Gun falls out of 16 y/o’s backpack

[Jarod]

At one of our local High Schools a 15 year old kid kid had his backpack under his desk and accidentally unzipped, his handgun slided out into the floor where the teacher was the first to notice it…

This was not reported by the media and the kid is being removed to a school for troubled kids…

So, other than reducing the availability of firearms, what can we do about the situation that happened much more than is reported?

Any ideas? My kids go to these schools!

 

[PostmodernProphet]

At one of our local High Schools a 15 year old kid kid had his backpack under his desk and accidentally unzipped, his handgun slided out into the floor where the teacher was the first to notice it…

This was not reported by the media and the kid is being removed to a school for troubled kids…

So, other than reducing the availability of firearms, what can we do about the situation that happened much more than is reported?

Any ideas? My kids go to these schools!

increased security......metal detectors are an obvious answer to the OP.......

 

[Earl]

Perhaps a student who has been bullied and feels the need for self-protection.

PmP posted the solution.

Indicative-third person preterite- "SLID"

 

[Jarod]

increased security......metal detectors are an obvious answer to the OP.......

Do you understand that there are about 5000 students going to that school, we don’t have the budget to metal detect all of them. Tallahassee won’t give us that money. Additionally, it would be a very complex operation to do it in a secure way. Maybe it’s the answer, but we would need additional tax money for sure.

 

[TOP]

increased security......metal detectors are an obvious answer to the OP.......

Why wasn't it reported? That is the school's responsibility to let everyone know... and yes metal detectors would help... and of course an assembly to talk about the incident ...very likely it was someone who felt they needed to protect themselves and that is unfortunate... and another issue that needs to be addressed...

 

[TOP]

Do you understand that there are about 5000 students going to that school, we don’t have the budget to metal detect all of them. Tallahassee won’t give us that money. Additionally, it would be a very complex operation to do it in a secure way. Maybe it’s the answer, but we would need additional tax money for sure.

5000 students? That's a very large school ....just put a metal detector at the front door and that's where they enter... there's money in the system...

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

At one of our local High Schools a 15 year old kid kid had his backpack under his desk and accidentally unzipped, his handgun slided out into the floor where the teacher was the first to notice it…

This was not reported by the media and the kid is being removed to a school for troubled kids…

So, other than reducing the availability of firearms, what can we do about the situation that happened much more than is reported?

Any ideas? My kids go to these schools!

OMG. How terrifying. I hope that school for troubled kids has metal detectors. This could have been yet another tragedy.

ETA: No doubt you've already talked to your kids about what to do if they see or hear of a student with a weapon. Had to do the same when my oldest daughter was in h.s. A kid walked by her and her friends in the hallway with a handgun, turned the corner, and took his algebra class hostage.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Do you understand that there are about 5000 students going to that school, we don’t have the budget to metal detect all of them. Tallahassee won’t give us that money. Additionally, it would be a very complex operation to do it in a secure way. Maybe it’s the answer, but we would need additional tax money for sure.

Cut out funding for one of the useless sports teams and there you go. Make sure to have plenty of Kleenex for the weeping RWers outraged that volleyball or swimming got cut.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Do you understand that there are about 5000 students going to that school, we don’t have the budget to metal detect all of them. Tallahassee won’t give us that money. Additionally, it would be a very complex operation to do it in a secure way. Maybe it’s the answer, but we would need additional tax money for sure.

Well, this is the first problem. There is safety in anonymity. That is, in a school of 5,000, just like in a large city, you can go unnoticed. Think of this huge school as similar to nothing more than a factory turning out graduates.
The first thing that would help is personalizing the schools to a much greater degree. Reduce the student body size. Make it possible for the teachers to get to know their students at least to some degree beyond a cursory level.

We have the money in our school systems to do that, but don't because public schools have a bad tendency to be poorly managed and waste considerable funds on bureaucratic nonsense.

