Here's another one that makes my ears go up and wonder what's being left out.
I'm amazed by meaningless statements and condescending messages from school officials. There's a tone of the messages that drives me crazy. However, on with the story.
Our story so far:
Pennbrook Middle School, North Wales, Pennsylvania,
A seventh grade student, who we will call student A, is eating lunch, when another student at the middle school, whom we will call student B, enters the lunch room holding a "Stanley Cup". It's not a hockey trophy. It's a large, heavy, metal drinking vessel. Student B approaches student from behind and starts beating student A's head with the Stanley Cup, and baning student A's head on the table. It only goes on for a period of seconds until the security guards separate them. There is a lot of blood. Student A is rushed to the hospital. Student B, 13 years old, is arrested. The school is locked down, including students not allowed to leave the lunchroom, as they watch staff mop up the blood.
Ok. A few more details.
It was said that student B had a "hit list" of students to beat up. Student A was on the top of the list.
Student C, who was a friend of student A and was said to be second on the list, had reported the threats to school staff, who assured student C that they were safe, and that no attacks would happen.
The principal issues an email to parents:
Nick Taylor, Pennbrook Middle School principal, sent a letter to parents saying that, “the safety of our students is of the utmost importance… I ask that "parents speak with their children about the consequences of fighting.”
In case you haven't already guessed, student B, the attacker, is transgender. Student A is a (cisgender) girl. The local major media has not reported anything about the gender of the attacker. Like I did above, the news reports carefully said, "a student", and similar neutral words.
I look at the statement from the principal, and I say, "WTF?????????????" But that's where I'm different from some other people. I assume that there has to be something missing, because how could a principal be that stupid? To act as if this was something that all students need to remember? This wasn't a fight. Student B snuck up behind and started beating on a girl without any warning. How could a principal possibly say this?
So....either the principal is a first rate doofus.....or maybe this wasn't an out of the blue attack. Maybe there was some fighting previously, or some verbal sparring at least?
One more thing. Student B had been at the school for either 2 or 3 days. How does "she" form a hit list that quickly?
So, it's all speculation, but something isn't adding up, and I'm curious about it. It doesn't really matter, much. Regardless of what went on, beating people on the head with Stanley cups is not acceptable, and "Mel", short for "Melanie", the (current) name of Student B, deserves some time in a nice juvenile facility. With free psychological counseling and maybe medication thrown in for free.
I'm going to speculate that the people on the "hit list", were girls that objected to Mel's presence in the girls' bathroom, and that there was some form of confrontation before the attack.
Either that, or the principal is a doofus.