I agree with Sydney on this one. If it was only a prank, then any teacher in his/her right mind would have stopped the prank as soon as it became obvious that one student was distraught. I don’t care how few students were affected by this act, it was still an act of terrorism against children.

The fact that the school is protecting these "educators" is an indication of its complicity in this act of terrorism against children.

Now consider this. If a couple of students had pulled such a "prank" would they be facing a mere 2 week suspension or would the police have been on the scene within minutes and their families fed to the press wolves while fighting to keep them out of juvenile detention? We have all read about students being kicked out of school and forced into years of psycotherapy for making stupid statements that didn't cause even one other student to get scared. So children who shouldn't be expected to always know what is and is not acceptable behavior get punished for years, but these teachers get by with this with a slap on the wrist? Why the double standard?

These two people need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and the school needs to be held accountable for its attempt to protect them.

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As one poster stated on the forum I listed above:

Imagine if a few of those kids had called 911 and reported that there was a man in a hooded sweatshit, with a gun, trying to break in and kill them.

Now imagine the police showing up and shooting the teacher / asst. principal all because of a stupid prank ?

For the life of me I can't understand any adult in their right mind doing something like this.

Arrest them ? I don't know, but only getting a 2 week suspension is too weak of a punishment. For a school board to only do that, somethings still missing from the story.

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"A nation can survive its' fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. "Cicero, 42 B.C., Roman Statesman, orator, and author.

Well, here's another teacher in Washington State who allegedly threatened to "shoot" any student caught talking and it appears the worst they plan to do to him is a verbal reprimand or suspension. Any student or parent that made such a threat would be dealt with swiftly by the police and courts. So, why is there such a double standard when dealing with teachers who make these threats?

Lake Stevens teacher suspended for shooting remark

Associated Press - May 16, 2007 12:05 PM ET

A Lake Stevens high school teacher is on leave while the district investigates a remark he made to a class.

A parent complained that the teacher, Gary McDonald, told students Monday he would take anyone talking in class and line them up against a wall and shoot them.

District spokeswoman Arlene Hulten says if the complaint is substantiated, McDonald could face a range of discipline from a verbal reprimand to suspension.

She says the 60-year-old McDonald already plans to retire next month.

In February he was reprimanded for including a biblical account of creation in an assignment on myths.

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I remember teachers telling me that if I didn't stop acting like an idiot, they were gonna put their foot up my ass.

Of course that was the early 60's.

As a teacher, things I used to say 25 years ago could make the news today. I try to be careful and have changed my ways but every now and then somethimng slips out.

Of course as a band director, my kids are really like a family and there are things said in the band room that might raise some eyebrows if said in a different class.

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"A nation can survive its' fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. "Cicero, 42 B.C., Roman Statesman, orator, and author.

Regardless of motive.....well intended as simply a prank....it was at the least "POOR JUDGEMENT"....and at most bordering on criminal behavior...if we are to take literal the laws on the books relating to an act of terrorism..........as this surely was just that...to some children with impressionable minds and the most recent news of such acts fresh in their minds....I wonder how it feels to exercise ones vast mental superiority over children....when we are suppost to be molding their intellect......I believe the true children...Teachers....should have to pay with at least their Jobs as a lesson learned instead of taught. BD

Just a few parents complained? Exactly how many is "a few"? Does it make it "okay" because ALL the parents didn't complain? That part sounds like "school spin" to me.....and they spin their stories just like the politicans do, I've had enough experience with schools to know that.

I think the perps of this fiasco should be fired, they don't have enough sense to teach kids and they just proved it by their actions. I wouldn't let one of my kids be in their classes after this....no way!

If I were a parent of one of these children I probably wouldn't be at the school complaining, I'd be at my lawyers office preparing my case against the fools who dreamed this up and the school that hired them. Damned if I'd allow anyone to terrorize one of my children and then pass it off as a "prank" or "joke". No wonder there has been a huge surge in home schooling

The way I understood it there were 42 parents in attendance at the meeting the day after the kids got back. Even if most of them were couples that doesn't sound like just a few parents to me.

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I have a very difficult time believing that you would ever threaten your students to such a degree that a good many of them coward in fear and burst into tears begging for their lives. But my big beef is why they have a double standard. Students are being kicked out of schools and charged with crimes left and right around this country for doing far less than these teachers have done and all they get is a slap on the wrist. If they're going to handle the students that way then they need to deal with the teachers using the same measuring stick for terrorism..

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They need fired if the the story was reported accurately.

I agree, and no, I can't even imagine doing something like this to my kids.

However, many years ago, my drummers scared the crap out of me with this stunt.

Around 80 / 81 bomb scares at school were common. Someone wasn't preapred for a test ? Have a friend call in a bomb scare from a pay phone. Fire alarm goes off, all the kids do the fire drill etc. then 20 minutes later we all return to class and as we were told: Look around you room and report anything unusual"


After about 4 days in a row on bomb threats, we come back into the band room from the field and as usual, tell the kids to look around and see if anything is unusual-- out pf place. As we are getting instruments out and kids milling around getting music and warming up, one of the drummers walks up with a book bag held open for me to see inside of it and states " Is THIS what you are looking for" ?

As I look in the bag there was a really well done "fake bomb" all taped up with duct tape, wires and an alarm clock.

Of course all the kids thought it was funny as hell when I stumbled off my podium saying " OHHHHHHH FUCKKKKKK"

Then thay all started laughing/

No, they were not the ones calling in the bomb threats, they just took advantage of the situation to scare the shit out of me. BAck then it was pretty funny, but none of us had experienced any real bombing on the news. HAd those same kids done that today, I'm sure they would have been serving jail time. ( as well as me being at least suspended for saying Ohhh FUCK in the classroom )

Like I said, this is a very different day and age compared to 20 - 30 years ago.

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"A nation can survive its' fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the galleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. "Cicero, 42 B.C., Roman Statesman, orator, and author.