October 30, 2009 in News

Internet buzzing with support for expelled Mead student

Jody Lawrence-Turner The Spokesman-Review

Hundreds of Mead High School students and others are sticking up for a classmate expelled and arrested this week after allegedly threatening to kill a teacher as a joke, saying authorities have overreacted.

At least two sites showed up Thursday on the social networking site Facebook urging criminal charges against the 16-year-old be dropped and that his expulsion be lifted. Several people left messages critical of the school district’s response to the Wednesday incident and saying neither the teacher nor anyone else at the school tried sorting out what happened before ordering Mead High School into lockdown and calling police.

The teen faces a charge of harassment-threat to kill and was taken Wednesday to the county’s juvenile detention facility.

Meanwhile, district officials announced Thursday that the boy has been expelled but that they reserve the right to change their minds. Spokesman Ralph Thayer refused to release any information regarding the junior’s academic or behavioral standing in the school.

On Wednesday, the student entered a classroom about 8:40 a.m. with his hands extended as if clasping a pistol, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said. He then confronted the teacher with the death threat, prompting a lockdown.

The student’s decision apparently was not random.

Authorities said Thursday that the boy’s girlfriend, who was in the class, had sent him a text message saying “she was so bored she wanted to kill herself.” The boy strode into the classroom a short time later.

Before contacting officials, the teacher reportedly asked the students to identify the boy, but no one spoke.

A man whose child attends Mead High called the whole incident sad.

“Having talked to a student who was in the class at the time, I think had the situation been diffused early by the kids telling the teacher it was a joke, and who the boy was, that this might have ended in a suspension and nothing more,” Craig Ferris said. “But with the lockdown and police response, it is now a criminal investigation.”

On the Internet, schoolmates are calling the teen a “good student” and “great guy” who made a “stupid mistake.” Many are looking for ways to persuade the district to reconsider its actions, including this suggestion from a Mead student: “We should all go to school tomorrow and make guns out of our fingers with t-shirts saying arrest me too.”

