Rye Schools Statement on Student with Gun:
"Statement from Dr. Frank Alvarez, Superintendent of Schools
The Rye City School District was informed yesterday, Monday, September 22, 2014, about a serious incident that took place after school at the Rye Middle School on Friday, September 19th. It was reported to the Middle School Principal that a student had a weapon in a backpack which other students may have observed. Upon learning of this information, the Middle School Administration immediately ensured the safety of the students, contacted the police and commenced an investigation. I am pleased to report that the Middle School Administration took appropriate steps to immediately address this serious issue and closely followed the District’s Code of Conduct.
Although the District does not believe that any students were threatened, endangered, harassed, or that the weapon was ever removed from the backpack, it is important for the District and parents and/or guardians to remind students that weapons of any kind are prohibited from school grounds. Please consult the District’s Code of Conduct, which is published on the District’s website, for further information concerning prohibited conduct.
Occurrences such as these shed light on the critical importance of having an open dialogue with children about weapons and the dangers of weapons. As always, the safety of our students is our first priority.
The District is unable to comment further about this incident or to provide specific information concerning the student(s) involved as this information is protected by federal law, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
I would like to thank the City of Rye Police Department for their fast response. I would also like to commend the Rye Middle School administration for the professional manner in which they handled this very serious matter.
This is a stark reminder to all of us about just how serious the matter of school safety is at all
times.
Sincerely,
Dr. Frank Alvarez, Superintendent
Rye City School District"
While absolutely appropriate for the Superintendent to report this incident to the parents and public, his letter comes across as little more than a CYA effort. Why is there no comment about what will be done by the schools to prevent such incidents from happening again? Why is there no recommendation for parents/guardians to discuss the issue with their children? Why is there no follow-up with a conversation in the schools about this issue?
Pointing to the policy that prohibits the bringing of weapons to schools is appropriate, but without some constructive action it does little more than seem to say, “Not our fault”.
Seems like the best advice any parent could give to their kid would be… Leave the gun, take the cannoli.