Reasons I am glad I homeschool: Local School Dangers

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

11 Apr 2007 02:41 PM

Today at a local school, probably 30 minutes from my front door, a student walked into school carrying what he said was a bomb. The child was a freshman, was 14 years old, and seemed confused and agitated. It will probably be weeks before anyone knows what his motives were.

Fortunately, disaster was averted, as the school, with a population of 1700 students, was evacuated and the "bomb" did not go off. Whether it was a real bomb or not, has not been disclosed. He surrendered a few hours later.

While I do not keep my children in my presence at all times, I truly fear sending them into a high school building with a couple of thousand children in a time of shootings, bomb threats and massacre.

To add to the deplorable and uncontrollable things that happen in local schools is incidents like last week's rash outbreak at a middle school that is still unexplained. Today, after the school was closed for 2 weeks and thoroughly cleaned, some unknown substance is still affecting children.

When I researched moving here to GA, and chose the county and city I did choose, had school crime been reported accurately, I probably would have chosen to live some place else. However, the reports being what they were, I settled here and put my children in public schools only to find that they were in constant danger, and that danger was horribly under reported. To prove I am not making this up, read this:

An August 26, 2005, story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution highlighted a federal audit citing three Georgia school districts as underreporting school crimes required to be reported under the "persistently dangerous school" law requirement. The report identified incidents including felony drug and weapons offenses, a terrorist threat and an aggravated battery that were not included on the systems' reports. The report claims that one district failed to report 28 misdemeanor drug incidents and three felony drug incidents.

My district was one of those that under reported school crimes.

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Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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Lyn Newton (3966) 12 Apr 2007 05:30 AM

As a teacher, I see so many children with much anger. I agree that it is very hard to send your children into an envirnoment full of other children that have had no direction in life and that can inform your child on some of the most horrific ideas. I know that it is not the fault of the child, but I sometimes find myself wanting to deter my children from befriending those from homes so different from mind. In today's world, one never knows what might happen. I fear for my children and grandchildren's future. While public education is my job, I hold nothing against you for wanting to keep your children as far from the madness as possible (especially in high school!)

Andrea Hermitt (5512) 12 Apr 2007 05:34 AM

Thank you Karri... it is a struggle every time I send my kids off on a group trip, or just to their academic and arts classes. My only consolation is that because they are in slightly more controlled environments with less children, chances are, they are safer. However that did not help the Amish children this past winter.

Yet, I know I can't keep them with me forever and send them out, and pray.