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27 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 30 at 5:20 a.m.
Well…. I am sorry that anyone thinks this is a joke…. If I understand correctly that the student pointed his clasped hands at a teacher and threatened her with death, it must be taken very seriously. I am a concealed carry with a permit, and the handgun I carry is powerful, and also quite easy to conceal in my two hands. It makes most men who have served in the armed service uneasy when someone even points a finger at them with an extended hand.
Internet “noise” aside, this is a very serious problem and it surprises me that the culture at Mead High School is worse than Rogers High in the late 50’s. A death threat has to be taken at face value, ( as does the girl friend’s suicide threat/ideation). Get Real Dr John A Olsen
Betty on October 30 at 6:30 a.m.
Entirely appropriate action by the teacher and the school but totally inappropriate by the girl and her boyfriend. Had the school waited to take the appropriate reactions with the lock down, etc, there could have been another event of dead people here—who knows what some of the other children may have been carrying that could kill?
Seems that once they can have girl and boy friends and are in high school they would be there to learn, not to think they are teaching others some sort of lesson.
karl2002 on October 30 at 7:08 a.m.
As this state is open-carry, most of the student body should be ok, but unless they have permits, they should avoid concealing their fingers.
Ninch on October 30 at 7:24 a.m.
To those commentors who are so outraged: So do teachers who threaten students with their so-called “jokes” also get to experience lock-down and expulsion? In other words, I hear teachers say and see them do really “stupid” stuff on a regular basis, and they are supposed to be the adults. (Now they are on notice because kids will begin reporting those so-called jokes.) Also that a teenager did this is … well being a teenager. Hey, also remember… this kid used his “hands”… aka pantomime. While I am on this topic, what about any workplace where so many so-called adults make similar so-called jokes… and worse? Bottom line— NO ONE’S LIFE WAS IN DANGER!!!
Rifleman__Dodd on October 30 at 8:04 a.m.
” the boy has been expelled but that they reserve the right to change their minds.”
In real speak. We made a decision but it could be the WRONG decision.
Pretty simple. Kid did something stupid, teacher reacted stupidly and now the district is being more stupid. It seems the only ones not doing anything stupid is the rest of the school kids whom are standing up for the kid.
Glad to see that” fingers” are now considered a deadly weapon. I better go get mine registered for open carry otherwise I might have to conceal them in my pockets or wear gloves. Which would require another permit for concealed fingers.
The whole “school no tolerance” b.s. on “weapons” is also another sad joke on our state of affairs. If a kid is going to bring a true weapon such as a firearm to school to do some kind of damage.. a Rule wont stop him. However like the kid who brought the Boy Scout spoon to school was charged with a weapon and now the rest of his life is screwed up because all of that follows you now.
harassment-threat to kill…is one of those stupid laws. Do some casework and read Gonzolez vs. State of Washington. 16 year old kid was cleaning out the pigeon coop (in his backyard) because neighbor had complained about too many birds. Killing the excess with a shovel. Neighbor watches kid from their second story window and makes some smart ass comment about being the one who made the complaint. Kid says, shut up or you’ll end up like these pidgeons too. 16 year old kid was charged with Felony harassement and this case became pretty much the case law for that RCW.
Why dont they have video camera’s in the classrooms? They have them on school busses.
Theemarkb on October 30 at 8:55 a.m.
They should give the kind an award he prevented a suicide. If that kid didn’t take the teacher out, the girlfriend would have just put her finger to her head and killed herself. This kid is a hero, and the school just wants him to holster it in his winter mittens. Yes, this was a ridiculous post but it shared the same ridiculous mentality the school took. It seems like a sign of the times that pointing the index finger at a teacher gets someone in more trouble than pointing the middle one.
Meadparent on October 30 at 9:12 a.m.
My some attends Mead and my first reaction when I heard what happened was that the teacher completely overreacted and this was a kid making a dorky joke.
Why was the teacher so easily frightened? Because the student is a person of color. If this scrawny kid had been white, she would not have perceived him as nearly as threatening as she did.
Mead is an extremely white school. I have never even seen a staff member of color there and they have over 100 staff members.
I would not want my son being taught be a teacher who is so easily and extremely unhinged, especially one who is frightened of people of color.
mikewsu on October 30 at 9:20 a.m.
Surprised national news didn’t pick this up — to laugh at us up in Spokane once again.
jessiepn on October 30 at 9:37 a.m.
Let’s see – how did this all begin? The girlfriend was texting while in class? Excuse me? Are the kids at Mead allowed to use cell phones during the school day? (A lot of schools now have a policy of use only during lunch break.)
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 30 at 9:37 a.m.
