And honestly, I don't blame him.
DH and I talked with him about not living in fear, etc., and he made the decision that he does not want to go to school because he is concerned about being shot.
Yesterday there were several incidents around the area at other schools, and the rumor mill keeps on generating more stories. But it is disconcerting and extremely troubling for a parent, because there are so many things ride on him doing well in school, but I also don't want him to learn in an environment of fear. No one wants that. So as much as I want to be a hardass and say - Go to school and confront your fears -- that little niggle of guilt comes in and says, "Well what if you forced him to go and something happened."
Damn that tiny voice in my head.
I chalked a lot of his fear up to rumors when he came home talking about kids in his school being ready to do harm to others. I read this piece this morning on the school website and it did make me feel a bit better:
Rumors are circulating around the District, perhaps fueled by the presence of a police vehicle. We are not in lockdown and school is in session as usual. It is a typical school day.
Until I read this:
Fortunately, the Anywhere Central School District is very safe. However, no community is immune from the threats of violence and drugs that endanger public schools nationwide. Every household can contribute to the safety of students at school. Students generally know about any problems before many others do. Encourage your child to tell you about any safety concerns or report them to another trusted adult at school.
Please call school with any concerns for safety, or use Anywhere School’s anonymous 24-hour Safe School Helpline. The helpline is designed so you can report any wrongdoing that impacts our schools, our students or our staff, while protecting your privacy.
So of course I thought, gee, maybe there is some credence to these rumors he has been hearing.
As I said earlier, he was given a choice to stay or go and he is choosing to stay.
What a world we live in, eh?
Too much significance placed upon a date in history.
2 comments:
I was talking to a friend about the very things you've expressed. It is so hard. Before I had kids, we had a few bomb threats at the school where I teach. I was kind of critical of parents who kept their kids home during that week. Now I'm less sure of what's right. I'm just not sure what I would do, and God forbid how do you send your kid back to a school where something has actually happened!
boy...this is a hard one. I'd like to think I'd listen to that second voice, but....I'm trying to figure out some things today also...is it the world we live in.
(I come to your blog through Military Knitters)
Post a Comment