Last week one of our two elementary schools received a bomb threat via the 911 center.
The school was evacuated and police were called in. As the police chief was interviewing teachers, one of them reported seeing a girl with a cell phone earlier that week. The police questioned her and she said that she had given it to a friend and didn't know where it was. They found the phone in the friend's locker.
The police called back into 911 from the cell phone and the caller ID matched.
The 10 year old girls confessed that they thought it would be cool and a neat trick to get out of school for the rest of the day.
The school has suspended the girls and the police chief reported that he was going to persue maximum penalties to show that this is not a joke . . . especially with the current security concerns in this country.
Now a petition is going around town to have the school and police lighten up on these two girls because they really didn't understand how serious it was.
So, what do you think? Throw the book at them and make a example out of them, or give them a break because they didn't know any better?
I say pursue it to scare them so they know the seriousness of the prank, but giving them the maximum sentence just to make an example of them is silly. Yes, they knew it was wrong, but I doubt they understand the severity of their actions. I mean come on, they're 10! They are in elementary school!
I would think that kids today are alot more sophisticated than I was at ten or even you were at ten Molly.
However, Molly is right...I dont know if they understood the consequences...but to make sure, I think I would give them a community service project with alot of cleaning...that way they would know and it could still serve asa detrerrent to the community as a whole.
I wouldn't go as far as pressing charges against them, but I would make sure they didn't forget what they did. Maybe make them wear a sign around there neck and make them pick up garbage for 10 years....
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There was one good thing that came out of it . . . the emergency plan is being changed.
The superentendent came over from the high school to find all the students sitting in the playground about 100 feet from the building. He realized that if a bomb of any size did go off, those kids were still in danger. He was leading them (on foot) to the high school gym (about 4 blocks) when they found out it was not real and turned them back.
They realized that maybe the bomb threat plan needs some work.
Get cheeky Molly, that is ok. I made sure my son did whatever he needed to correct the problem. Clean and pay back restitution (with his hard earned money) and apologize. That was all the crime called for. So I say make them pay for their crime, whatever the justice might be. I am thinkg at ten it is not literally booking them, but I agree community service and punishment.
They must understand why what they did is so terribly wrong, especially in this day and age. I agree they need to be punished and that there needs to be a dterent to others, but throwing/giving the maximum punishment may be too much.
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I agree on community service, and maybe even a fine. (Where did they get the cell phone from, a parent? If so, then I think an appropriate fine is okay.) But again, I think maximum penalties like the police chief's would likely be inappropriate. By the way, Web, do you have any clue what these maximum penalties consist of?
We've had this happen here a lot and it's always "to get out of school".
It's unfortunate, but an example has to be made. If you go easy on them other kids are gonna be more likely to try it themselves, just thinking they'll be smarter and not use a cell phone.
If the penalty is severe enough it will send a better message.
I still think some community service is probably severe enough punishment. And personally, if they were my kids, they'd also be grounded and have that cell phone taken away.
I would go with community service and quite a bit of it. And not just some fluffy stuff but some real work, suitable to their age of course. Fines? well the parents would probably just pay it since I expect they gave them the cell phone.
give the maximum sentence . I mean lock them up till there 18. they mite (and I say mite )not know the seriousness of there crime ,but all the older kids in America do . Then you take their picture and post it in EVERY school in America with the following caption : If we will sentence 10 year olds to the max , imagine what we will do to YOU !
The behavior cannot be tolerated. Serious punishment should be given and if it were my daughter I would be leading the charge. Some things are wrong and they are always wrong. At what point do you say enough is enough? The consequences were clear, becasue they knew school would be dismissed.
