Do you guys know how much I've dreaded having a kid in school? I just know I'm going to be "one of those Moms" that gets ticked over everything, and thus far, I'm right on target with that "fear"...I've become "one of those Moms"
This year with Sam in Kindergarten hasn't been a great one. He's doing great in school and loves his teacher. He's got a wonderful teacher...couldn't ask for better! But, he's been dropped 1/4 of a mile from his afternoon bus stop in a winter storm and I didn't get any help from the principal in finding out just what went wrong (thank God my child found his way to the afternoon sitter's house). Let me tell you, not knowing where you child is for 15 minutes when you entrust the school system/bus coordinators is not fun. The complete lack of concern over what happened is even more upsetting...the classes are overcrowded (as in most schools), there are teachers there (not my son's thank goodness) that have been caught screaming and yelling at 5 year olds, threatening them with having to go to the gym and run laps...the principal is a figure head there and does very little to address concerns of parents and since the incident with the ill-fated bus ride back in December, I fired off a very nasty email to that principal telling her off. I'm not a happy Mom right now...
This latest deal though has got me scratching my head and pretty worried...my son's Elementary school AND the area High School are on some sort of secret "high alert"...seems the Sheriff of our little town has kids in those schools and there have been rumors of threats against his kids. The rumors began two weeks ago and I've heard so many other parents inquire about what's going on, we're all slowly beginning to realize that they must be true...in fact, I just had confirmation this morning that they indeed are true...no idea what the threats are or the nature of what's being done, but I do know that the schools now have cops on duty, undercover guys walking the halls...parents are being patronized with talk of "oh, it's like this in every school...guards are in other area schools and we're just following suit...blah blah blah)
I have a neighbor who's child is in class with one of the Sheriff's kids. She did what any Mom would do and asked the principal "is it safe for the kids to attend the afterschool activities scheduled for this Friday night?" She was directed to call the Sheriff because "that's for him to discuss". My neighbor then called the Sheriff (perk of a small town, you actually get through to the Sherrif!) and was immediately told by him "yeah, I've heard your name all week". He then proceeded to chew her a new one for 25 minutes over the phone, making reference to "it's Moms like you that will blow the cover on this operation!" and "if parents ruin the undercover work going on, everything's been ruined!" She expressed concern as a parent of a child sitting very near the Sheriff's child, noting that if the roles were reversed and it were her child that were endangered, other parents, including the Sheriff, would want answers...
She was blown off and didn't get answers...I've since found out that the rumors began when his own teenage children at the high school let the cat out of the bag (allegedly). So, for two weeks now, I've put my 5 year old on the bus, wondering what else I could be doing, what I have a right to know...worried about him being there should something go wrong (I know it's over-dramatizing things, but when those children were all taken hostage last year at the hands of terrorists in Russia, I honestly wonder just how safe OUR own schools really are...moreover, I wonder just how easy it would be for something like that to happen here in the States, how devastating it would be)...
I can see the reason behind secrecy given the circumstances on one hand (yeah, yeah, the Sheriff's kids are targets), yet I wonder just how the Sheriff expects the parents of hundreds of children to just sit back and wonder what's going on, wonder if their kids are in danger or if there's something they could do to prevent harm to any child...I'm pretty much lost over the subject at this point...small town politics, that's what I keep telling myself...if word started spreading in a big city, I don't think you could hold back the wave of calls and complaints of worried parents, and I can't help but wonder just how much help ANY of the other kids/parents would have should the tables be turned for some reason...
Opinions appreciated on just how much I'm over-reacting, or would any parent feel this way? I am trying so hard to NOT get pissed, but I am...I'm real close to calling him myself and telling him that his demeanor in handling the concerns of parents given these circumstances lacks compassion. Undercover mission or not, these are OUR CHILDREN...feels like his ego is getting in the way, as if it's JUST HIS KIDS that are at risk when in fact all kids are...
