TASD Punishments

[AWoomer]

I am writing to you in reference to the article in the April 22nd,paper about Sam Kirk. I have to agree with the parents as to why this young man is still in school? I have a 15 year old son who attended the 9th grade this year at TAHS but was EXPELLED for the remainder of the year for pulling the fire alarm! This happened 2 days after Sam Kirk's incident. Now don't get me wrong i felt that my son should have been punished by all means he did create a ruckus.
When i was called by the school to inform me of what my son had done they said he would be suspended for 10 days pending board action. My son and I attended a board hearing and it was determined in the first 10 mins.we were there that he was going to be expelled for the remainder of the year! He also has been charged for this and it was filled with Blair County juvenile Probation. My son now attends Green Tree Village Partial day treatment program because they said he has issues in the school and they felt this would be in his best interest. If he does well at the partial program for the remainder of this school year he may go back to TAHS next year. Do you think that this sounds fair to my son? Don't you think that this sends the wrong message to our children? My son says well i guess it's ok to take heroin to school but DON'T Pull the fire alarm!
I was also wondering how many people know what the charges of pulling a fire alarm is? I didn't know but I do now! It is a felony of the 3rd degree! Thanks so much for reading this I would like to hear your opinion on this matter.............Amy Woomer awoomer@adelphia.net

RR 3 box 217-D
Tyrone, Pa

P.S. My sons issues are about being in the Learning/Emotional Support
at the School District but that is a whole other story in itself!
He will be going into tenth grade next year and can read and write like a first grader!
I might also add the he has been in Learning support since 3rd grade!
If you would like to know more please fell free to contact me you can either e-mail me or call
me at 684-4246 Thank You!

[sybles]

Well I will have to say that I did not know it was a felony to pull the fire alarm, and when I asked my teenage kids if they knew what happens if it got pulled they said just a 10 day suspension, they had no idea it was a felony.. or any charge for that matter! I would also like to say, if I heard things correctly Green Tree Village is a drug rehab. So if that is true sounds to me like they put the wrong kid there.

[Just_The_Facts]

Hi Sybles... I completely agree with most everything you have to say. I too did not know it was a felony until asking some friends of mine. The one thing I do not agree with is the comment about Green Tree Village. Green Tree Village was a student rehabilitation center, rather than a drug rehab opened by Pyramid Healthcare. It was designed to help kids who have social and emotional problems, as well as behavioral problems, NOT DRUG ABUSE. It may be true that some of the kids there were on drugs at one point or another but it is not Green Trees place to take care of those situations, I have come to understand they are taken care of before the children move to GTV. Another false assumption that people make is that it is run by or with aid by the Tyrone School District. Pyramid Healthcare had purchased GTV long before they signed anything with TASD. The only contract that TASD has with them is that they may send kids to the facility. If tyrone did not send any children or even have a contract for that matter, GTV would still be where it is at and still have students from other surrounding school districts. It is located in the TASD, but there is no business affiliation... only the fact TASD is allowed to send children there. All of this information was taken by myself attending Tyrone Board meetings as well as having friends who work at GTV. I hope the community will read my posting and will help them all to understand what GTV really is. As for Amy, I understand completely what you are feeling and I too don't understand why they would send your child to this kid of institution unless this wasn't his first offence. I would only assume an action like this after many disciplinary infractions. I thank you all for reading this and hope you take something from it.

[sybles]

thanks for the reply Just_The_Facts, I am glad you informed me what green tree is, I personally have nothing against the place. nor do I know much about it. As I said, I based what I said off of what I heard. Your post may clear things up for people who don’t know exactly why it is there. I think what the original poster was saying is it just doesn’t seem right that a person can take heroin to school and still be there to get his diploma. I seen many of my kids friends lost to the drug, and many now have hepatitis C from sharing needles. And in my opinion that seems a lot more disastrous, as that will affect them the rest of their lives. I also know that pulling the fire alarm could have been bad, someone could have been hurt evacuating the building, but I feel sure we will see more of the kids dieing from hepatitis or heroin overdose. and again thanks for the clear up on Green Tree.

[Ruby]

I don't think they should permanently expell any student unless they cause physical harm to another student or show signs of "bully" behavior. I think there is more to the story about the senior student that you mentioned. I think that we need to look at the "school" police officer in charge of arresting the student. The problem is much deeper than a student bringing drugs into a school. This communities youth are hurting. We need to outreach and find a solution to the problem that is going to begin killing our youth. My heart goes out to this boy and I know he is seriously working on bettering himself. Heroin takes over a persons mental and physical well being. It alters the minds ability to think clearly. I don't believe its a disease but its a serious addiction that takes over your common sense thinking. Lets look at the bigger problem not just one kid.

