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"School
Shooting Map"
 This
article is a brief look at violence during January and February of 2002 that
impacted schools across America. Unfortunately, the list in not complete.
Events such as the Olympics and the War on Terrorism has overshadowed
violence on school campuses. Readers are encouraged to contact Key@KeysToSaferSchools.com
with reports of violence that might not otherwise be published and
circulated. Only as we admit there is a serious problem can we hope to have
resources committed to solutions.
Feb 25, PINETOPS, NC,
-- A list that threatened some faculty members and students at Southwest
Edgecombe High School was discovered when a student reported the threat to
authorities.
No one was immediately charged, although a 15-year-old male student was
detained and a 17-year-old female student was questioned.
"A student reported a rumor of potential danger," Diane LeFiles,
a spokeswoman for the Edgecombe County schools, said at a news conference
Monday. "We're very pleased that this young person spoke to a trusted
adult." [Kids
are the Keys Assembly]
Sheriff James Knight said he was considering charges of disorderly
conduct, conspiracy to commit a felony and a third charge he would not
identify.
"In today's society you can't take anything lightly," Knight
said. "The list, combined with other things, was enough to take it
seriously." [Certification
Training to Assess At-Risk Students]
Knight would not disclose specifics about threats or the number of
faculty members and students who were threatened.
The people named on the list were advised of the threat, he said.
Feb
22, Osceola, FL - "I brought a gun to school with
bullets and I know how to load it," the boy wrote in a statement taken
by the school. A 10-year-old boy was arrested Thursday for bringing a gun to
Thacker Avenue Elementary School. Other students alerted a School Resource
Officer (SRO) that the boy had bullets. Officer Wes, as he is know to the kids, told an
official at Keys, "The kids have learned through past experiences that they can
talk to me. I think there are two reasons for that; [Kids
are the Keys Assembly]
-
They know I will take action and
-
they know that I will not let anyone know who told me. They have a real fear of reprisals so this second item is very important."
The officer found the bullets, and after talking to the boy, learned the
child had brought a 9-millimeter Glock handgun to school. The student’s
mother had noticed her gun was missing and came to school where she
retrieved the gun without telling anyone.
The officer was familiar with this child because he had made comments
about shooting several students and his teacher in January, officials said.
The student told SRO Wes Erickson that he had planned to shoot another
student who had been picking on him after several other pupils said that the
boy had bullets from a 9 mm Glock pistol in his possession [Certification
Training to Assess At-Risk Students]. The investigation
did not find anything criminal and the matter was handled within school
policy, reports said.
The boy’s faces up to 10 days of out-of-school suspension and an
expulsion recommendation to the Osceola County School Board, according to
school policy.
Feb 12, Chicago, IL
- Three people were injured outside of Roosevelt High School last week [Crisis
Response Plan Training]. All three were treated at and have since
been released from hospitals. None of the three victims was an intended
target in the shooting, according to police. A fact that some students feel
makes the situation even scarier for them. The gunman was firing at another
student who was running from him. Fifteen-year-old Jose Vega was charged as
an adult for Thursday's shootings outside Roosevelt High School.
Twenty-one-year-old Jason Chavez has also been charged. Investigators said
he may have helped start a fight, which led to the shootings.
Chicago Public School Chief Arne Duncan met with Roosevelt High staff
Friday morning to talk about their concerns and school safety. "I feel
very, very good about the level of safety in our school building,"
Duncan said. "We have a great security team. We have the metal
detectors that everyone passes through." [Crisis
Response Plan Training]
Feb 7,
GARDENA, CA - A gunman and two accomplices who
tried to rob two students at Gardena High School and then shot them remained
at large Thursday, authorities said. [
Visitor
Badge Security Program ]
Feb 6, Madison, WI,
- A 16 year old male student is dead after a basketball game between
rivals Vincent and Washington High Schools ended in a parking lot fight and
gunfire [Conflict
Resolution Training]. Police Lieutenant Steven Spingola
said shots were fired just before 9 p.m. in a post-game brawl involving
about 100 people outside Vincent on the city's far northwest side.[
Visitor
Badge Security Program ]
Witnesses reported that there were scuffles among the rival fans during
game but no specific motive was identified. One witness said that the victim
was his cousin, Joseph Johnson, jr. Elliot Brown went on to say that he was
driving away when he saw the brawl erupt and he turned around. He then heard
two shots and found his 16 year old cousin with a gunshot wound to the head
and not moving. [Crisis
Response Plan Training]
Deputy Superintendent Willie Jude said that the dead student was from
Washington, and the gunman was believed to be an older non-student. Jude
said the incident occurred outside the school after the ball game, and
Washington Principal Nancy Conner was one of the first people on the scene.
