Hooligans!

[susitna-flower]

I'm irate!
Just want to let all you out there in fishlore know that most of a tank (looked to be about 75 gallon) full of fish were killed this weekend here in Willow Alaska, by two young boys.

Two boys 13 and 14 did $150,000.00 damage in Willow Elementary school, one item damaged was a lovely fish tank one of the teachers kept in the class room. The fish died because the boys shot off all the fire extinguishers in the school, and the chemicals got in the fish tank!

What makes me mad is that these boys were sent home to mom and dad, and are not going to be charged with ANYTHING! According to the news tonight, the school district will have to bring suit against the parents to try and recover some of the costs!

They wrecked 55 of the 60 computers in the school! Spread paint everywhere! Broke windows! They were at it for 2 hours! I just can't believe they weren't hauled to Juvenile detention, and charged with vandalism!

They were caught with the same blue paint all over them! It just makes me so mad.

So a picture of the fish tank showed that they had cichlids in the tank........That teacher must just be so sad.

It would so warm my heart if some of you out there would drop notes to this teacher c/o Willow Elementary , Willow AK 99688

I don't know her name, and it wouldn't be right to post it anyway, but.....
You can read about this on the net at www.ktuu.com which is the news station that covered the story. It gives all the details of the tank, and special ed teacher the tank belonged to. In the clip I saw about it she was having to TOTALLY clean the tank out. I'm sure her filter is shot as well....

Thanks for listening.....

 

[capekate]

Hi Susitna flower
What an awful shame! I can't believe that no charges were brought against those two brats. With the damage they caused, I wonder why the school is not bringing up charges against them? Has the parents agreed to pay back damages in lieu of having the kids arrested?
Its the only reason I can think of... for dropping charges against them. Other than that, I can't understand it at all.
Those two need to be watched very carefully while they grow, as it is a real anger issue to instill that kind of damages. They should be made to clean up the mess they made, and pay for all the damages, along with getting counseling for sure!
~ kate

 

[FL CommunityFans]

Just wrote the author of the article myself. Personally, something like that being done and nothing done by the law?? Completely turns me off of ever visiting Alaska itself, or considering employment opportunities up there. Had that happened here, those boys would have been arrested and ready for sentencing.

Absurd.

 

[Narcicius]

How did the charges get dropped, unless these boys have some incredibly influential parents, they both should have been imprisoned for a very long time. Updates would be nice.

 

[Allie]

What is wrong with some humans? I just don't understand thing like this. What do people get out of destroying things?

 

[COBettaCouple]

That's just pathetic! Especially them getting away with it! Save some time - send those little dirtbags to their future home, the state pen., now!

 

[Firecracker]

Just wrote the author of the article myself. Personally, something like that being done and nothing done by the law?? Completely turns me off of ever visiting Alaska itself, or considering employment opportunities up there. Had that happened here, those boys would have been arrested and ready for sentencing.

Absurd.

Do you really think so? I think it happens everywhere. I know it happened in my hometown.

Disgusting, either way. There is something wrong with a person who's destructive for fun. I bet we'll see their names in the news again someday.

 

[FL CommunityFans]

Do you really think so? I think it happens everywhere. I know it happened in my hometown.

Disgusting, either way. There is something wrong with a person who's destructive for fun. I bet we'll see their names in the news again someday.

I've lived in various parts of Alabama as well as Northwest Florida. These kinds of things do happen, I agree, but the kids aren't getting away with it. They or their parents are penalized/prosecuted. In one case, here locally, a parent had to pay $23k for their kids 'vandalism' on school property and a few neighboring houses.

