All parents of school age children in the Charlottesville area should carefully read the article "Safety fears at Buford: New violence upsets many" that appears on the front page of the Daily Progress today (3/15/06). The article reports that Charlottesville’s Buford Middle School teachers and staff have been struck or felt threatened by students 12 times in the past year. If the adults have felt threatened and intimidated that many times, then just imagine what the school experience is like for the students!
The article reports that things came to a head earlier this month when police had to enter the school to break up a fight that occurred between lunch periods. Three students were arrested and led away in handcuffs.
A week later several students got in trouble for playing with pellet guns at a school bus stop.
The article also chronicles other disturbing acts of violence among city school students including two May 2005 incidents. The first was when a 14 year old student, Adam Dudley, was stabbed three times in the back while walking home from school. The second was when 14 year old Datron Washington was shot in the abdomen.
After reading this article, I would encourage you to buy and read Doug Wilson’s book "Excused Absence: Should Christian Kids Leave Public Schools?" (Cruxpress, 2001). Fathers, I think we need to think seriously about what we need to do to shelter and protect out own children and those of others.
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