Point Reyes Light - December 9, 1999
West Marin School pupil suspended for gun threat
West Marin School last week suspended an 8th grade boy for five days after he allegedly threatened to show up at school with a gun.
Last Thursday, Principal Jim Patterson sent a note to the parents of all his students "to let you know of a situation you may or may not hear rumors about.
"Over the last couple of days, several students and parents have contacted me regarding a certain West Marin student allegedly making threats.
"Whether these alleged statements were 'jokes' or real, we felt compelled to take them seriously in order to ensure the safety of all students."
The letter went out only four days before a 13-year-old student in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, on Monday brought a gun to his middle school and wounded four classmates before a science teacher subdued him.
In his letter to parents, Patterson wrote, "We asked the sheriff to investigate and to contact the [8th grader's] parents, which they have done. The school has also taken the appropriate disciplinary action."
Sheriff's Lt. John Brunslik said this week that the boy's parents cooperated with officers and that the youth has insisted his threat was only a joke.
The lieutenant, nonetheless, said authorities need to be careful following a series of well-publicized shootings at schools elsewhere. The most prominent during the past two years (as listed by Court TV Online) have been:
On May 20, a 15-year-old boy at Heritage High in Conyers, Georgia, allegedly wounded six students with a .357 Magnum and rifle. He is scheduled to be tried as an adult.
On April 20, two students at Columbine High in Littleton, Colorado, shot 12 students and a teacher to death. They also wounded 23 other students before killing themselves.
On May 21, 1998, a 17-year-old boy killed two teenagers and wounded more than 20 people at a high school in Springfield, Oregon, after killing his parents at home.
On May 19, 1998, an 18-year-old honor student allegedly shot a classmate to death at a high school in Fayetteville, Tennessee, because the victim was dating his ex-girlfriend. He is awaiting trial.
On April 24, 1998, a 14-year-old student in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, allegedly shot a science teacher to death at an 8th grade dance. He is awaiting trial.
On March 24, 1998, two boys, 11 and 13, shot four students and a teacher to death at a middle school in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
On Dec. 1, 1997, a 14-year-old student shot three students to death and wounded five others at Heath High in West Paducah, Kentucky. One girl was left paralyzed.
On Oct. 1, 1997, a 16-year-old boy in Pearl, Mississippi, killed his mother and then went to his high school and shot nine students, killing two.
Notwithstanding this grim chronology, shootings in and around schools actually declined during the past two years.
But the enormous publicity given these cases has made school and law-enforcement officials, parents and students, pay more attention to youthful threats. Threats that in the past would probably have been dismissed as idle are now treated seriously.
Lt. Brunslik said he expects West Marin School will remain peaceful, noting that deputies had admonished the student.
Principal Patterson meanwhile wrote parents: "Please speak to your student and stress the importance of them reporting to you and/or a school official any dangerous activity or threat. Our counseling program will be available to all students who feel uncomfortable and wish to talk."