3rd Grade Students Allegedly Conspire to Attack Teacher
Police Thwart a Detailed Plan by at Least 9 Boys and Girls
An alleged plot involving at least nine 3rd graders at Center Elementary School has been thwarted by authorities in Waycross, Georgia. Alerted by school officials that they had received a tip from a student that another student had brought a knife to school, Waycross police discovered a detailed plan to attack a teacher who specializes in teaching those with learning disabilities. The police confiscated a broken steak knife, a crystal paperweight, a pair of handcuffs, electrical tape, transparent tape, and duct tape during their investigation.
It seems the plan was hatched in retaliation after one of the students was scolded by the teacher for standing on a chair. Authorities were amazed at the sophistication of the plan, which included a division of roles. One of the students was to cover the windows so no one could see into the room. Another was assigned to clean up after the attack.
All nine of the students have been disciplined, some of them with long-term suspensions. According to Georgia law, for someone to be charged with a criminal offense, they must be at least 13 years old. The students involved are too young to be charged as adults, prosecutors say. All of the known participants were 8, 9, and 10 years old. Both boys and girls were involved.
Two girls have been arrested on juvenile charges. An arrest of one of the boys is also expected. All three will be charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The two girls are being charged with bringing weapons to school -- the knife and the paperweight.
Other students told police that they heard about the plot but either did not believe that their fellow students were serious or chose not to participate.
Parents of students at Center Elementary are understandably upset by the developments. Four mothers have demanded the immediate expulsion of all the students involved in the plot, citing school system policy that states that any student who brings a weapon to school be expelled for at least until the end of the school year.
Overreacting? Hardly. The issue is not just that a targeted teacher could have been hurt or worse. The potential existed for others, including other students, to be hurt (or worse) as well. Because, sadly enough, in the real world, unlike the amusing world of "South Park," when people get killed they do not come back in the next episode. There is no next episode...
Source:
Associated Press, "Cops: Third-graders arrested in teacher attack plot," CNN.com
Published by Saul Relative
WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentMany people blame television and the internet for making monsters out of children. the truth is that you cannot keep a child away from this forever. Eventually they will confront violence one way or another, from school and friends usually. it is important for parents to explain to thier children that violent behavior is not acceptable. It is better they hear about it from thier parents before they hear it from their friends. Trust me; a lot of bad things go on at schools parents are not aware of. Not that school is bad, its is actually a great place to learn about life. You cant keep a child safe forever, but you can help them understand what they see and hear
I agree 100%. It is the fault of uninvolved parents, absent parents, parents hwo are too busy for their own children or those who just take this stuff for granted, thinking they dont need to "talk" with their kids b/c "my kids would never do this" It is our part as parents to see to it that we teach our children right from wrong/ Thats not to say they will all follow in the right steps but for God's sake people, this type of behavior has to stop! Yes, our tv's are full of nonsense and violence, but it is up to us to be good role models and to raise responisible, sensible children. The sad part is generally speaking, parents of these children usually do blame something else other than themselves. It really makes me sad to think of all the stories we hear so often involving young ones and violence. It is time for the government and do-gooders to butt out and allow us to be parents. As for cps or any of the other agencies, it seems when real abuse is taking part it often goes on way too
That's alright, JB, you go get 'em. And you're righ; parents do need to take over the roles as parents again. Not to mention the fact that Social Services isn't going to take your child away for simply disciplining them. And you have to hand it to the staff at Center Elementary for not sitting on this information but gettin the police involved right away.
True enough - Parents need to get involved and Social Services needs to GET out! Too many parents are scared because of DSS! I for one say, what is in my house is mine and there is NO privacy. Don't care what age, don't care if you like! Don't bring in my house what you know I don't approve of or is illegal if you want privacy, get your own place. Too many kids run parents - Parents take back the role of PARENTS! My brother in law one time told DSS "Yes I slapped her and I will slap you if you don't get out of my house!" There is NOTHING wrong with discipline in the correct manner! And then of course when we allow God to be taken out of school, courts and other stuff, what do we expect but this type of behavior? Now nephew you have me on MY soap box. Thanks for the great write up!
It's not just that children are exposed to this type of thing on a daily basis, Jill. It's also due to lack of guidance. Parents ignore their basic responsibilities to their children by not teaching them ethics and social mores. There are plenty of children that watch this kind of stuff (in fact, an overwhelming percentage of chidlren never exhibit extreme antisocial behaviors) but never are a party to the actualization of any of the anti-social activities they're exposed to. The difference is in their guidance and each child's individual assessment of choices.
This is a scary story. I couldn't believe it when I saw the news this morning. But what should we expect when our children are exposed to violence on a daily basis through television and movies? Why do parents let their kids watch this stuff?