Note to Crocket600 - did you talk to the principal about what he did/said in his meeting with the 8th graders? Did you let him know that you were upset by the meeting?

Roane Booster has some good comments.

I believe like H. Clinton said - It takes a village to raise a child.

Most everyone wants the best - and better what what we had - for our children. If we have children that have never been in trouble, etc., we should be on our knees thanking God and asking for help for our other children, leaders and community.

The first thing that I would like to say is that those of us who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. That is to say that anyone who has children can raise them in the "correct way", but we cannot be sure that they will ALWAYS adhere to this. The Bible says that we reap what we sow, so we need to be careful of the word "seeds" that we are planting. It is easy to listen to the gossip and add to it. Human nature usually makes us love to see someone else get into trouble, and then we love to gossip about it. As a mother, I know that tales children bring home from school are not always accurate. One thing that I do know for sure is that children, adults too, can say mean, hateful and hurtful things to each other. Children can also ostracize another child because he/she is different from the rank and file. The adage that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me is one of the biggest lies that has ever been told. Words hurt and words hurt badly. Could this be the message that the principal was trying to convey? Look at schools where guns, knives, etc. have been taken to school. The children have been hurt by the other children. The breakdown of the home is the root of many of our problems. Children need stability, and the old saying that the best gift that parents can give to their children is to love each other is true. How many of the 8th grade students knew about the gun and didn't tell an adult? How many students in many of these situations knew but didn't tell. Where is the rape list? Was it ever found, or did the students tell that someone told them they saw the student being questioned didn't,and the next student said that another student told them they saw it,but that student never saw it, etc. Usually, when we point our finger at someone else, we are doing this because we are tying to make ourselves feel better about our lack of parenting skills. Be careful about the allegations you make here or anywhere else. Your child could be the next one who is being gossiped about.

If common sense was common everyone would have it!

It amazes me that so many that think they know so much really don't know anything at all. That goes for most(not all) of these blogs on this site. If people were actually concerned about their community and the schools in these communities; they would spend time in them as volunteers or become an active parent. Stop trying to be your child's buddy, and be a parent!

I work in social services and I see so many parents that are not involved or their involvement is of a negative nature. Parents not even knowing where their children are, allowing their children to do what they want to do, and certainly not ensuring that their children not only are involved in their school, but not involved in all at church! No wonder children and young adults today do not know the common traits that my generation was brough up on. You don't talk back, you do what you are told, and you respect your elders!