Mom Assaults Bully in School

Mom Assaults Bully

A 30-year old mother of a girl who was allegedly being bullied entered Olivet Charter Elementary School without signing in.  She went to the cafeteria, had her son tell her who was bullying her daughter, then confronted the alleged bully in front of other children.  The mother threatened the boy about bullying her daughter, then grabbed him around the neck.

The bullying claims are being investigated, but in the meantime, the mother has been arrested and charged with felony child abuse.

Analysis
Schools that have procedures for signing visitors into the school should also have in place procedures for what to do when a person does not follow procedures.  The mother's assault was not witnessed by any adult, which begs the question, how did this happen?

An adult entering the school, bypassing the sign in procedures, and then assaulting a student without being seen by the adults indicates some refresher training on sign in procedures, as well as student supervision techniques.

In this day and age, we cannot afford to let incidents like this happen.

Mother, Daughter Assault Two Fellow Students on School Property

The Augusta Chronicle

A mother and her daughter were arrested after assaulting two students of T. W. Josey High School.  earlier that day, the daughter was involved in a fight with the two students.  The students were suspended.  One was walking home with her 65-year old grandfather when the mother and daughter duo pulled up in a car driven by the mother's boyfriend.  The mother, daughter and boyfriend got out and assaulted the girl.  They then approached the second girl and assaulted her as she was walking home.  Both assaults occurred on school property.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the boyfriend.

Analysis
There are two points for schools to consider in this story.  First, do you have a procedure for ensuring the safety of students who are leaving your school after an altercation?  Second, what procedures does your school have in place for dealing with the combatants in the office while you sort things out?  The children involved in a fight do not always let it go while awaiting punishment in the office.  The continuation of the fight on the office can lead to injured students, school personnel and/or damaged property.

Some related topics in Staying Alive; Warning Signs of Violence, Situational Awareness, and Pattern-Matching and Recognition.  Being aware of the signs a person is ready to continue violence, and maintaining awareness are vital skills for keeping the peace in K-12 schools.

5 Students Arrested for Threat against School

Keenesburg, CO

Last week Monday, May 12, two students were arrested after a student reported a possible threat of violence against Weld County High School involving weapons.  A third student was arrested on Tuesday.  All three were charged with suspicion of interference with staff, faculty or students of an educational institution.

On Friday, the School Resource Officer at the high school became aware that two friends of the three suspects were plotting to pick up where their friends left off.  They were arrested on the same charge as their friends.  All of the boys who were arrested identify themselves as a "gang".

The Weld County Sheriff's Office issued the following statement, “The Weld County Sheriff’s Office has focused additional resources toward the investigation of this incident and will continue to provide heightened security measures as deemed necessary through the end of Weld Central’s school year.”

Analysis
Lost in the clutter of this story is that a student, and an SRO provided details about this plot.  In Chapter 5 of Staying Alive, the warnings signs of violence are provided for both adults and children.  In that chapter you learn that there is usually 'leakage' that occurs, indicators that someone is planning violence. 

It is good that the student at Weld County High School felt comfortable enough with school personnel to come forward with the information.  It is also good that the SRO was on-the-spot with the development of his/her intel.

Staying Alive's Chapter 5 is a must read for people who work with children!

Student Threatens School Security Officer

Cleveland Heights, OH

A sixth-grade student at Monticello Middle School was arrested after allegedly threatening to shoot a security officer in the head.

The boy cursed at a substitute gym teacher, and the security officer was summoned to take the boy to the office.  On the way to the office, the boy shoved the officer and made the threat.

Analysis
When hiring a security officer or SRO, care must be given to the skills they have.  Skills in deescalation are a must.  While they cannot prevent all situations, they can be used to prevent some of them, and can prevent situations that are occurring from getting worse.  The Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) is an excellent resource for this type of training.

Deescalation skills can help you Stay Alive.