Bomb threats at CMS schools (Charlotte: credit, felony, attorneys)

[muse1110]

I have zero experience in living in a place where there's ever been a bomb threat to a school.

Can anyone say if there is an community understanding about why bomb threats to these particular schools(W. Meck High School, E.E. Waddell High School)? Like, 'oh, well, it's that school, of course!' sort of thing? Or is it just thought to be 'stupid kids pranks'?

Seems like there is a more general concern about the lack of 'tough on crime' attitude from the police and DAs?

But it's not too late to do something about Holly "$Cash$" Mitchell. Mitchell's mug was plastered all over the local news for days in September after he distinguished himself from other wannabe gangsters by bringing an M-16 assault rifle and ammo to a football game at West Mecklenburg High School, where he was a student.

At the time, Mitchell, then 17, already had a felony auto theft conviction -- for which he got a suspended sentence and probation -- and a slew of dismissed charges to his credit. That's not unusual in Mecklenburg, where half of all charges are dismissed by overwhelmed district attorneys. And that's after DAs screen out roughly a third of the cases brought to them. These statistics make Mecklenburg one of the half dozen highest felony dismissal counties North Carolina, which happens to be the highest felony dismissal state in the nation among the 21 states tracked by the National Center for State Courts.

http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com...d=oid%3A150547

Do people just say, 'oh, well, I stay out of those areas of Charlotte' or does this affect even the 'nice areas' of Mecklenburg?

[neoflex]

I can't speak for these schools in general, but my wife is a teacher here on Long Island and the school she teaches at had atleast 3 or 4 bomb threats last year and atleast 2 this year. Nowadays this is not an uncommon thing. The times that they did find the people responsible which I believe was 4 of the 6, it turned out to be the students pulling a prank. A prank is one thing but in todays day and age with the fear of terrorism at an all time high I find bomb threats to be a serious issue and the students should be charged crimanally. Again, just my opinion but I bet it would put an end to the bomb threats in a hurry if you made an example of a few offenders.

[DawnW]

We had a few bomb threats per year. The students thought it was funny.

The problem is, that with Columbine, etc....we are supposed to take EVERY threat seriously. That means a lot of disruption to the school day, etc...and kids like that and learn quickly that they can cause a lot of ruckus by making a threat.

But, after dealing with an in-school shooting (school was on lock down all day and kids had to stay in their 2nd period classes until 4pm) and a real sniper aiming at the school (again lockdown for several hours) and a few other real life things.....a threat is much better than the real thing!

Dawn

Originally Posted by neoflex

I can't speak for these schools in general, but my wife is a teacher here on Long Island and the school she teaches at had atleast 3 or 4 bomb threats last year and atleast 2 this year. Nowadays this is not an uncommon thing. The times that they did find the people responsible which I believe was 4 of the 6, it turned out to be the students pulling a prank. A prank is one thing but in todays day and age with the fear of terrorism at an all time high I find bomb threats to be a serious issue and the students should be charged crimanally. Again, just my opinion but I bet it would put an end to the bomb threats in a hurry if you made an example of a few offenders.

[marvinnative]

Originally Posted by neoflex

I can't speak for these schools in general, but my wife is a teacher here on Long Island and the school she teaches at had atleast 3 or 4 bomb threats last year and atleast 2 this year. Nowadays this is not an uncommon thing. The times that they did find the people responsible which I believe was 4 of the 6, it turned out to be the students pulling a prank. A prank is one thing but in todays day and age with the fear of terrorism at an all time high I find bomb threats to be a serious issue and the students should be charged crimanally. Again, just my opinion but I bet it would put an end to the bomb threats in a hurry if you made an example of a few offenders.

It has been my experience that this type thing begins occuring in the spring, when kids think it would be "fun" to get out of class and stand outside in the sunshine for a while. At my child's middle school last year, a student began "writing threats on the bathroom wall" just prior to the End of Grade Testing, distrupting instruction. School policy is that these threats are taken very seriously, so several times that week, the entire school had to leave the building while it was "swept" for bombs. It is my understanding that school administration takes these "pranks" very seriously and punishes the offender to the fullest extent of the law, include expulsion for 365 days and criminal prosecution.

[kmway]

Haha, I thought all schools got bomb threats. I went to private and public school in the 80's and early 90s and we got bomb threats at all my schools....in the burbs....again private and public! Half of the time is was idiot kids trying to get out of class, as the PP said.

[mountain_time_Blues]

Yeah, we had a couple of bomb threats too while at North Meck. They always coincided with a EOC or Writing Test.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by muse1110

I have zero experience in living in a place where there's ever been a bomb threat to a school.

Can anyone say if there is an community understanding about why bomb threats to these particular schools(W. Meck High School, E.E. Waddell High School)? Like, 'oh, well, it's that school, of course!' sort of thing? Or is it just thought to be 'stupid kids pranks'?

Seems like there is a more general concern about the lack of 'tough on crime' attitude from the police and DAs?



http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com...d=oid%3A150547

Do people just say, 'oh, well, I stay out of those areas of Charlotte' or does this affect even the 'nice areas' of Mecklenburg?

Where are you from that they haven't had a bomb threat at school? I didn't know any such place was left.

[muse1110]

Originally Posted by sheena

Where are you from that they haven't had a bomb threat at school? I didn't know any such place was left.

My kids are in school in England. UK is obviously no stranger to bombs and bomb threats! But for a good while now, bomb threats haven't been something which schools have had to manage, write policy around, etc.

Britain pretty much forbades people to possess handguns as well. So no culture of fear around school shootings (there is a knife problem in certain areas, however).

Thanks, everyone for weighing in this news. I agree that in the fearful time around terrorism, bomb threats are no humorous event. I mean, we can't even bring one item of food, not even a simple spice, into the U.S. (from the UK) due to U.S. terrorism laws, seems like making a bomb threat should be treated very, very seriously indeed.

Wonder what each bomb threat costs a U.S. school, on average?

[DawnW]

Really? I just brought a bunch back from China last Sept. on my trip.

Dawn

Originally Posted by muse1110

My kids are in school in England. UK is obviously no stranger to bombs and bomb threats! But for a good while now, bomb threats haven't been something which schools have had to manage, write policy around, etc.

Britain pretty much forbades people to possess handguns as well. So no culture of fear around school shootings (there is a knife problem in certain areas, however).

Thanks, everyone for weighing in this news. I agree that in the fearful time around terrorism, bomb threats are no humorous event. I mean, we can't even bring one item of food, not even a simple spice, into the U.S. (from the UK) due to U.S. terrorism laws, seems like making a bomb threat should be treated very, very seriously indeed.

Wonder what each bomb threat costs a U.S. school, on average?

[kmway]

Originally Posted by DawnW

Really? I just brought a bunch back from China last Sept. on my trip.

Dawn

Haha, oh geez, you might want to explain that one...I assume you brought in spices and not firearms?