Dear Parents,
Today at (my daughter's school) our campus received a written message of a bomb threat said to occur tomorrow.
Are you kidding me?? First of all - I never take bomb threats seriously. I figure if someone really wants to do some damage and make a point - they're not going to let everyone know first. That's just ridiculous. But when it's a threat against my own child - you bet your butt I'm going to take it seriously. I am fiercely defensive of my children's' lives and safety.
When I went to pick up Emma from school yesterday all of the kids were waiting in their classrooms for the parents to pick them up(they are normally all waiting at the gate) and as I went to pick her up, she was sent running to me while her teacher hollered that there was an important note in her backpack. I thought it odd that they were in their classroom, but just assumed it was from the heat...? When I got in the car and read the note, I asked Emma what happened at school today. She said something like, "There were some mean people that might try to hurt us so we had to stay in our class and watch a movie. We put blue paper on the window and it turned purple and the firefighters came in our room to tell us we were safe." As I drove away I felt tears come to my eyes.
I had a hard time sending Emma off to public schools. I know I can't shelter her forever - but I want to. I never want her to experience bad words, offers of drugs, horny boys, catty girls, or any other thing that could possibly dent her innocence. The only reason I succumbed to allow her to go to public school was something my mom said years ago. You can't shelter your kids from the bad things in the world or they'll never learn to stay away from them. My children need to experience the evil to know the good. To make the right choices they have to know the wrong choices. But I (in my naivety) never thought sending her to school would expose her to potential bombs.
I know I'm blowing this out of proportion(no pun intended) but I will do anything and everything to protect my daughter. So when I receive a note that says someone wants to blow up my daughter's school - just know she will not be there to see it.
It broke my heart this morning to have to tell her why she couldn't go to school. I don't want her to have to know about bombs, bad men, or ill intent. She is too young to have to comprehend that. Luckily she has that happy-go-lucky attitude about everything and was excited to stay home and play.
Oh yeah...and Ian said I should keep her home too. :)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What the?
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9 comments:
The world is full of some creepy people. Why even write a note? I don't blame you for keeping her home. Hopefully some other parents took the same percaution.
These people drive me crazy. We had bomb threats at least once a year when I was in high school and that was in small town Port Townsend. I have been trying to figure out the motivation behind it. One explanation was the punk kids just didn't want to go to school that day. My other explanation is that these people like to strike fear in others- and low and behold it works. It's sick how people like to mess with other people’s emotions like that.
I totally understand why you wouldn't send Emma to school today- I'm sure you are not the only parent that did that. I probably would do the same. Your mom was a smart lady and just think- we all went to public schools and all turned out right. I've thought about the same thing though for my kids. Maybe we should all move near each other and set up a co-op home school so we all can contribute to giving our kids a safe and good education.
It makes me so sad to think of all the innocent little children at that school.
Holy freakin cow. I am speechless. I can not believe it. I guess I was a little naive in thinking crazy things like that wouldn't happen in our little neck of the woods.
I love, love, love the advice that your mom gave you years ago. How right she is that we have to let them experience these things so they can make good choices. Even though we don't want to.
My visiting teacher had an excellent point too, I believe. In talking about the problems with public schools she said she's thought about taking her kids out and home schooling them. BUT, she leaves them in public schools so they can be an example and a light to those they come in contact with. Because for alot of those children, it will be the best influence that they will come in contact with.
Don't you love that? I'm not where you are at yet, since Tyler's not in school, but I do empathize with the hard choices you are going through already.
man! I am so sorry Megan! I agree with you in wanting to shelter my children from the bad! I feel for you! I hate mean people. I am surprised Emma knew so much about what was going on. They didn't hide anything did they? and why didn't they call the parents immediately about it? Did you ever get a call? It is a scary world because you just don't know where these mean people are! xo hang in there. I'm glad you kept her home...sweet girl! Hailey misses her.
Scary with a capital S C A R Y! We had a bomb threat in elementary school. But they made us all go outside... times have changed, thats for sure.
We have a lot of people in our ward that choose private and charter schools over public. I don't really have much of an opinion about it. I do know (and I know this isn't comforting, but whatevs) that bad things can happen to you anywhere. Airplanes, malls, schools. And your mom was right.
But it doesn't make it easier to swallow.
I've been watching the news about students at college campuses wanting get concealed weapons permits for self defense... it just blows my mind. 1) that it may be necessary to defend yourself and 2)that they think this is a legitimate solution.
I don't envy you and the conversations you've had to have with such an innocent little girl!
Oh Megan, that just breaks my heart! I can't believe the terrible things that happen in this world!!
Wow. We when we talked on the phone yesterday and you said "Emma" I got off and thought "she meant McKenna, Emma's a school!". I hadn't read your blog yet.
There was a bomb threat in Anthem in the past week too. Although, it might have been at the high school, due to AIMS testing? I can't remember the details.
I like your mom's advice too. And bomb threats can happen anywhere, public or not. There's just more choices here! How scary and sad that you had to tell Emma - your 6 year old! That's way too young to learn about that stuff. And I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience there! I love Queen Creek Elementary, where Porter is now.
YIKES!!!! I know what you mean about wanting to protect the innocence of children (especially our own). I know sooner or later we have to "un-shield" them, I just always hope its later rather than sooner! So is Emma back at school yet?
Not to be the devil's advocate here, and of course you know I LOVE your mom, but schools were A LOT different 20 years ago. Look at the way things have spiraled downward in the past few years. Not that I'm saying homeschooling is right for everyone, but it shouldn't be discounted so quickly. There are ways to teach children about evil and good without necessary sending them into a cess pool of it everyday for 6 hours. I think you just need to pray about it. Every family and every individual is different. Perhaps there are some kids that should be in the system, being a "light" to others, but perhaps there are other individuals who don't have that kind of strength and would be better off nurtured and fortified at home for a longer time before being sent into that environment. It's not like homeschooling is "sheltering" them from EVERYTHING and then SUDDENLY they're in a world and don't know what to do. If you do it right, then they are taught those things all along the way, by YOU and by what they view as you go about in the world. But, they're not necessarily taught it by the other kids or teachers at the school who may not have the light and the spirit to guide them in their instructions in certain sensitive areas. So, that sort of turned more into an essay more than a comment, but for what it's worth...
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