Friggin' Kids These Days...

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Whatever happened to the old "let's drop our pencils at exactly 10:16 and freak out the teacher"?

Is this what happens when terror is made entertainment?

Hoax 911 Calls at Schools Put Public at Risk: Police Chief

Last Updated: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 | 9:29 AM ET

CBC News

Ottawa's police chief is appealing to Ottawa high school students to help find those responsible for a string of hoax 911 calls that he says put the public at risk.

Over the past month, at least 20 hoax calls to police reporting threats such as gunmen have led to more than two dozen lockdowns at nine high schools, mostly in the city's east end.

Chief Vernon White said when officers respond to those prank calls, they become unavailable to answer "real" emergency calls.

In addition, he said, it's important not to start taking emergency calls lightly.

"The greater risk for the community is failing to believe that they're safe and secure in their own schools," he said. "And this cry wolf thing scares the heck out of me, to be honest."

The calls are being made by a handful of kids, he said. He called on the others who aren't involved but know who the perpetrators are to contact Crime Stoppers.

"This isn't only one or only two kids. It's a growing phenomenon," he said.

He added that those responsible will face consequences, but won't necessarily be charged.

"Report it to us, let us deal with them in the way we can, in some cases laying charges, in some cases using alternative justice."

Since Friday, police have arrested three teenage boys in relation to some of the incidents. One 15-year-old has been charged with mischief, one 16-year-old was diverted to a pre-charge diversion program and will not face charges, and one was released without charges.

"Lockdown" means armed cops running through the building, ready for action, btw.

[Ol'Hickster]

Wow, I just used to throw paper airplanes and pull chairs out from under people when they were about to sit down

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Well, Calamity Jane is teaching at the school with the most lockdowns of this lot, and it's been a pretty trying experience, to say the least. Every day seemed to bring the same rhetorical question, "I wonder if there's going to be a lockdown today." Now, the practical question is, "Will I be able to sit down for my coffee before hearing the announcement, having to shut off the lights and pull the curtains, get the students to get down and stay the hell quiet, and wait for the cops' guns to poke first around the corner.

What is scariest about all this is that somebody could take advantage of this for a real hit, if they wanted, while the police were all tied up elsewhere. That's why these kids pulling these pranks need to have their heads solidly whacked; they just don't get it.

[meggo]

what a mess. we've been so lucky that this hasn't happened at our school, yet, as most of the others in the east end have had it happen.

not a funny joke, at all, and there seems to be no way to stop it.

[Calamity Jane]

my stress level is higher than when giving birth!!...and for a more prolonged period of time!

we have had over 10 lockdowns in 3 weeks! We have lost over 17 hours of instructional time! These lockdowns are insanely stressful: sit on the floor, in the corner, in total darkness and total silence, for over an hour...praying the that rattling door handle are the cops on their first pass through the building...and waiting, waiting, waiting to "be released" from the lockdown, trying not to squeal in panicked fright when the first thing visible through the newly-rattled-then-opened door is the cop's HUGE frikken' M16 machine gun --- or whatever the firg it is)

Am I rambling?? Are my commas out of place? Forgive me, for I am a basket case.

Thank god I work with an amazing staff....we are trying to take care of each other emotionally (but what about the kids??....WE ALL need counselling at this point, seriously!)

I BURST into tears today (not the first time, after some recent kindness and sympathy) when at the end of the day we discovered that another school had sent EVERY member of our staff (70+ folks) a long-stemmed red rose with a note to the effect that they were with us in spirit and sympathized with the stress and uncertainties of the last few days and weeks.

IT HAS TO STOP!!!!!!

[phorbesie]

(but what about the kids??....WE ALL need counselling at this point, seriously!)

it's so frightening the message that is being given to these young children. i mean WHAT THE FUCK.

very sorry CJ

[Calamity Jane]

what REALLY makes me cry (and fume and rage and gnash my teeth!) is that the junior school (K-8) beside us also gets locked down, and that 4 to 5 year olds are taught to hide in their cubbies!!??!! WTF!!?? I do not know what they are being told about this...but how WHACK!!! Little kids have peed their pants because they haven't been allowed out to the bathroom for over an hour during lockdown!!

