McKinney, Texas is just North of Dallas. Unlike my previous story, this time there are facts that this student was often a victim of bullying and harassment. Reports are that he was also autistic. While many people may believe that he was merely posting threats on a social network, what set his threats apart and required the action from the police were the specifics about his threats. As with suicidal ideations, when kids have specific plans, this time down to numbered steps, plans of actions need to be taken. These cannot be chalked up as "kids being kids."
While the McKinney Police Department should be applauded for taking the appropriate measures, my concern lies with the McKinney schools. The news story states,
"McKinney Boyd Principal Rick McDaniel posted a message acknowledging the "threatening statements" Tuesday morning on McKinney Boyd's Facebook page, and said "such comments [...] will not be tolerated and the District will prosecute to the fullest extent that the law allows." The post was removed as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday."I checked the Facebook page, there is no evidence of the post as stated. While threats to the school should not be taken lightly, the harassment and bullying of an autistic student which would lead to him to these events should also not be taken lightly. At least somebody understands that,
"The boy's classmates said it's a shame it came to this, and it should serve as a wake up call to the community."
No comments:
Post a Comment