Text message threats cause widespread absenteeism
|
Educators are trying to determine the best way to deal with these text message threats which can spread in a matter of minutes and create panic for students and parents alike.
‘You have to take everything seriously,’ said Warren County Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. ‘It may turn out that 999 out of 1,000 times there’s nothing to it, but that 1,000th time it may be serious. A lot of times we have parents who are more concerned about it than the kids.’
Last month’s threat at the middle school was the second time text messages created a local panic. In April 2007, a text message scare caused 63 percent of the students at Warren County High School to either miss school or leave early.
Nationwide, there have been 28 cases this school year where text message threats have caused massive absences, according to the Web site schoolsecurity.org. The April 18 text message scare at WCMS is included on that Web site.
‘It’s amazing the number of student hours that are lost by something like this,’ said Hale. ‘It’s happening all over the country. It’s really a shame.’
With escalating school violence, safety can be as big a concern as reading and writing. School hit lists, death plots, and bomb threats are just some of the violence-related issues our schools face. With cellphones ingrained in schools, any whisper of trouble, real or imagined, travels quickly.
‘We are now dealing with Generation Text,’ said Ken Trump, president of the National School Safety and Security Services.
‘The rumors typically become greater than the issue, problem, or incident itself,’ continued Trump. ‘Rumors fly in minutes, not hours. Attendance can drop dramatically overnight and some school officials seem increasingly quick to shut down schools.’
Added Hale, ‘If one kid text messages five friends, then they text message five friends, it doesn’t take long before it reaches the whole building.’
A sampling of student absences in other cities over the past month includes:
‘ April 21, Columbia, Tenn. ‘ Massive absences occur at several Maury County Schools after rumors spread via text message following the funeral of two individuals associated with a Columbia gang who had been shot to death. School officials reportedly said nearly 70 percent of students were absent from one high school.
‘ April 21, Winchester, Ky. ‘ One-third of students leave school after a text message circulates saying a student is bringing a gun to school.
‘ April 16, Lodi, Calif. ‘ Approximately 450 of a high school’s nearly 2,000 students are absent after text-messaged rumors of a gang shooting spread.
School officials are faced with a catch-22. They don’t want to minimize any threat, but they don’t want to disrupt classes every time a student feels like pulling a text-message prank.
‘One way parents can help,’ said Dr. Hale, ‘is if they look at their child’s cellphone and see what’s going on.’