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gotobeme Member 
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Hey yall, I know that I haven't said anything for some time now, but here goes...Today I discovered that our school received an email threat which possibly could have been along the lines of something serious. I kind of guessed that when I went by the school and saw several sheriff cars out front with several deputies talking with OP. I know sometimes officers come by to see OP, but what was going on I didn't know and asking was out of the question. I couldn't get much from anyone. I didn't know if I wanted to say that I was really concerned or to leave matters to those we trust to protect our kids. What do you think? I do believe that action was taken to heighten security. I found out later that a message was sent home and a letter given to the students to bring to their parents about the situation. I guess we will soon find out if they have a perp. gotobeme |
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DToney Member 
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hubby said there was a message around 2:00 today notifying parents of the situation. Also received the note. No "news" other than that.  |
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DToney Member
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News2 said there was an incident of E-mail threats, but would not tell the nature of the threat... I'd like to see some NW rednecks get ahold of whoever it "threatening" our school... they'd think twice about that again! |
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bama80 Member 
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Most likely was some punk kid that got suspended for smoking or something stupid and was mad at someone at the school. or... I could be wrong? nah. not possible. |
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gotobeme Member
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As I have said before, we really need a surveillance system for NW. It is the largest populated school in Guiford County and it don't have a system. I wonder why. I hope it is not because we consider NW "safe". That's the kind of thinking that cause other schools to be in limbo. We have to require safety parallel to education. If students don't feel that they are safe they will not perform well. There are so many entrances to NWHS it makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about the a violent situation or attack. I'd like to see the PTSA or any other organization rally behind getting a system for the school. I believe we simple are too comfortable with the status quo. Gotobeme |
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Steve Adkins Member 
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gotobeme wrote: We have to require safety parallel to education. Amen, but how sad Students certainly have to feel safe in order to learn. My thoughts turn to past travels in Japan. Subways & Mass Transit are a way of life. Students wear uniforms, they are TOTALLY safe on all mass transit media, no muggings, no crime. In USA, we would consider subways to be a bigger threat than schools themselves. Yet we still have SRO's walking around in High Schools & some middle schools, which is unheard of in Japan. |
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Kris McNeill Member
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gotobeme wrote: As I have said before, we really need a surveillance system for NW. It is the largest populated school in Guiford County and it don't have a system. Mr. Kidd was quoted in the Greensboro News & Record this week saying that NWHS will be getting a surveillance system. They are exploring ways to pay for it. |
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Kris McNeill Member
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I think Mr. Kidd has done an excellent job of communicating about the recent email threats. I received, I think, 3 phone messages, a letter and there has been information in the Greensboro paper and on News 2. Good communication keeps the rumor mill from churning away....my student has had very little to say about it all and I don't think she has been worried or felt unsafe. |
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S. Smith Moderator
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Kris McNeill wrote: I think Mr. Kidd has done an excellent job of communicating about the recent email threats. I received, I think, 3 phone messages, a letter and there has been information in the Greensboro paper and on News 2. Good communication keeps the rumor mill from churning away....my student has had very little to say about it all and I don't think she has been worried or felt unsafe. I agree, Kris. To be honest, my daughter didn't even know what was going on until she saw the letter to come home. Because of the timing of the e-mail threat incident, which Mr. Kidd said was reported incorrectly in the daily paper, we were just able to get something about that incident in our paper. I'm now working on an article on the surveillance system and what the community can do to help keep NWHS safe. |
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DToney Member
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speaking of school safety... that is exactly why my daughter takes her cell phone to school.... at least I can have the assurance that I can contact her to find out if she is OK... or she can alert me if something is going on where she feels jeapordized. It sure is a different world we live in.... gone are the days when we were afraid to go on the playground because someone said something! |
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macca Member 
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DToney, you bring up an interesting topic. I believe that the high school (maybe it's Guilford County Schools' policy) has a policy that no cell phones are allowed at school. I can understand how they could be very disruptive if they ring throughout the day, but I also know virtually every high schooler has one.... they just turn the ringer off. I think they even send text messages to each other throughout the day... In other places where there has been violence in schools, parents have been able to communicate with their children and it has been very comforting to them. Do you think it works to keep the policy as is (I guess -- we have the policy, but as long as phones aren't constantly ringing, we aren't going to enforce it) or because of the times we live in, should GCS/NWHS change its policy? Or do they enforce it? If they do, are they enforcing it appropriately? I mean, I've heard that they confiscate phones, but if they confiscated ALL of them, they'd have to have a vault or something! |
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gotobeme Member
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D'Toney, I guess I would agree with you about kids being able to carry cell phones during the school day, however, I believe, during a threat that is serious in nature calling on a phone could place a student or other students in jeopardy. Where students are asked to remain quiet cell phones could give away positions. Just thinking presumptuously right now. I would probably want my child to have a cell phone, but also know when it is safe to use it during a crisis. It's kind of like owning a gun and never practice using it and expect to operate it the same as one who is trainied during a moment of defense. Foolish. We need to talk to our kids and walk them through a possible scenario. It may not be the actual event, but if we give them some training, this training could assist greatly if needed. Lets not teach our kids to call us if something is going on at the school unless they are safe to do so. That may or may not be so during a threat event. Mr. Kidd is doing an awesome job with the help of his administrative staff. I believe NW can be an example school for all the rest, we have to work as a community to make it work. Yes, I believe we need a system because of the size of our school and because we have so many avenues of entry along with separate buildings. Gotobeme |