[ollie]

Since Friday, police have arrested three teenage boys in relation to some of the incidents. One 15-year-old has been charged with mischief, one 16-year-old was diverted to a pre-charge diversion program and will not face charges, and one was released without charges.

[color:purple]Way to scare them straight!

[mark tonin]

10 lockdowns in three weeks ... holy crap! The stress level at the school and in the community must be huge!

We had one lockdown at our school last year that lasted for about 3 hours, and that caused much stress for many students, teachers, school employees, parents, etc. Our lockdown was caused by a real incident, but most of the stress and emotional damage came from the lockdown process itself, not from the actual incident. I personally had a big gun pointed at me by a member of the Emergency Response Team, which certainly freaked me out. Some of our students had nightmares and anxiety issues for many months after the lockdown.

Big cyber-hugs to you CJ and to the people in your school community. I hope that this nonsense stops now.

Peace, Mark

[Velvet]

I have an unpopular stance. I think there's a chance that the prank calls are a political statement, and I say keep 'em coming.

It makes me sick to think they have a lockdown procedure in regular use.

If I had a kid I would not be okay with regular drills designed to scare the fuck out of everyone involved, and if I had a kid that attended a school where a shooter actually was I would certainly not be okay with a strategy that traps my kid in a one-way-in-one-way-out classroom cowering under their desk like a sitting duck.

This all falls under the shrieking "Won't somebody think of the children" hysteria.

By the way, I do feel for all you school teachers out there who have to be a part of all this fear and fear mongering. I sincerely hope that people come to their senses and stop putting you through this (and I'm not talking about the prank callers), though I doubt it.

[Ms.Huxtable]

CJ, I am so sorry you're going through this. How awful.

Teachers really are the most amzing people and have the hardest job. I couldn't imagine it getting any harder but it sounds like it has. So sorry.

[phishtaper]

I have an unpopular stance. I think there's a chance that the prank calls are a political statement, and I say keep 'em coming.

It makes me sick to think they have a lockdown procedure in regular use.

If I had a kid I would not be okay with regular drills designed to scare the fuck out of everyone involved, and if I had a kid that attended a school where a shooter actually was I would certainly not be okay with a strategy that traps my kid in a one-way-in-one-way-out classroom cowering under their desk like a sitting duck.

This all falls under the shrieking "Won't somebody think of the children" hysteria.

By the way, I do feel for all you school teachers out there who have to be a part of all this fear and fear mongering. I sincerely hope that people come to their senses and stop putting you through this (and I'm not talking about the prank callers), though I doubt it.

huh? are you saying that the prank callers are justified in making them because of the way others react to them? so, dont blame the kids causing the lockdown, blame the officials enforcing it?

[Velvet]

Yeah, something like that.

This reminds me of the Stockwell Day/Doris Day referendum. When Stockwell suggested implimenting internet referendums in Canada Rick Mercer used the system itself to show how stupid the system was. Perhaps kids en masse realise that the risk of being affected by a school shooter is extremely slight, comparable to, say, getting hit by lightning. Perhaps these kids see lockdown drills (two per year is mandatory in Ontario now according to the experts on last weeks call-in show on the CBC) as being as pointless, fear-inducing, and time-wasting as say getting everyone to lay on the ground or frantically take cover everytime a dark cloud comes out at recess. Perhaps they also see their future being comprimised when a single cellphone call can cancel any and all tests and exams, and perhaps they are using (abusing) the system to try and change it back to they way it was.

[phishtaper]

i dunno, velvet. in my mind, it's no longer a "statement" when the police arrive with automatic weapons.

your line of reasoning is like saying it's reasonable to ram your car into a crowded bus shelter to show how dangerous it is to have them made of glass.

[Velvet]

When I was in grade two a thirteen year old kid brought a gun to the school next to mine in a violin case. He killed a few other students and at least one teacher as I recall, before killing himself. Now, I was pretty young, but I beliave there was no policy change at schools following this, no metal detectors installed, no lockdown drills, etc. Where we students in any more danger as a result? I don't think so. As a matter of fact I think we were safer. We weren't taught to be afraid of school, we weren't constantly reminded that school violence is a possibility, and essentially we weren't giving kids on the edge daily reminders of how they could explode in frustration and really get some attention.