 

[tinip40]

It is happening all over the USA children behaving badly, the thing tha makes even worse is parents behaving badly... our society has became to relaxed in everything. most people turn their heads to things out of whack.Morals are almost extinct.I hate to say it but it all comes back to everyone always giving excuses as to why someone acts the way they do.We as humans need to understand sometimes people are just born that way, we just have to learn to deal **** things better.Laws need to be enforced and if a child behaves badly in any form then they need to be the ones to pay the consequences.There should be no excuses made but then look what's on tv! Tv shows have no morals.It's time grandparents parents alike force our will on the government.I want prayer back in school,I want in God we trust back on my money where I can see it,I want the right to have a bible open ANYWHERE I choose.I am not trying to push religion on anyone but we have gone down hill since everyone that gets offended by anything gets it stopped or taken out well I have as much rights to have it as they do not...
I will get off my soap box sry for the long windedness.
Those children should have to clean and re-emburse for their bad behavior, mischief no just outright bad boys.They are old enough to know better.
Theresa

 

[susitna-flower]

I appreciate everyone's comments.

Theresa, I'm with you. The morals in this country have gone down with the fall of our founding principles, and family. My children were raised with a Christian belief system that let them know there was more reason than just MOM and DAD said, that they would be held accountable to.



I was thinking more about it last night.....you can imagine!

The article stated that the teacher who lost her fish tank was a special education teacher, and she couldn't understand why one of the boys would do this since he used to sit and watch the fish and really liked them.........Well I guess that MIGHT be the clue as to why the boys weren't charged....IF they had been in special ed..maybe the "law" didn't think they were responsible for their actions....

Some ways I can understand this, but I feel it is sending the wrong message. Any person who is crafty enough to get into a locked library door (opening to the outside), can surely know that what they are doing is wrong!


My thinking on this is that it would really make the teacher who lost the tank happy if she got notes from folks all over the world!

We have such caring people here on fishlore, and I know she would really have another view on it all if she had postcards or something from all around the world to let her know fish people care what happened.

 

[Angela_96]

Kids these days are awlful!! My 2 boys are being brought up "old school" country style... they do know what a whipping is (not beatings). The TN Board of EDU does allow permission given to the school for the teachers and principals to paddle the students so it works out to where the students do have a "fear" of the school the way we did back in the day. My husband and I are though educated and older parents than 90 percent of the parents that my son goes to school with. The other issue I have noticed w/ the students in my sons class, when we go to teacher/parent confrence day we are the only parents that show up!! I can't belive it! That's for the kindergarden level, then you have one other set of parents that we run into, my husbands best friends??? go figure! My sons principal knows my husband and I by first name, and my son. The teacher couldn't belive it when I said I don't leave the parking lot w/ him w/o going through his backpack and reading his work for the day... I look forward to it! He also is the only kindergardener that is reading his own books for book it... like my best friend that is a teacher in VA said though not many parents are willing to get involved in their kids lives anymore! they just don't care, so you have children doing anything and everything disrespectful to school property, and at home.

I couldn't dream of not being involved w/ my childrens lives! I get upset if I dont' get a daily report from the teacher of my sons behavior! we have a daily reward/punishment system that's how I base him watching 30 min of his fav cartoon or not. Then if he is good for 5 days straight he gets to go out on the weekend and get a new toy. Otherwise, he gets his butt whipped if he has done something really bad at school (like being rude or/hitting another child/teacher), if the bad thing was talking too loud, something small he just looses his cartoon privliages. This system has been working perfectly for months! He does not get in trouble much at all.. the most he does get in trouble for is talking, and he usually tells on hiself, because the teacher don't make a big deal about it and writes on his paper he has been good that day


It takes parents getting involved w/ their children! They need to CARE! have family dinners, I know not everyone has a stay at home mom set up like we do.. but they can do stuff together on their days off, make it a point to see what their kids are doing in school, call the teachers, even if their child is a senior in high school.

BTW the school has had permission to whip my child all year, the teacher has only had to smack my child on the butt one time, and she barely even hit him, he didnt' even feel it... they are still scared to use a paddle w/ permission because all the lawsuits these days!

