Jan. 05, 2005 - 19:02 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Bodily Harm

When I was a child, kid, teenager I think any of us were capable of doing some of the things being done today. But - we didn't. I thought that after Columbine things would be tightened up to the point that great physical harm could not happen in schools. I was wrong I guess. An article by Brian D. Crecente and Hector Guiterrez of the Rocky Mountain News in today's issue says it can happen still. In part:

Slaying at school

Montbello stabbing leaves student dead, another in custody

"A 17-year old Montbello High School student was stabbed to death by another student Tuesday in what may be the first homicide on a Denver Public School's campus."

"Sisters Tasha and Mary Montgomery said they were eating lunch abut 1:30 p.m. when the stabbing ocurred."

"The 16-year-old student walked into the school's cafeteria with a cluster of friends and made his way to a table near the center of the room."

"A few minutes later, Townsend, a friend of the sisters, walked in with another group of friends."

"Soon a crowd of about 100 students started to form around a table, and the sisters went to see what was happening."

"Students said that during the confrontation, they saw Townsend pick up the other boy and slam him on a table. Townsend was standing over the teen, holding him in a headlock, the sisters said."

""After he had him on the table, he said. "Now what ? Now what ?" said an 18-year old senior . . . . . . "

"Jessica Riley, 16, said students who were converging on the fight started to back away once they saw the 16-year old boy pull out a knife. "Once he puled out a knife, they ran and went to get the teachers," she said. "They didn't want to jump in at that point."

"None of Denver's high schools have metal detectors."

"The school already has two full-time shool-resource officers and three full-time-DPS security officers.

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In another article in the same paper, written by Nancy Mitchell there is additional news.

! teacher assigned to watch cafeteria

Instructor was new at lunchroom task

"A lone teacher was assigned to cover the cafeteria at Montbello High School on Tuesday when a boy fatally stabbed another during a lunchoom fight."

"The teacher, Sharon Cochran, said she walked into the hallway and yelled for help from a nearby security officer."

"About 100 students were gathered in the cafeteria, which seats about 500, when the fight broke out shortly before 1:30 p.m."

"Montbello Principal Hansell Gunn confiremed one teacher was assigned to the cafeteria. But he said two others happened to be in the lunchroom when the stabbing took place."

"Gunn said assigning one teacher to the cafeteria during the last lunch hour for juniors and seniors is typical. He said the school has an open campus, meaning older students can leave for lunch, and many do. "We've never had any problems in the past," he said."

"The assigned teacher also is usually not provided a hand-held radio, carried by the school's security staff, he said. None of the school's five security officers -- two Denver police officers and three DPS secrty guards -- are assigned to stay in the cafeteria."

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Thoughts and opinions from this man. Remembering way back in ancient times I am thinking that any student group that large would have had a teacher proceeding into the middle of it who would want to know what was going on. Even in elementary school a fight on the school grounds usually had a teacher in the midst breaking it up.

I can't see where all the blame should rest on the shoulders of school staff either. It is hard to imagine the kind of homes those kids come from and the kind of example set for them by the adults there. But then, shouldn't the public schools be prepared to handle such things nowadays ?

Wonder how this would play in places like Poughkeepsie where roughness is in existence ? When I was a kid violence did happen now and then, but never in school or school yard. What happened in alleys is a different matter. School kids are much the same now as they were back then, but it seems that adults concerned are fearful of prosecution if they so much as touch a student. Maybe each teacher should be accompanied by a cop ? Or would the cops also be fearful of public opinion and lawsuits ?

I know that if I were a teacher in one of the high schools of today I would feel much safer if there were a metal detector at the entrances and at the shop doors into the hallway.It was noted in the article that no Denver high school has metal detectors. Criminently, seems that I am always walking through metal detectors. Even to get into city hall downtown a person has to run the gauntlet to get in the hallowed halls of justice. Can't fly without dumping all metal in a basket and getting wanded to boot. Seems to me that using metal detectors and all that would be a very wise move on the part of DPS shaking movers. Most anything would help keep our kids from Bodily Harm . . . . . . . . . . .

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