Basically it was a fatal school shooting outside of Toronto in the early '70's and it looks like the lack of preventative measures did not spur a proliferation of copycats, especially compared to Columbine, an event with significantly more media coverage and preventative implimentations.

[Gr8FuL]

Speaking of friggin kids, caught a couple trying to peel with my pumpkins off my deck last night.......CAUGHT em....hahaah the look on their scared ass faces when i popped oiut from aroudn the corner and busted em red handed let me know these kids wont be back....I fucked with em pretty bad though..haha i was feelin pretty lifted so let em go they're rakin my lawn this weekend. lil bastards

[phishtaper]

are you referring to the shooting at Centennial in Brampton?

[AD]

it's definitely not right that students can't learn and teachers can't teach and parents have to worry and police have to divert attention because of a few bad apples. we can agree on that, right?

[Velvet]

i dunno, velvet. in my mind, it's no longer a "statement" when the police arrive with automatic weapons.

your line of reasoning is like saying it's reasonable to ram your car into a crowded bus shelter to show how dangerous it is to have them made of glass.

No, bus shelters are set up for our convenience and are not mandatory. Now, if shelters were put up on every corner and widespread concern over the havoc wreaked by lightning strikes in our society pressured the government to deploy heavily armed forces to strictly enforce citizens to take cover in the event of cloudy skies for our safety, then yeah, I would back those that would choose to destroy the shelters in protest to remind the people that freedom to walk in the rain outweighs the risk of lightning strikes.

For the record I have never made a prank call to the authorities, I have no desire to do so, and if someone told me they were going to, I would try and talk them out of it.

[phishtaper]

... I would back those that would choose to destroy the shelters in protest to remind the people that freedom to walk in the rain outweighs the risk of lightning strikes.

by ramming their cars into them when they are filled with people?

schools are filled with kids. you cannot conveniently ignore that.

do you not see how it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to intentionally do anything that would cause the police to arrive with guns? if they werent prepared to shoot, they would have arrived with lollipops and comic books.

[Velvet]

"are you referring to the shooting at Centennial in Brampton?"

Part of my point is that I don't think I could be referring to any other incident. These things happen, but they happen extremely rarely.

[Velvet]

do you not see how it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to intentionally do anything that would cause the police to arrive with guns? if they werent prepared to shoot, they would have arrived with lollipops and comic books.

Yes, I do. Again, part of my point is that a simple phone call should not be enough to fill a school with armed personnel.

And to your other point, no, not filled with people.

[Booche]

There's not enough name-calling between you two sissies right now.

[bradm]

Again, part of my point is that a simple phone call should not be enough to fill a school with armed personnel.

I think i agree with you, but for a different reason: of the school shooting incidents we've had in the last few years*, how many were actually preceded by a phone call, either a warning (i.e., an anonymous tip), or a threat? (IIRC, there wasn't any phone call before the Columbine shootings.)

If we want to prevent death and injury at schools due to shootings, the key questions are:

• At what point can it be said it's likely there will be an incident?
  
• What are the warning signs that an incident is imminent?
  
• When it's decided that an incident is imminent or happening, what's an appropriate response, both from the police entering the situation, and from the students, faculty, and staff who are in (or near) the situation?
  

I, for one, have no problem with heavy, deadly if necessary, force being deployed by the police when it's either known that an incident is occurring, or when it's decided that one is likely to occur. The key is in the decision-making process that's used to trigger the response, not in the response itself. (Similarly, I want our police and armed forces equipped with and trained on the absolute best in weaponry, with "best" not meaning "most deadly," but most efficient in the situations where it gets used.)

Aloha,

Brad

* Velvet, I disagree with you on at least one point: while school shootings may have been extremely rare in the 1970s and 1980s (I'd like to see the statistics; I might be wrong), there have been more, far too many, in recent years.

[ollie]

"are you referring to the shooting at Centennial in Brampton?"

Part of my point is that I don't think I could be referring to any other incident. These things happen, but they happen extremely rarely.

I actually thought you were referring to Robert Poulin.