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Steve Adkins Member
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gotobeme wrote: Mr. Kidd is doing an awesome job with the help of his administrative staff. I believe NW can be an example school for all the rest, we have to work as a community to make it work. Yes, I believe we need a system because of the size of our school and because we have so many avenues of entry along with separate buildings. It's really great to be reading positive comments about NWHS after some of the past instability. |
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macca Member
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What is the policy on cell phones in school? I can understand they're not allowed, but in times such as these in which violence is going on at schools, I can see how people would feel more comfortable with their children having a cell phone to contact them in case of a real emergency. What happens if a student is caught with a cell phone, even if the ringer is turned off? Does anyone know??? |
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DToney Member
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macca wrote: What is the policy on cell phones in school? I can understand they're not allowed, but in times such as these in which violence is going on at schools, I can see how people would feel more comfortable with their children having a cell phone to contact them in case of a real emergency. What happens if a student is caught with a cell phone, even if the ringer is turned off? Does anyone know???as far as I know, they will confiscate a phone that rings, but if it is off or on silent not being used, they allow them. We are also prone to use text messaging for quick messages or if something is arwy... works fine for us! |
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S. Smith Moderator
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DToney wrote: macca wrote:What is the policy on cell phones in school? I can understand they're not allowed, but in times such as these in which violence is going on at schools, I can see how people would feel more comfortable with their children having a cell phone to contact them in case of a real emergency. What happens if a student is caught with a cell phone, even if the ringer is turned off? Does anyone know???as far as I know, they will confiscate a phone that rings, but if it is off or on silent not being used, they allow them. We are also prone to use text messaging for quick messages or if something is arwy... works fine for us! My experience has been the same as DToney's. As long as they're quiet, I think they're generally considered to be okay. I think even confiscating phones depends on the teacher and how strict they are. If they do take a cell phone away, I believe a parent has to go to the school and retrieve it. Last edited on Oct 18th, 2006 06:27 pm by S. Smith |
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mstone Member
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An even more concerning problem is cropping up in both schools and businesses with regards to cell phones. Many businesses are having to ban cell phones with digital picture taking capabilities. Some schools have done the same. The problem raised was that of pictures being taken in bathrooms and locker rooms and then posted on the internet. YUK! I'm really OK with students having phones, but they should be turned off for the entire school day. Confiscate the phone the first time it rings during the day or the student gets caught using it during the day, so the parent will have to pick it up. The second time it gets donated to the local battered women's shelter for emergency use. My niece has a cell phone with her all the time, and she's just 12! My how times have changed. |
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gotobeme Member
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I believe the policy at NW according to the student handbook is that cell phone are not allowed seen or heard during the school day (7:50am - 3:45pm) There are 1st and 2nd offenses which allows any staff or administrator to confiscate the phone if seen or heard and take it to the office. A parent has to pick up the phone. It is not returned to the student alone. I agree with this policy and think that phones have their place but not at school. There are phones provided for students who have emergencies. There are also staff and now officers who can assist with any such emergencies if necessary. I believe if we teach our kids how to properly handle cell phones at school it would not be necessary for the status quo. I have seen many parents come in defending their child's right to have a phone when, as a volunteer in the school, I have seen student who have violated the policy refuse to give up the phone and cause a scene. So who is to say one way or the other whether cell phones in school are a good thing or not. Again, I say they can be a distraction to the learning process and in times of crisis can be the cause of greater harm. Gotobeme |
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Bubba Guest
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Make sure your student data sheet is up to date at all times! there have been times last year were the staff would call the parents and their work had changed, cell number was different or moved. mstone, I was thinking the same thing about the picture taking. I thought if they have taken the phone a second or third time at NW it will be kept till the end of the school year. |
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Skiddles Member 
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Not only have cell phone cameras been used in the bath or locker rooms, but they are also handy for test taking. Students have been caught taking photos of class tests and exams.... plus, text messaging is another something, something to talk about. Students have the fastest finger in town when it comes to texting their friends. During test taking students have been caught texting another with answers to the test questions.. And they can do this with lighting speed & no sound. |
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Aeolius Member
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I wonder what sort of system they'll get for $37K, knowing how poorly the Guilford County schools did when they bought computers, awhile back. When Jesse Wharton switched from Macs to PCs (HUGE mistake, IMO), they paid more for their Windows machines than if they had driven over to CompUSA and bought them off the shelf. |
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gotobeme Member
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I guess we can take a look at the system at the middle school to determine what type of system the high school will get. I believe ACC is the company that put the system in at the middle school will be the one slotted to put one in the high school. Gotobeme Last edited on Nov 13th, 2006 03:23 am by gotobeme |
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