[sybles]

I have to wonder what more to the story of the kid who brought the heroin to school is, I figured he either did bring it, or didn’t bring it. Now I know every school district is different, my friends son took oxicontins to school in bald eagle, and he is now is jail facing up to two years in jail, he started his time last month. Also I have nothing against Sam, I don’t know him, I only know of him, and I am sure he is not the only one to bring drugs to school. I also heard word that there was more of a story to the arresting officer, but nothing that pertained to the drugs. Maybe you can fill me in on that . Maybe we could here from Amy to get more of the story behind her son be expelled, that may be some help to us.

[Awoomer]

Well where do i begin? First of all i am not picking on 1 particular student! My issue from the beginning was and is about how fair is the punishment to my son for pulling the fire alarm and being expelled for the remainder of the school year to a student bringing drugs to school and NOT being expelled and able to graduate?In my oppinion it seems like its a matter of whether you have the RIGHT name or NOT! I also know that my son is no angel by far but then again who is? YES he has had some miner issues in that past with dissapline
actions at the school BUT nothing major! Nothing that should have resulted in him being placed in a partial day treatment program! I know kids who have done alot worse than him and they are still in school!
I also stated that i felt that my son should have been punished for his actions after all he did create a situation that could have resulted into something more serious than it did! Thank goodness it didn't! But he is paying for his actions and losing an education at the same time! How do i know this? Well as i stated in my first post my son was in the learning/emotional support at school. He has diffulculties in reading and writing and there are special adaptations for him that is required and the partial program he attends DOES NOT follow these adaptations! I know i have seen his work i know that there is no way he could be doing the work they are giving him because of his learning dissabilities! But he is passing and as far as i know he will be going into the 10th grade next year! Not that i want him to be held back but i would liked to have seen a bigger improvement in his reading and writing! i also have a friend whose nephew who was attending the same partial program and has not been there or in school for that matter since march! but he is passing also and will be going into 11th grade (hmmm)! Well I feel i have said enough for now and let's try to remember what the real issue is here. All about fairness to each and every student that attends TAHS or any PUBLIC SCHOOL!

[ruby]

The school system seems to always have a "what is in a name" stigma to them. Its not a fair situation at all. I think that the "crimes" shouldn't be compared, but instead addressed individually and on the basis of the students prior offenses. I for one am grateful for Pyramid coming into the Tyrone Area. I know of students in the past who traveled to State College or Philipsburg to receive the extra needed attention and supervision. If you have a special needs child, whether that be a physical disability or a learning disability I know that you have many rights. Find an advocate and search out the rights and wrongs of the system.

[banksy]

...is probably the best post of them all. Judge them indepedently.

[sybles]

Judge them indepedently, would that be the same as judgeing for who they are?

[banksy]

Judge the INCIDENTS independently. To further explain, if there were a trial being held for "endangering the welfare of others" would it be prudent to introduce evidence at sentencing for a "drug conviction."

[sybles]

Yes much better put. "Judge the INCIDENTS independently" I guess I am going to get a little more on the personal side of all this, I see a 9th grade student with a 1st grade education, that tells me a little something about what his maturity level may be. I see a 12th grader who has had heroin problem for sometime now. I will also keep my mouth shut for all that I do know. Because I don’t want to hurt Sam. "endangering the welfare of others" ask all the teenagers of our town who now have hepatitis c and in due time will die, if treatment don’t work, or if they choose to drink. After all having hep c and drinking is like pouring acid on the liver! I for one speak for my daughter! Because someone "endangered the welfare of my daughter". Yes it was just a drug conviction, but what makes me mad is it wasn’t a simple little drug, it is a drug that is taking lives, maybe not now and maybe not in years, but it will take lives. So I apologize if I think evacuating a school seems less severe.Also I said it once and I will say it again. I know people could have been hurt, but with heroin they ARE being hurt.

[diver]

the reason that the charges were reduced on Sam was due to the fact the arresting officer did not show up at the hearing! They had no choice to drop the drug possesion charge. I believe the school board is looking into changing their punishments for drug possesion on school property.

[concerned]

Please let it be known that there were a number of students in this years senior class that were not permitted to participate in the commencement exercises because of drug convictions.

[AWoomer]

I understand that there were some Seniors who were not permitted to participate in the commencement exercises,But Participate is the key word here! They Still receieved their DIPLOMA"S! In my opinion that doesn't seem fair,Bu of course that is MY opinion. I still feel that it is all about WHO you are!