Creative writing assignment deemed too creative - cops and social services called
Charges could be filed against high school student
Charges will not be filed against student
A senior at Cook County High School in the Cook County Independent School District discovered just how bad the system can be. He turned in a creative writing assignment that played on the title of Michael Moore’s “Bowling in Columbine”. When all was said and done he had been suspended and the police, Child Protective Services and the County Prosecutor had all been involved.
The incident developed from an essay the student had written for a creative writing class where he talked about the killings at Columbine High School in Colorado. �His writing raised the concern that he might be a danger to himself or other students or teachers at the school,� Hennessy said.
But the student�s mother said she is outraged by the incident. �He wrote a story for a creative writing class,� she said. �There were no boundaries set. It was written last fall.�
She said she, her son and family were shocked when the sheriff�s deputies knocked on their door last week and escorted him to the hospital in Duluth for observation.
The school called the police, the police involved Child Protective Services. They got a court order to seize the child, did not inform the parents, and showed up at the door unannounced to take him away for testing and evaluation. County prosecutors then evaluated whether to charge the boy for an unspecified crime.
For a creative writing assignment that was creative.
[Bill Hennessy, county attorney] said he and the assistant county attorney, Michael Boese, evaluated the evidence and determined that essays the student wrote for an English class could be interpreted in two ways � either as stories that included rough language and graphic violent and sexual themes or as threats to his teacher and/or others in his school.
�We�ve determined there was nothing criminal there,� Hennessy said. �Because it can be interpreted in two ways, we can�t prove a crime.�
Hennessy sounds almost petulant there, as if he is upset that the creative writing assignment could actually be interpreted as creative writing.
The student was examined by psychiatrists at Miller-Dwan in Duluth. In the order-to-dismiss that was filed by Sandvik in Two Harbors after a hearing, the court said that �the medical evidence did not support the claim that the child was a danger to himself or others.�
The student was returned home and has been admitted back to school.
There was no mention of his school record being expunged or of any apology to the student or his parents for this massive bureaucratic assault.
Contact information: Principal John Engelking
(Tip credit to Tori in Texas)
Well I am glad they had boy checked out to make sure every thing was alright. But ah the way they went about, stupdefying, insane, moronic even. But I would’nt hang them here, it seems they may have actualy been concerned for the student. Kinda.
Why would you be glad that someone was forced into the mental health system for artistic expression that happened to be different? That’s the hallmark of the former Soviet Union.
I am glad that made sure he was okay, that he wasn�t Suicidal or a threat to the school body. They made an effort to see if the child was all right, instead of just expelling him and washing their hands of it.
Jim said the guy sounds petulant, when he says, “We�ve determined there was nothing criminal there,� Hennessy said. �Because it can be interpreted in two ways, we can�t prove a crime.� That doesn�t sound petulant that sounds thoughtful, In other words they analyzed the story, decided that it may not be a threat and since the shrink said he was okay he was returned to class.
As I said in my previous post I think they went about the wrong way, and they haven�t expunged his record, but he is back in class instead of an alternative school. The school board did not expel him with due course.
They definitely over reacted, but instead of pushing the issue as we have read many schools have done, when they are proved wrong, they actually let him back him, with out a stink or fuss.
There are many things they could have done better. If were grading schools curve for their actions in such matters this school gets an A. Take away the curve though and well I would still give them a D because they genuinely seemed to be concerned for the student.
My biggest problem with this case is that they had to involve Social services, here it is called CPS, and they can�t seem to do any thing right. They will pull a child out of a parent�s house for a spanking while child cries to stay with its parents. Yet the crying child, who breaks into cold sweats every time the parent gets near, is left in the parents care to be beaten or worse. May be SS is different I don�t Know But I am rambling.
All I am saying is the school seems to have his welfare in mind. Although they used chainsaw to remove a sliver.
Here’s a thought —
What if the teacher or the guidance counselor talked to thie student for five mintes? Maybe just ask him if he’s feeling all right and if he’s upset… if the student responds that the writing was creative and that the theme echoes TV, movies and current society, the whole matter could have been dropped.
Here in New York, if CPS gets involved in a child abuse case, you get put on a list which is impossible to be removed from until your youngest child reaches the age of 28. There is no such thing as “not guily”, there is simply “insufficient evidence”.
I agree with Garret — why didn’t someone at the school simply sit down and talk with the kid before calling the police?
And I wonder if anyone bothered to mention to the court before getting an order to remove him from the house that this was a creative writing assignment.
Our school has a policy that deals with this type of issue in a much less threatening and volatile way. We even have a law that requires teachers to inform counselors of any writing that includes violence or sexual abuse and we don’t have this kind of thing.
Teachers report to counselors. At this time, they may say if they have any additional information, if the student seems depressed or otherwise unhealthy/unstable (and yes, we know teachers aren’t psychologists or psychiatrists, but they can give their impression) and if we have talked to the student about the issue (most teachers do). The counselor then talks to the student and works through a checklist of symptoms. Then the counselor contacts the parent to see if the parent is aware of the writing and to share with the parent if the counselor’s assessment is that the child might need counseling. In rare cases, further assessment might be required, but as I said, it’s rare.
Now, if we feel abuse was involved, we must automatically notify authorities, but that’s for the child’s safety. If the story was about abuse, the counselor will ask if this is from experience or research. But any other sign of abuse gets an automatic phone call to the authorities.