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Post by asmodeus on May 20, 2008 16:01:14 GMT -5
Unfortunately I may have done so as well. It's like a ransom situation. If no one ever paid a ransom, there would be no more kidnapping. But it's hard to fault a parent from paying a kidnapper, even though he or she is technically increasing the odds of future crimes.
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Post by title1parent on Jun 2, 2008 4:29:34 GMT -5
School threats rob students of learning, create atmosphere of fear
SUN Opinion June 2, 2008
While we are all still coping with the tragic murders of five students at Northern Illinois University earlier this year, recent bomb threats in our local public schools have raised the concerns of police officers, school officials, parents and students.
A parent expressed her feelings to me in a recent e-mail, "Yesterday I received an e-mail notification from the principal at my eighth-grader's school, Crone Middle School, regarding a recent bomb threat at the school. This came after a recent report in the news of a bomb scare at Waubonsie Valley High School in which the offenders were caught. This also follows recent rumors at Neuqua Valley High School of a bomb threat. ... As a parent and taxpayer, these actions are very serious, very scary and far too close to home." She went on to say that she fully supported a zero-tolerance policy for the offenders in these matters as it relates to both criminal prosecution and administrative school sanctions.
A school district board member also wrote to me, "It is absolutely unforgiveable that the desires of a selfish few robbed 50 percent of the Waubonsie Valley student population from a whole day of learning on the day of the bomb threat. It makes the job of the teachers more difficult too as they struggle to find time to cover and teach a rigorous curriculum. Then there are students with psychological issues who don't do well in an environment of fear and uncertainty."
Both the parent and the school board member expressed legitimate concerns. These types of threats are senseless and disruptive to the learning environment of our young people. Like all threats to harm children, bomb threats at our schools are taken seriously.
The threat at Crone Middle School was very specific. "There will be a bomb on Friday, 5/23. So be prepared." These words were scrawled on the wall of a boys' restroom inside the school. Police and school officials learned of this threat about noon May 22 and immediate steps were taken to identify the person responsible for writing this message on the wall. The school principal also took steps to notify parents of this incident.
Although we were able to identify a student who we felt was likely involved in this matter, his parents would not let police officers talk to him without the presence of an attorney. Of course, that meant extraordinary security measures had to be taken at the school the next day. Patrol officers in marked police vehicles were assigned to patrol the area. Also, a police sergeant and two officers arrived at 6:45 a.m. May 23 at the school to check lockers and bathrooms to ensure student safety.
In the past, people who have made bomb threats at schools have typically been charged with disorderly conduct, a relatively minor charge for the significance of the disruption these threats make. There is, however, another statute that may be applicable in some circumstances. It is a class 1 felony titled "Knowingly making a false terrorist threat."
In future bomb threat cases that occur in our schools, we will discuss the possibility of filing this more serious charge with the states attorney's office whenever it is appropriate to do so. We simply are not going to tolerate people, young or old, who disrupt the learning environment and create fear in the lives of so many others. And, the Police Department will continue to strongly support the zero tolerance policies in school districts 203 and 204.
Naperville Police Chief David Dial's column appears every other Monday.
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