I am horrified by the fact that Centennial High School and Haynes Bridge Middle School have both been threatened by someone, that there will be a shooting on such and such day.
Is it a childish prank to get a day off from school or is it more sinister than that? I can tell you that my daughter and I don't take it as light heartily as the school seemingly does.
This is very serious! The emotional toll it takes on the parents of the students and the students themselves is outrageous! The school system seems to take it in stride and requires the students to come to school anyway or they face an unexcused absence! Duh: Dead or unexcused absence? The choice seems pretty clear to most parents.
Find out what's happening in Johns Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Who is doing this? Centennial has now had three separate threats and the middle school has had one. On the very day that the middle schoolers were to visit the high school in order for them to get acquainted with the school, their visit was abruptly canceled because of the threat of a shooting. Can you imagine how these kids felt? The school that they fear already is surrounded by policeman because someone has threatened a shooting?
This is not to be treated like a childhood prank. Here's what I would like to see happen: A reward for the guilty persons name and the subsequent arrest of that person. How could this be so difficult: the person "hand wrote" the notes every time. And if this was a student who actually wrote the note, then other students know who it is. It is impossible for kids to keep a secret like that. In other school shootings, there was a lot of hind-sight: Students who knew that another student was not quite right. That the shooter had been bullied, he was angry or a loner. Students who eventually came forward admitted that the shooter had bragged about his ability to get a gun and how he would love to kill and so and so.
Find out what's happening in Johns Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
I am asking parents to talk with their children. It is unfortunate that we even have to have these conversations with our children. But they need to know that life is not always safe... even though we live in the Johns Creek bubble. There are people out there that will hurt us. Maybe the conversation will lead to information that they heard but didn't seem important at the time, but will actually lead to the person who wrote the note. Maybe it could save a life. The person making these threats clearly has a something wrong with them, if they think this is funny. Is it a cry for help? Maybe the life that is saved is the life of that individual making the threats.
Please e-mail me with your thoughts. I am seriously thinking about forming an organization of parents who are concerned about the threats, so we can hold the schools accountable in finding those who are responsible for this. I think right now, the attitude is: It is only a prank. Ask Ohio what they think about that.