That would be a start. When you are seen as a person and not a cog in the machine you have less reason to feel insecure, threatened, and alone in the world. That reduces the need to carry protection for yourself or to lash out at what you see is a cruel world.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Why wasn't it reported? That is the school's responsibility to let everyone know... and yes metal detectors would help... and of course an assembly to talk about the incident ...very likely it was someone who felt they needed to protect themselves and that is unfortunate... and another issue that needs to be addressed...

Yea, nothing like turning schools into prisons to make them safer... NOT!

 

[Earl]

"Schools got $122 billion to reopen last year. Most has not been used."
wapo.com

Perhaps the overcrowding of schools by 30-50 million illegals who are not supposed to be in our country or our schools is problematic.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Well, this is the first problem. There is safety in anonymity. That is, in a school of 5,000, just like in a large city, you can go unnoticed. Think of this huge school as similar to nothing more than a factory turning out graduates.
The first thing that would help is personalizing the schools to a much greater degree. Reduce the student body size. Make it possible for the teachers to get to know their students at least to some degree beyond a cursory level.

We have the money in our school systems to do that, but don't because public schools have a bad tendency to be poorly managed and waste considerable funds on bureaucratic nonsense.

That would be a start. When you are seen as a person and not a cog in the machine you have less reason to feel insecure, threatened, and alone in the world. That reduces the need to carry protection for yourself or to lash out at what you see is a cruel world.

A lovely solution that I agree with, but sadly given the state of disregard for the value of education these days, pretty unlikely to happen.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

Handguns in backpacks,
or school bags back in my day,
used to be pretty routine in the city.

Not that many people actually got shot.

I'd be more worried about fentanyl, actually.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

A lovely solution that I agree with, but sadly given the state of disregard for the value of education these days, pretty unlikely to happen.

True. It doesn't help that the Teacher's unions don't give a shit about students, that government bureaucrats are more interested in the paperwork than solutions, and that such large schools are run like General Motors not your local schoolhouse.

 

[Jarod]

5000 students? That's a very large school ....just put a metal detector at the front door and that's where they enter... there's money in the system...

Single file as 5000 kids arrive for 8AM class?

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Single file as 5000 kids arrive for 8AM class?

That's how a prison would do it. Security first, getting things done... meh. File them through subject to pat searches and wanding. Make it stricter than the TSA at an airport. Turn the school into a prison.

Like any of that will fix anything...

 

[NiftyNiblick]

True. It doesn't help that the Teacher's unions don't give a shit about students, that government bureaucrats are more interested in the paperwork than solutions, and that such large schools are run like General Motors not your local schoolhouse.

More absurd anti-labor talk from a right-wing lunatic.

 

[TOP]

Yea, nothing like turning schools into prisons to make them safer... NOT!

I never suggested turning the school into a prison... specially one with 5000 students.... I want to look into that particular situation...

 

[Jarod]

Well, this is the first problem. There is safety in anonymity. That is, in a school of 5,000, just like in a large city, you can go unnoticed. Think of this huge school as similar to nothing more than a factory turning out graduates.
The first thing that would help is personalizing the schools to a much greater degree. Reduce the student body size. Make it possible for the teachers to get to know their students at least to some degree beyond a cursory level.

We have the money in our school systems to do that, but don't because public schools have a bad tendency to be poorly managed and waste considerable funds on bureaucratic nonsense.

That would be a start. When you are seen as a person and not a cog in the machine you have less reason to feel insecure, threatened, and alone in the world. That reduces the need to carry protection for yourself or to lash out at what you see is a cruel world.

We do not have the money, that is why it is as it is. We have about $15,000 a student. That includes special needs kids who often require one on one pair with a staff member.

The private schools here are $30,000 to $40,000 at Barron Trumps school. Those schools don’t do special needs and they simply expel problem kids at the drop of a hat. A kid at Barron Trumps school was expelled for simply posting a photo of Barron on social media.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

School or prison?