code red at MMS
I thought they said the code red in February was caused by a false (malfunctioning) alarm.
val said:
I'm an MMS parent, and at this point I need to know whether it was this child who prompted the February Code Red, which was never explained in any way; whether the child will be expelled; and how the families of children on the child's "hit list", if in fact that existed, are being contacted. This could not be more serious. And it has to prompt changes -- this can't become business as usual in this district (and shouldn't be business as usual anywhere). Something that rises to this level is no longer a private matter; parents in the district are entitled to more information about this entire incident and about what's going to be done to try to keep it from happening again with other students.
I can't imagine those two kids were informed without their parents present.
I thought that was the initial supposition about February but wasn't confirmed. I could be mistaken.
To the MMS Community:
As you know, there was a lockdown at MMS this afternoon. We realize that there are a lot of rumors and varying reports. Many of you may have questions about what happened. At this point, the events prompting the lockdown are a police matter. As a matter of law, therefore, we cannot discuss the details without compromising both student confidentiality and the integrity of the investigation.
Our primary concern continues to be the health, safety and well-being of our entire school community. We therefore have plans in place to provide extra support for students and staff tomorrow, and moving forward.
The MMS administrative team, guidance counselors, school social workers, and teachers are actively supporting students. We will have additional school social workers on-site at MMS tomorrow, and available as needed in the coming days. If your child shows signs of stress in reaction to these events, please notify his or her guidance counselor, the school social worker, or a member of the administrative team so that we can provide additional support.
Mr. Adams will begin the day tomorrow by making a brief statement on the Morning Waffles School News Program, including sharing praise from the Police Department on how well the entire school responded to the lockdown. In addition, Mr. Adams will discuss ways we can all work together to ensure the safety of our community.
There will also be facilitated opportunities during the day for students to process their reactions to the events and share strategies for dealing with difficult situations.
We appreciate the partnership of our families, students, and staff as we support the growth and development of all students. We will continue to keep you informed of our work to create a safe and challenging environment in which all of our students can learn and thrive.
James Memoli Jerrill Adams
Acting Superintendent Principal of Maplewood Middle School
".... there are a lot of rumors and varying reports."
Such as the police report.
Kudos to the students who saw the child with the gun and alerted authorities. They may have averted a terrible tragedy and saved a number of lives. They are heroes.
What a terrifying series of events. Maplewood is a lovely community but between the events at MMS and CHS many responsible parents are likely questioning how to best educate their children and what are their alternatives?
When I was growing up in a town west of here, the only thing I knew about Maplewood was that it was where people moved from in middle school.
I assumed things had changed in the past 20+ years, but maybe not.
And how does a 7th grader get a gun? Whatever adult is responsible for that gun should be in custody right now.
- How did a student get into school with a gun?
- Was the gun loaded?
- Was this student acting alone or as part of a broader group or plot?
- Was there a "kill list", as has been reported? And have families affected by this list been notified?
- Will this child be expelled?
- What manner of investigation is being done to learn how this situation came to be?
- What is being done to improve security going forward?
- Why has the Code Red that happened in February never been explained?
We are not perfect, but neither are we unique. This problem is popping up in a lot of schools. I won't move because of it.
afa said:
When I was growing up in a town west of here, the only thing I knew about Maplewood was that it was where people moved from in middle school.
I assumed things had changed in the past 20+ years, but maybe not.
And lots of people don't move. In fact, most people don't move and are perfectly happy about it.
Guns and hit lists are happening in a lot of schools? I'm not doubting you, but I haven't seen many news stories about this.
FilmCarp said:
We are not perfect, but neither are we unique. This problem is popping up in a lot of schools. I won't move because of it.
This is very true. Especially since we have a gun addiction in this country and almost anyone who wants access to a gun can get - including a 12 year old. These are American problems, not just Maplewood.
afa said:
When I was growing up in a town west of here, the only thing I knew about Maplewood was that it was where people moved from in middle school.
I assumed things had changed in the past 20+ years, but maybe not.
My observation is that people in towns west of here don't actually know that much about Maplewood. My daughters know a lot of Livingstonites and they have lots of misperceptions about the town.
Yes, that was kind of my point. I apologize if I worded it wrong. This news definitely isn't helping the perception of Maplewood from people who don't live here.
afa said:
This news definitely isn't helping the perception of Maplewood from people who don't live here.
No question about that.
tjohn said:
afa said:No question about that.
This news definitely isn't helping the perception of Maplewood from people who don't live here.
Agreed...but to those of you worrying about living here due to this, just remember that most cases of HS gun violence happen in places that would never expect it.
The issues in school shootings generally are not gang violence coming into schools, but the combination of troubled teens and gun-owning homes. On this dimension, I still feel safer here than I would in many places where gun ownership is much more common.
That is not to deny that we have some real issues to solve here in SOMSD.
(if you look up school shootings in Wikipedia, it is easy to see how broad the record is in the US, dating all the way back to 1764! It is fascinating to read the entries from the 19th century and realize how little has changed.)
I'd like to see the area of "law" that keeps the administration from commenting on whether or not a firearm was involved. Hint: there is none.
For them to announce they're bringing in mental health people in response to an "incident" without telling parents what the "incident" was tells you where the priorities are.
I am getting sick of lawyerly communications from people who aren't lawyers and PR releases from people who should not be focused on public relations.
Simple as saying "hey there was no gun" if there was no gun, so I guess applying a little Kremlinology we can assume there was a gun
Jackson_Fusion said:
I'd like to see the area of "law" that keeps the administration from commenting on whether or not a firearm was involved. Hint: there is none.