 

[FL CommunityFans]

That's part of why our budget stays tight. We send our oldest to a private christian school that has one of the best educational curriculum's in the country. They had her reading and writing when she was 4 years old (K-4). She'll graduate K5(kindergarten) this year, and will know how to do a lot of addition and some subtraction, writing in cursive, reading on the 1st-2nd grade level (depending on the school), and she's better than I am at Bible versus. She'll be going to public school next year, because of the financial strain, but You can believe we'll be on her to have superb grades, as we know very well what she is capable of. I think that's exactly the problem these days. Parents just don't spend time with their kids like they should, or get involved in things with them.

 

[Angela_96]

I would have sent wyatt to a private school however the elem. school has a 2-6 teacher student ratio and they are 3rd in the state for reading/writing and that is a lot coming from the fact we live in rural tn w/ a very small country school.
This kindergarden teacher taught my husband... that's how old she is... but shes strict and good! he is doing great w/ the math too, they are doing addition and subtraction, when he had his tonsilectomy his send home work was fractions! I freaked! I couldn't belive they were already doing that... but he caught on so fast to it, so I got the whole pic why they are starting that stuff so young these days, those little guys are like sponges.

I also have found that my 6 year old loves books, strange for a 6 year old but I have truley enjoied it! I keep up w/ him by shopping at a second hand book store and they sell books for like 75 cents for an almost new book. (not to mention momma can buy cds for like 5 bucks)... I actually spent 30 dollars on books for him w/ 75 cents books a few weeks ago.. his little brother and him acted like I brought home a toy store!
I guess there's a big difference in children when you spend time w/ them and read to/with them and the ones that the parents have nothing to do w/...

 

[susitna-flower]

Just wrote the author of the article myself. Personally, something like that being done and nothing done by the law?? Completely turns me off of ever visiting Alaska itself, or considering employment opportunities up there. Had that happened here, those boys would have been arrested and ready for sentencing.

Absurd.

I'm sorry if you felt that way from reading the report. There was a lot of good community outpouring over this. Monday was an inservice day through out the area, and over 70 people came together to help clean the school up! Classes are back in today, and even though there are some losses that will be felt for awhile, this is also a study in how people pull together.

I really didn't mean for folks out there to get the opinion that Alaska isn't a good place, or that visiting here, or working here would be a bad thing. Maybe if more fish people lived here it would be a HUGE positive influence!!! I for one am all for that, then we could have an aquarium club!

 

[Lucy]

It's really sad that these kids have such disregard for living things and property that does not belong them.

 

[FL CommunityFans]

I'm sorry if you felt that way from reading the report. There was a lot of good community outpouring over this. Monday was an inservice day through out the area, and over 70 people came together to help clean the school up! Classes are back in today, and even though there are some losses that will be felt for awhile, this is also a study in how people pull together.

I really didn't mean for folks out there to get the opinion that Alaska isn't a good place, or that visiting here, or working here would be a bad thing. Maybe if more fish people lived here it would be a HUGE positive influence!!! I for one am all for that, then we could have an aquarium club!

I got the feeling that the community was good and wholesome, but the fact that laws are broken at that level and such dmg done, and nothing is done about it? That's just insane. That's not a community issue.. that's a state and law issue.

 

[Angela_96]

There is a lot that goes on like that.... vandleism isn't our biggest problem, we had at our local volenteer fire dept a mile up the road where my husband is the training officer someone broke in and stole all the jaws of life, chain saws, fire clothing that was there... and a bunch of other stuff.... no one is even investigating the incident!

 

[susitna-flower]

It's really sad that these kids have such disregard for living things and property that does not belong them.

Or that at 13 and 14 that their parents would not know where they were or what they were doing......OR that they had transportation to get in trouble like this.....it isn't like these things are easy....in a very rural community like this.....Tooooo many questions, but also things for us all to think of as we reflect.

 

[shortcut mary]

No Moral Compass...Let's see what happens to the 8 Florida teens that beat that girl unconscious.