Jude said extra security and counselors would be at Washington the day
following the shooting.
Jan 30, ZANESVILLE,
OH - Zanesville City Schools closed Wednesday following a
shooting at the school bus garage [Crisis
Response Plan Training]. Ron Melvin Sr., 59, a maintenance
worker, apparently shot Debra Law, a bus driver, three times inside a school
bus and then shot and killed himself. [Anger
Management/De-escalation Training] There were no students
aboard the bus as the shooting occurred around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday before
school started. The bus drivers were preparing for their routes when Melvin
shot Law.
Jan 24, TOPEKA, KS,
- An elementary school tour of a Mexican restaurant was disrupted
Thursday morning when a manager was shot during a possible attempted
robbery, police said. [Crisis
Response Plan Training] The 28 first-graders and their parents
heard but didn't see the shooting at Carlos O'Kelly's Mexican Cafe that
critically injured Robert L. Fraser, 51. A parent said the shooting happened
in a hallway that was about 15 feet from the kitchen where the tour was
being given. No one else was hurt.
A parent of one of the first-grader said his daughter told him that she
had heard the victim moaning.
"I don't know how much they really understood what had
happened," the parent said of the students. "All they knew was
that something scary had just occurred."
After the shooting, the children returned to school, where counselors
were available [Helping
Kids Cope with Crisis]
Jan 17,
GRUNDY,
VA - A suspended student shot and killed three people at a law
school in southwest Virginia's coal country on Wednesday -- including the
school's dean -- and wounded three others. [Certification
Training to Assess At-Risk Students]
Jan 12, GREELEY, CO,
- A Greeley math teacher has tearfully apologized after allegedly
threatening to shoot a class of seventh-graders, but some of those students
still say her words were frightening. [Anger
Management/De-escalation Training]
Police and school officials are investigating statements made during
class by Heath Middle School teacher Janet Willis, 43, a 20-year teaching
veteran in Weld County School District 6.
A student in the class, age 13, said Willis was frustrated because
several students had repeatedly forgotten to bring their textbooks and
homework. When a student asked what would happen if they continued to forget
the items, Willis replied, "Then I'll shoot you." According to
this student, the teacher then asked another student, "Do you want to
be my first victim?"
Greeley Schools Superintendent Tony Pariso said Heath Principal Rangel
and the school district's human resources director are investigating the
incident.
"Her status, in the meantime, is she is a teacher at Heath,"
Pariso said. "When we complete the personnel investigation, we will
take whatever action is appropriate."
Jan 8, LOS ANGELES,
- A drive-by shooting outside a Canoga Park continuation school
today left a 16-year-old boy dead, police said. The teen-age victim, a
student at West Valley Leadership School, reportedly staggered back into the
school and collapsed. He was later taken to a hospital, where he died. [Crisis
Response Plan Training]
It appeared that the victim and the suspect had argued outside the campus
earlier in the day. The suspect and a second person returned in a gray
pickup truck after the argument, and one round was fired from the passenger
seat, striking the victim in the chest, according to a police spokesman. The
suspects then fled in the truck, he added. No arrests had been made.
Once again we ask ourselves, "Have we done all that
we can to insure the safety of our schools?" Keys To Safer Schools.com
is making a special offer to any school to review your crisis planning and
provide a written critique of any shortcomings found. To take advantage of
this offer, mail your school’s Crisis Plan and supporting documents to:
Keys To Safer Schools.com
P.O. Box 296
Bryant, AR 72089-0296.
Visit the Keys website for valuable information and
resource material on school violence prevention at https://keystosaferschools.com.
Programs to Combat Violence
Reported By:
Frank Green
Director
Keys To Safer Schools.com
If
you have any comments or questions please Email us at keys@keystosaferschools.com.
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(501)246-8835
