BY DAVE PARRO
East Aurora school officials found themselves doing damage control this week after they chose not to immediately notify parents about a threatening post on a former high school student’s MySpace Web page. There’s a lesson there, especially in the wake of the shooting at Northern Illinois University that killed five students.
Instead of parents and students receiving official word about what happened — police deemed the threat not credible — rumors spread over the Internet. The district spent Tuesday combating unsubstantiated fears.
The result was frantic parents and low attendance, as many students simply stayed home.
The district was flooded with calls and parents started showing up at the high school to pull their kids out of class as word continued to spread about the threat posted Sunday.
“We didn’t anticipate the parents’ reactions,” said district spokesman Clayton Muhammad.
They should have. The St. Charles School District dealt with a similar threat only weeks ago and saw a similar reaction.
Anytime a student make references to killing his classmates, especially in such detail as to list names, school officials must err on the side of caution. It would have been simple for East Aurora officials to send out an e-mail explaining what happened and assuring parents and students that the situation was under control. (There was an additional police presence at the school Tuesday and the student was eventually charged.)
By the time the district sent out official information at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, it was too late to do any good. Even if there was no real danger, parents and students should have been kept in the loop from the start.
So far I've been satisfied with the responses from Dist129 to recent incidents (attempted abductions, school closings). Email alerts went out in a timely manner, calls home, written information alerts sent home, etc.
Perhaps a regional conference can be held between area districts, officials and law enforcement to coordinate and organize some joint efforts and action plans. Pool or share resources, coordinate with area authorities as needed.
A community forum might be advised as well.
Unsure if local townships or county officials can offer some resources if requested or necessary.
The response from NIU should serve as a good model/example to build upon.
I would just like to say that if the schools would do something about the kids that bully and harass these kids that are different then maybe the pressure wouldn't be so great on them. My son was being harassed by those 3 students at East Aurora because he is different. He said something stupid on myspace only because the school district had failed him. They are suppose to protect all kids, but i know for a fact they don't.
To the Father Above:
I quite agree, schools do have an obligation and responsibilty, along
with the parents or primary care givers, to deal with those students who
engage in bullying behaviors.
I know the school where my kids attend has a "No Bully Zone" poster
prominently displayed at the entrance and in the halls.
Regardless of what forms it take, online, cellphone/texting, or in real life.
We as grownups need also provide positive examples and model behaviors we wish
our children and youth to follow.
There are no simple answers or quick fixes, but it should begin with open and
on-going dialog. Grownups need to listen to what their children are telling them
and feeling.
Just a few random thoughts in response to your post.
Best regards