The RCW code for Felony Harassment is pretty clear.. and can be pretty expensive to defend against… hope the young man has a good attorney…. watch Bowling for Columbine if you need to understand the need to “react” to a situation like this… This instance DID have great “potential for harm”…. even if the young man had Not pointed his fingers held together as if they had a weapon between them… gus
Meadparent on October 30 at 10:10 a.m.
It is crystal clear that she completely lost it and overreacted.
There is a rumor circulating around the high school that this is not the first lockdown this teacher has initiated. Supposedly, she also reported a potential bomb threat, which also resulted in a lockdown.
When I asked the school about that instance, I got what sounds like admin doublespeak - “We have no record of that.”
Either she was the teacher who called in a potential bomb threat and initiated a lockdown or she wasn’t. How could the school not know for certain? And why would they avoid clarifying this rumor if it was not true? Sounds fishy.
I know an attorney - a very good felony defense attorney - who will do this case for free.
Think about this - someone who is an actual danger to others - an intoxicated driver faces a misdemeanor charge. This kid is facing a felony.
Hopefully, this teacher will do the right thing and asked that the charges be dropped.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 30 at 10:43 a.m.
Fear for your life is ALL in the heart of the person being threatened …. and a threat to kill someone…. weapon in hand or not is to be taken seriously… the Veterans on the street that are fed each morning at Shalom do not carry any weapons… but most of them could kill you with two fingers in the right spot…. yes two fingers… the teacher may be “over reacting” in some persons view… but they are NOT inside the skin of the person being threatened…. prior history is important… but we do not know either person’s prior history, nor can we guess at their motives…. the average person in spokane will not even walk through the STA Bus Plaza or ride the Sprague or Division street Bus Route’s…. try it sometime and see if the hair on the back of your neck does not stand up from time to time…. with NO direct threat… gus
Theemarkb on October 30 at 11:14 a.m.
I hope this kid doesn’t have a prior history of pointing at things or people. It could make his case a lot tougher to win in court.
I also hope the teacher had the safety on when they pointed out the kid that disrupted the class, we wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.
Somewhere I heard that there may have been a suicide attempt in class, but it just turned out to only be some kid picking their nose.
The person I really feel sorry for is the teacher. Not only does everyone now know they are boring, but now we all know that they have no sense of humor as well.
On a serious note its becoming pretty clear that these teachers are not using these school gun laws to protect students, but rather to keep order in class and make examples of disruptive kids. Also, if this is on the up-and-up, why don’t they release the name of the teacher so that everyone can thank the hero for taking a criminal off the streets?? The public has the right to know the teachers name so that we can mention it to the school board at the meetings.
madscientist on October 30 at 11:40 a.m.
I sure hope no one points a finger at me! I too would run away.
get real teacher.
Nickatnyt on October 30 at 12:04 p.m.
If this kid pulled this stunt in a different environment, say at night around people who didnt know him, he may have been facing the end of a real gun, or knife, or whatever. Fortunately what he did was harmless (in the physical sense), but so very incredibly stupid. I think a good analogy would be talking about ‘bombs’ while in the securty checkpoint at the airport. Sure, you could be kidding but the end result of being interrogated by TSA would not be quite so funny.
Meadparent on October 30 at 12:10 p.m.
The felony harassment law requires that the fear be reasonable.
It is not reasonable for a teacher to fear a student’s obvious dumb joke just because the student has darker skin than her’s . Racist misgivings are not reasonable.
The student also tried to explain to her that it was a joke and she was too freaked out by his ethnicity to listen.
No way she would have ran around in full blown panic if this kid had been white. Her reaction was completely hysterical and irrational.
The reason this student is receiving so much student support is because the students know him and they know the teacher. It is not because these students think death threats are funny.
What you have is a student that is considered a harmless goofball and a teacher that many students have little respect for.
This teacher’s irrational response has screwed some kid’s life. One dumb joke should not have such severe consequences.
terrymr on October 30 at 12:55 p.m.
The kid made a very bad joke, but if kids had good judgment all the time they wouldn’t be kids any more.
I can’t imagine the threat to kill actually flying, typically for a threat to be criminal it must be as follows :
“First, a willful threat to cause bodily injury or death. Second, the person making the threat must intend it to be such. Third, the threat must be made in writing, orally or by electronic means. Fourth, the threat on its face must be so unequivocal and immediate as to convey a gravity and sense of purpose.”
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 30 at 1:17 p.m.
