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My daughter is 12 years old and used to attend a middle school in XXXXXX ISD in Texas. In early October a boy that she goes to school with came to our house and told my child that he’d heard a rumor that she was going to get “jumped” (beat up) after school. He handed her a pocket knife and told her to keep it on her at all times. The knife had been purchased by the boy at a local flea market and was an EMT rescue type knife. My daughter did take the knife to school the next day where she was approached by another boy who asked her why she was acting so sad. She explained what had happened the day before and told him that she was scared that she was going to get beat up but she did not feel comfortable carrying a knife. The boy took the knife from her and told her that she could get into trouble for having it at school anyway and he took it home with him. A couple of weeks later my daughter told him that she needed it back so that she could return it to the original owner as it was not hers to let him keep. The boy returned the knife within a few days at school and she put it in her pocket because she didn’t want to be late for class and didn’t have time to go to her locker. Her intention was only to bring the knife home and call the first boy to come and take it back. Another child in class saw it because when she sat down the top of it came out of her pocket and told the principal. My daughter was then removed from class, questioned and then arrested. I was not called until she was in custody and on her way to jail. The police officer classified the knife as a switch blade (which it is clearly NOT ) causing the issue to require the strictest state required penalty - arrest, expulsion, assignment to the counties JJAEP school (the school that they put the children who are too bad for normal alternative school) and criminal charges for bringing a deadly weapon to school. According to the arresting officer it is a state jail felony to bring a knife to school and my daughter could face jail time for this. She has never in her life been in any sort of trouble at school much less with the police, the most she ever gets in trouble for at home is not cleaning her room every week! She was in Advanced placement classes at her school and liked by all of her teachers. My daughter was also very involved in the theatre program at the school and is currently teaching herself French, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish because she wants to be an international translator when she grows up. This is a kid who still climbs trees and builds club houses outside – my point is that my daughter could by no stretch of the imagination be a danger to anyone!
Aside from the legal ramifications she has been sent to the JJAEP school as I mentioned above, the school is reserved for unmanageable children generally. She is the youngest student in school and is lumped into the “girls” class of 25 high school students. Calling this place a school is a stretch, the teachers do not actually teach anything but instead give the students assignments per their grade level and then they are turned in at the end of class. My daughter is having trouble because with no instruction it can be difficult to complete assignments and also because of the constant noise from the other students. The kids at the school can not be controlled by the teachers. The students are allowed to cuss at the teachers and the teachers apparently cuss right back. For several days this week they have watched movies in Math class and for the most part just sit around and chat in all of the classes. The girls are searched every morning, they must lift up their bras to show security that they haven’t tried to smuggle anything in. A couple of days ago one of the teachers (not in a lesson but in general conversation with some of the kids) tried to explain how human life was created and told them that god creates it because man doesn’t have the power to. SERIOUSLY?? I am agnostic and I really don’t care if kids pray in school or bring a bible to read but teachers should NEVER tell kids that god created us in a public school. I could go on and on with stories – including all the neat gang signs that daughter is coming home showing me from exposure to the older and many times “bad” children. There is no way on earth that my once AP daughter will be able to integrate academically back into regular school in late January when she is supposed to. I don’t know what to do here but I feel that it is pretty plain that my child was no threat and is not a Columbine killer child.
PS – They also expelled the boy who took the knife from my daughter and placed him in the JJAEP school and he never even got caught with it physically on him. Now we are receiving threats from students toward my daughter saying that she will get it when she gets back to school for getting this boy in trouble!!
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