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Schoolkid who "Thought About" Bringing A Gun to School is Arrested (10/15/2001)
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
By Sandi WrightReno Gazette-JournalSaturday October 13th, 2001 Rumors this week that an angry middle school student was on campus with a gun and a hit list had parents alarmed and school officials scrambling, a principal said Friday."We did have a boy arrested on Tuesday," said Carson Middle School Principal Tom Badillo, "but there was never a firearm on campus." The incident flared up Tuesday after an eighth-grade boy went home from school Monday and confided to a friend that he had been getting picked on, Badillo said."He was frustrated, and he shared with his friend that he had thought about bringing a gun into school. The next day, the kid's friend came in and told us about it," Badillo said."We then brought the boy in, and he admitted that he had said it, so we searched his locker and his belongings, but didn't find anything. His parents were very cooperative; they searched his room and even went through everything on his computer," Badillo said.Scott Burau, chief deputy for the Carson City Sheriff's Office, confirmed that police picked up an 8th-grade boy at the school Tuesday afternoon around 12:30 p.m."We got a report of death threats, but there was no firearm involved, and he did not have a death list," Burau said. "The comments he made were that he was getting picked on by his classmates and had just had a bad day. There were also some family issues." By Wednesday, rumors among the student body of more than 1,200 had escalated to include a hit list, Badillo said."It was unbelievable. The kids came up with that one on their own. By Wednesday, half the kids in school had told their parents that their names were on that list," Badillo said.Parents were alarmed, but calm.Tina Trapp, mother of a 6th-grade boy and 8th-grade girl at CMS said she heard about the incident Wednesday."I was afraid," Trapp said, "but I sent my kids to school anyway, figuring that if it had been a real threat, we would have been notified. Besides, my sources couldn't be confirmed, so I decided to send them."Trapp called Badillo who reassured her and explained the situation."I'd also heard there was a hit list of 25 kids," Trapp said. "My daughter told me that one of her friends was on it. By Thursday, the list had grown to 50 kids. The rumors were really colorful."Connie Fronapfel, whose 8th-grade daughter attends CMS, also heard the rumors Wednesday."I was alarmed," Fronapfel said, "but this is my third kid, and I know in dealing with kids that when you hear something like that, you have to get to the adult source."Fronapfel called the school Thursday and talked with the vice principal, who explained what had happened and told her she was welcome to come to school for the announcement to the students.Badillo estimates that more than 100 calls came in from concerned parents Wednesday and Thursday."We talked to the entire student body about the meaning of tolerance and why it's important to respect the differences in people," Badillo said. "Most kids at this age are good, but sometimes they can be pretty insensitive."After the announcement, teachers followed up by generating discussions in their individual classes, he said."Some of our teachers said they had some very meaningful conversations with their classes," he said, "and many classes actually want to send him cards. A lot of kids are stepping up after this."The boy is now undergoing psychological evaluations, Badillo said."It's an unfortunate situation, but he is now getting some help. He's been referred to a counselor and we'll be having an evaluation meeting with the psychiatrist on Monday. Either way, he's going to be out of school for a good period of time," Badillo said."There is no acceptable risk level in a situation like this. Once we'd been notified that he'd had those kinds of thoughts, we had to do what we did."Badillo added that, "He was just a kid who was kind of a loner and easy to pick on, and they did (pick on him)," he said.Superintendent of Schools Mary Piercyznski said she was comfortable with the outcome at CMS."It was a rumor that got out of hand," she said, "and they did a really fine job of handling the entire situation.""Anybody who thinks something like this can't happen at their school is wrong," Badillo said. "You can have a bunch of good kids, but all it takes is for one kid to get frustrated and confused." http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/news/1003043345.php [This message has been edited by Josey1 (edited 10-15-2001).]
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