Re: School Policy and Water Guns

[Jean Bickel <jbickel@JTASD.K12.PA.US>]

Dear librarians,
    After seeing the shooting and killing of a beloved teacher in Florida on
Friday by a junior high student, I must question any school that does not
have a strict weapons policy.  I do not have guns, I am not a hunter, and I
would have no idea what is a real gun and what is a replica.  Since these
shootings happen is seconds, who has time to determine if the gun pointed at
them is real or not?
    While we were asked not to make this a debate about guns, I think we can
make this a debate about parents who do not learn the policies of the school
district where their children go to school, who do not teach their children
to follow rules, and do not support authority, whether it is teachers or
police.  I had a leak in the library last summer and can tell you from first
hand experience the damage water did to the books.
    As a professional educator, I am extremely concerned about the criticism
and abuse that we take from politicians, would-be politicians, parents, etc.
Everything that is wrong with society is the public school's fault.  The
fact that Johnny will not do homework, study, or come to school is not
Johnny's fault, or his parents, it is the school's fault.  Now there are
schools who have strict policies about weapons, would be weapons, or
behavior.  I would have thought that not only would a group of professional
educators support these policies, but society would also.  It seems that
people want strict rules until the rules are applied to their child.
    I have read on LM-NET librarians bemoaning the students who do not
return books, the students who damage books, student behavior in the
library.  I have read about the lack of support of the librarian and the
library rules from administrators. I have read about the lack of support
from parents.  Isn't this all part of the same issue?  Do we in the public
schools have rules or don't we? Do we follow the rules and as educators
support the rules with each other, with our students and our own children?
Why would we want water pistols or any type of would be weapon in a school?
In this legalistic, sue first society, doesn't the school have to cover
every possibility. plug every loophole?
Jean
--
Jim Thorpe Area Senior High School Librarian
Jim Thorpe Area School District, Jim Thorpe, Pa. 18229
jbickel@jtasd.k12.pa.us
http://www.jtasd.k12.pa.us/highschool/library/index.htm

Check out a librarian tonight!

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