For them to announce they're bringing in mental health people in response to an "incident" without telling parents what the "incident" was tells you where the priorities are.
I am getting sick of lawyerly communications from people who aren't lawyers and PR releases from people who should not be focused on public relations.
Simple as saying "hey there was no gun" if there was no gun, so I guess applying a little Kremlinology we can assume there was a gun
Was it a real gun, an air-soft gun, a toy gun, or a pellet gun? The school might not even know that information if it has not been disclosed by the police department. This is why they won't release information until they know the facts.
skadave said:
Jackson_Fusion said:Was it a real gun, an air-soft gun, a toy gun, or a pellet gun? The school might not even know that information if it has not been disclosed by the police department. This is why they won't release information until they know the facts.
I'd like to see the area of "law" that keeps the administration from commenting on whether or not a firearm was involved. Hint: there is none.
For them to announce they're bringing in mental health people in response to an "incident" without telling parents what the "incident" was tells you where the priorities are.
I am getting sick of lawyerly communications from people who aren't lawyers and PR releases from people who should not be focused on public relations.
Simple as saying "hey there was no gun" if there was no gun, so I guess applying a little Kremlinology we can assume there was a gun
I don't think it should matter what kind of gun. It is scary and unnecessary!
Butterflylover said:
skadave said:I don't think it should matter what kind of gun. It is scary and unnecessary!
Jackson_Fusion said:Was it a real gun, an air-soft gun, a toy gun, or a pellet gun? The school might not even know that information if it has not been disclosed by the police department. This is why they won't release information until they know the facts.
I'd like to see the area of "law" that keeps the administration from commenting on whether or not a firearm was involved. Hint: there is none.
For them to announce they're bringing in mental health people in response to an "incident" without telling parents what the "incident" was tells you where the priorities are.
I am getting sick of lawyerly communications from people who aren't lawyers and PR releases from people who should not be focused on public relations.
Simple as saying "hey there was no gun" if there was no gun, so I guess applying a little Kremlinology we can assume there was a gun
It actually does matter. . . I would be more at ease if i found out it was a painted water pistol (wishful thinking).
My main point is that the school will not issue any information without clearing it through the police department first. The police are carrying out the investigation, not the school.
skadave said:
Jackson_Fusion said:Was it a real gun, an air-soft gun, a toy gun, or a pellet gun? The school might not even know that information if it has not been disclosed by the police department. This is why they won't release information until they know the facts.
I'd like to see the area of "law" that keeps the administration from commenting on whether or not a firearm was involved. Hint: there is none.
For them to announce they're bringing in mental health people in response to an "incident" without telling parents what the "incident" was tells you where the priorities are.
I am getting sick of lawyerly communications from people who aren't lawyers and PR releases from people who should not be focused on public relations.
Simple as saying "hey there was no gun" if there was no gun, so I guess applying a little Kremlinology we can assume there was a gun
I considered that- the probability of the Maplewood Police Department failing to inform the Superindentent of Maplewood Schools as to the nature of a firearm (and under NJ law 2 of the items you listed are firearms) or replica firearm approaches zero.
Apparently the Village Green has info saying "firearm".
Captain Dawn Williams of the MPD apparently said in a release "handgun"
http://villagegreennj.com/schools-kids/mms-student-taken-custody-handgun-possession/
For the school to make people go searching around for information is stupid and unserious
Fear and panic won't resolve anything. The focus should be on the child and what pushed him/her to bring a handgun to school. Were they bullied? Are there issues in our school system that are going unaddressed? This is a 11-14 year old child! Someone with experience dealing with this type of situation should be called and a town meeting held. Not to vilify the child that brought the gun to school, but to see if there are issues our community has been ignoring. Paying attention to the larger issues at hand is the only way to prevent this, or similar issues, from happening again.
Those are good questions, but presumably the police would have been able to determine this in, what, 3 minutes? Is the gun being analyzed in Washington to determine if it is real or a toy?
skadave said:Was it a real gun, an air-soft gun, a toy gun, or a pellet gun? The school might not even know that information if it has not been disclosed by the police department. This is why they won't release information until they know the facts.
How sad that the first thing some of you are worried about is how this makes our town look. How it makes our town look is how it is: a town that appears to have failed to notice and/or support a child (yes, a child) who - if the rumors turn out to be true - was evidently so broken inside that he felt the only solution was to murder some of his classmates.
When something like this happens it shouldn't be a time for the town to turn on and vilify a child, it should be a time for a town to turn a critical eye on itself - especially a town like Maplewood that so prides itself on inclusiveness and cohesiveness. We need to think carefully about how we monitor and protect the mental health of our children, what we are teaching our children about how to interact with peers who may be isolated or depressed, while also opening honest conversations about gun access and safety. We need to become better at reaching out and connecting to each other as humans, building the kinds of bonds that make situations like this less likely to occur.
Depression at that age is a serious, serious thing. And not at all uncommon. Combined with access to a gun it can be tragic. We are so lucky this particular instance was averted - but as shaken as the kids are who may have been the targets of the child's rage, there is still a child at the center of this who needs to be shown compassion as well.
This article from Penn State School of Education discusses this more articulately than I: http://www.ed.psu.edu/news/news-jan-mar-2013/school-shootings
Society is not at fault for all of the bad apples. We need to address early intervention for troubled kids, yes, but what we need first and foremost is to clean out the small crop of bad actors currently at MMS and CHS now. I have never lived in a town where bullying was such a non issue!!! Our children are beaten over the head with it, and are so amazingly cool with kids with special needs, off beat individuals, and kids with behavioral issues. I would be surprised if that were an issue here.
...and then promptly crapped themselves.