Thanks Terry for the information…. be interesting to know a bit more of this student and this teacher’s history at school… she seemingly did not know who he was…. at least it will open up some communication about the “fears”…. j
Theemarkb on October 30 at 3:13 p.m.
I just hope that the teacher doesnt watch Gran Torino.
It would blow thier mind!!!
beckola on October 31 at 10:08 a.m.
ChefGus is right, look what happened to the Spokane Valley man. He was suicidal and carrying a gun when he confronted police and they shot him. If the Mead student had walked into a room full of police officers, he would have been shot dead. Schools are right to teach our children how to keep from getting killed by police officers. This is very serious indeed.
Theemarkb on October 31 at 5:13 p.m.
I don’t agree with beckola, cops don’t go to schools. That’s why they all fake their diplomas’. There’s no chance that kid will run into a classroom full of cops.
Although I do think he is right that they probably would shoot an unarmed kid or mentally retarded person or somebody that stole their car or someone that looked at them funny… ect.
Rifleman__Dodd on October 31 at 9:50 p.m.
Spokane police dont have any qualms about offing anyone if they feel like it. Doesnt take a set of fingers to set them off. Just a soda bottle.
captkangaroo on November 01 at 5:06 a.m.
A threat is a threat,bomb, fake gun, tailgating, finger shooting etc. Texting in school,shame on you! Well the students can go to Facebook and type their little heart off and wear all of the teeshirts and rally cries, but please, come on out in the real world, leave your safe little city and see the world and you will look back on this when you are older and say ” you know what? The cops were right what they did on that day!”
tdog on November 03 at 8:44 p.m.
Maybe this guy’s girlfriend should have stepped up and told her teacher it was just a joke instead of being soooooo stupid (and cowardly) by saying nothing. If he is such a great guy and just joking she should have immdediately said, “Hey, that’s my boyfriend he was just joking.” But she didn’t did she!
People no matter what admin or law enforcement do you will always have something to second guess them because your job isn’t on the line. Their job is and if they are wrong and the threat is real you will say, “Why didn’t they do something to stop this.”
How stupid is this kid, did his parents ever teach him what humor is appropriate and where! Catch a clue kid your a big boy now!
eagleproducer on November 04 at 9:44 a.m.
rifleman: Video cameras aren’t allowed in classrooms because we (teachers) made it part of our contract language to keep them out. More surveillance is not the answer to discipline problems in schools, unless you allow teachers to place cameras in the homes of students so we can demonstrate where students learn the warped values they arrive with at school.
I’ve railed against zero tolerance policies since they were implemented. District officials fail to see the disconnect with reality and irony of these policies when placed alongside curricular goals of increasing tolerance, acceptance and diversity of thought.
I don’t believe anyone deserves an award for preventing a boredom induced suicide. Our culture would be much better off with people who are creative and don’t require constant external stimulation to keep them thriving. I’m soooooooooooooooo bored…. I hear it all the freakin’ time from students and I always respond with what my mother told me: Only boring people get bored.
meadparent: Adults don’t engage in rumor mongering. I’m sure you are a shining example of behavior for your children in every other manner, I just thought I’d help you out in that area. Keep teaching your children that leveling baseless charges of racism against a licensed professional who serves your culture helping children learn is appropriate. I’m sure they will turn out to be model citizens who run to “defense lawyers” every time they don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. I meet with parents like you all the time and I always leave feeling it’s now wonder their kids are so dysfunctional. More than likely your children will have to learn the hard way, just like this kid will.
Review the code of conduct for students located at the beginning of the student planner each Mead High School student receives and tell me where making a threat falls on their listing of severity priority. The student knew ahead of time the possible consequences and still chose to act in the manner he did. Why are you excusing his behavior while debasing a professional who responded according to training provided by the district?
StillSoldier on November 05 at 9:45 a.m.
I have two Teen Agers and both have been around weapons of all sorts most of their lifes. If either of them made a joke such as this, I would whole heartedly support the school in their suspension. Hands clasped together can hide a variety of weapons. If this teacher felt threatened because of this act, then she was. Threatening somebody’s life is no joke.
As to the post referring to Gran Torino, you might want to watch the movie again. I saw Clint Eastwood point his imaginary gun single handed, not hands clasped. Please get your facts right. Most of what I see here are people trying to defend a young man who made a serious mistake. Let him be accountable for his actions and hopefully he and others will learn their lesson.
Oly on November 06 at 6:50 a.m.
Spoketucky: great insights into some parents!