Sorry this is so long...I needed to vent about this and get some feedback to keep me calm or force my hand to be "that Mom" again today...
This year with Sam in Kindergarten hasn't been a great one. He's doing great in school and loves his teacher. He's got a wonderful teacher...couldn't ask for better! But, he's been dropped 1/4 of a mile from his afternoon bus stop in a winter storm and I didn't get any help from the principal in finding out just what went wrong (thank God my child found his way to the afternoon sitter's house). Let me tell you, not knowing where you child is for 15 minutes when you entrust the school system/bus coordinators is not fun. The complete lack of concern over what happened is even more upsetting...the classes are overcrowded (as in most schools), there are teachers there (not my son's thank goodness) that have been caught screaming and yelling at 5 year olds, threatening them with having to go to the gym and run laps...the principal is a figure head there and does very little to address concerns of parents and since the incident with the ill-fated bus ride back in December, I fired off a very nasty email to that principal telling her off. I'm not a happy Mom right now...
This latest deal though has got me scratching my head and pretty worried...my son's Elementary school AND the area High School are on some sort of secret "high alert"...seems the Sheriff of our little town has kids in those schools and there have been rumors of threats against his kids. The rumors began two weeks ago and I've heard so many other parents inquire about what's going on, we're all slowly beginning to realize that they must be true...in fact, I just had confirmation this morning that they indeed are true...no idea what the threats are or the nature of what's being done, but I do know that the schools now have cops on duty, undercover guys walking the halls...parents are being patronized with talk of "oh, it's like this in every school...guards are in other area schools and we're just following suit...blah blah blah)
I have a neighbor who's child is in class with one of the Sheriff's kids. She did what any Mom would do and asked the principal "is it safe for the kids to attend the afterschool activities scheduled for this Friday night?" She was directed to call the Sheriff because "that's for him to discuss". My neighbor then called the Sheriff (perk of a small town, you actually get through to the Sherrif!) and was immediately told by him "yeah, I've heard your name all week". He then proceeded to chew her a new one for 25 minutes over the phone, making reference to "it's Moms like you that will blow the cover on this operation!" and "if parents ruin the undercover work going on, everything's been ruined!" She expressed concern as a parent of a child sitting very near the Sheriff's child, noting that if the roles were reversed and it were her child that were endangered, other parents, including the Sheriff, would want answers...
She was blown off and didn't get answers...I've since found out that the rumors began when his own teenage children at the high school let the cat out of the bag (allegedly). So, for two weeks now, I've put my 5 year old on the bus, wondering what else I could be doing, what I have a right to know...worried about him being there should something go wrong (I know it's over-dramatizing things, but when those children were all taken hostage last year at the hands of terrorists in Russia, I honestly wonder just how safe OUR own schools really are...moreover, I wonder just how easy it would be for something like that to happen here in the States, how devastating it would be)...
I can see the reason behind secrecy given the circumstances on one hand (yeah, yeah, the Sheriff's kids are targets), yet I wonder just how the Sheriff expects the parents of hundreds of children to just sit back and wonder what's going on, wonder if their kids are in danger or if there's something they could do to prevent harm to any child...I'm pretty much lost over the subject at this point...small town politics, that's what I keep telling myself...if word started spreading in a big city, I don't think you could hold back the wave of calls and complaints of worried parents, and I can't help but wonder just how much help ANY of the other kids/parents would have should the tables be turned for some reason...
Opinions appreciated on just how much I'm over-reacting, or would any parent feel this way? I am trying so hard to NOT get pissed, but I am...I'm real close to calling him myself and telling him that his demeanor in handling the concerns of parents given these circumstances lacks compassion. Undercover mission or not, these are OUR CHILDREN...feels like his ego is getting in the way, as if it's JUST HIS KIDS that are at risk when in fact all kids are...
Sorry this is so long...I needed to vent about this and get some feedback to keep me calm or force my hand to be "that Mom" again today...