Slowpoke_Rodrigo
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STORY
Thursday, March 30, 2000
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BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Sixth grader targeted for pro-gun remarks
'A' student defends 2nd Amendment, flagged as violence risk
by Jon E. Dougherty
School officials at Harbor Lights Middle School flagged a Holland, Michigan boy as potentially dangerous because the 12-year-old suggested to a teacher that one way to prevent school shootings would be to arm instructors.
Derek Loutzenheiser, a model student who had such good grades that some teachers recommended he be tested early for a popular standardized pre-college performance test, made his comments in early March, after being asked by a social studies teacher what he thought might make kids safer in school.
Derek had been asked to participate in a classroom discussion about "school shootings and safety," said the sixth grader's father, Tim Loutzenheiser.
"My son simply stated that his opinion was that he would feel safer if some of the adults at the school were trained and allowed to carry firearms," Mr. Loutzenheiser told WorldNetDaily.
His reply caused him to be "flagged" as a potential violence risk by teachers and school administrators, who then contacted his parents to suggest they meet with the school's "Hazard and Risk Assessment Team."
"My wife and I were in disbelief when they (school officials) telephoned us and told us that's what they wanted to do," Loutzenheiser said. "We asked, 'Do you have the right kid?'"
In resulting talks with school officials, Loutzenheiser said he learned that his son "often spoke favorably about the First and Second Amendments, but the comment he made to his Social Studies teacher was the one that triggered this action."
School officials told the couple that because of Derek's comments he should be separated from the other students and forced to enter the school's "Mentor" program, where he would be studied by an adult supervisor who would monitor Derek's thought processes.
"We were told that this would be in the best interest of my son, and by doing this the school would not have to involve Social Services," Loutzenheiser said. "We refused."
At that point, the couple contacted an attorney in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan -- one referred to them through the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action. The couple has also been told by a representative from the Rutherford Institute, an international legal and educational civil liberties organization, that "they would be willing to take on this issue."
Loutzenheiser said when he and his wife, Shelly, arrived for the Hazard Team meeting Mar. 8, "We were outnumbered 7 to 2." He told WorldNetDaily that he wanted to make a good first impression with the members, so he shook each member's hand and introduced himself.
He also told them he had brought along a tape recorder and would be taping the proceedings since none of the legal organizations that said they would represent him could send a representative to the meeting on such short notice.
"My wife and I both saw a transformation from 'smugness' ... to looks of great concern on some of their faces," he said.
"What was odd about the purpose of this whole meeting," said Loutzenheiser, "was that three of the team members were Derek's teachers, and each of them said they didn't know there was any 'situation' with him. That got me to thinking, 'Then why are we here?'"
However, and though "team" members denied it, the elder Loutzenheiser said he believes teachers and school administrative personnel began to form a bad impression of his son when, in January of this year, the sixth grader refused to sign a "Red Letter" vow of peace to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
"The letter, which was written by the principal," Loutzenheiser said, "asked the students to take an oath to turn in their friends for suspicious activity, to vow to never defend themselves if attacked, and something to the effect of never to use a gun or other weapons. Derek simply told the principal, 'I'm not signing that.'
"I think that's what got him 'noticed' by some of the administrative staff at least," he said.
Of the meeting with "team" members, Loutzenheiser said, "We got right to the point and determined that the charges against my son are without merit. They all assured me that he is a wonderful student, gets straight A's, and because he is a little more advanced academically (at their suggestion he took the ACT test and scored very well) they feel he may need an 'adult' to talk to about issues."
Loutzenheiser admitted he didn't know what team members were implying about having Derek "talk to an adult about issues." He added, "We were able to determine that because my son knows and understands political and Constitutional issues so well, that he often speaks in terms not typical of a 12-year-old, and we should be assured they have no issues with this."
The couple believes Derek's Social Studies teacher was the impetus for the inquiry.
"She felt concern when Derek stated -- when she asked -- that he would feel safer if some of the adults would be trained and have access to firearms at school," said Derek's father. "Because this teacher felt this [was an] irrational threat, she spoke to other 'team' members who are also Derek's teachers."
The couple said they discovered that there had been a series of similar misunderstandings involving some of the things Derek had said in school -- none of which were threatening or dangerous.
One teacher, said Loutzenheiser, stated that he heard Derek speak of taking the hunter's safety course -- which was offered through the school -- and that Derek sometimes spoke about how he liked hunting.
Another teacher said that in her class, where his son helps write the school paper, he was tasked with reviewing a video game. The teacher, he said, felt that the game might contain violence but didn't feel "concern" until "after she spoke with the 'team.'"
One of the vice principals, the couple said, also felt Derek may need some "mentoring" because he was "attacked by three older students last September, in which Derek fought back and deterred his attackers on school property," Loutzenheiser said.
"They (school officials) wanted to reinforce how understanding they were, in light of the fact that the school has a zero tolerance policy -- no fighting even in self defense -- and how Derek was not punished in any way for defending himself," Loutzenheiser said.
However, his wife Shelly had inquired of teachers and school officials just a day before the meeting occurred, and "there were no issues yesterday, but they seemed to remember some today," he said.
"We also asked them why, if these problems were so terrible, no one had bothered to pick up the phone and call us before it came to this," said Loutzenheiser.
More disturbing to the couple was the school's constant alluding to "a list" -- ostensibly the same "list" their son, Derek, was on, albeit briefly.
"No one really explained what this 'list' was," Loutzenheiser said, "but from the sound of it, if you raised anyone's eyebrows at the school -- for any reason -- you made this 'list.'"
Jerry Klomparens, principal of Harbor Lights Middle School, told WorldNetDaily he could not discuss cases or incidents involving specific children. However, he spoke briefly about the school's "Mentor Program" policies, and said they were only administered after school officials obtained permission from a student's parents.
"We believe any educational processes must first come from parents," Klomparens said. "This program is only designed to help parents" meet special needs of certain students.
The principal explained that Harbor Lights uses the mentoring program to "match students who have particular interests up with teachers or adults (who are volunteers) who have similar interests."
When asked about the so-called "list" that Loutzenheiser mentioned, Klomparens reiterated that it was school policy "not to discuss the status of our students." He also said it was possible that some errors may have been made in the past in explaining the "mentor" program to some parents.
"It's not a real formal program," he said, adding that sometimes teachers suggest students whom they believe would benefit from it. Other than having mutual interests, Klomparens said neither teacher nor adult volunteer mentors have received any special training or qualifications.
But the Loutzenheisers remain unconvinced.
"Each of these people on the 'team' probably had no issue with Derek, but by virtue of assembling together and talking, they were able to feed upon each others' concerns, no matter how small, and allowed them to grow," said Tim Loutzenheiser. "We're convinced that Derek will now be placed under a microscope for observation more than ever."
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
Vote for the Neal Knox 13
Thursday, March 30, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Sixth grader targeted for pro-gun remarks
'A' student defends 2nd Amendment, flagged as violence risk
by Jon E. Dougherty
School officials at Harbor Lights Middle School flagged a Holland, Michigan boy as potentially dangerous because the 12-year-old suggested to a teacher that one way to prevent school shootings would be to arm instructors.
Derek Loutzenheiser, a model student who had such good grades that some teachers recommended he be tested early for a popular standardized pre-college performance test, made his comments in early March, after being asked by a social studies teacher what he thought might make kids safer in school.
Derek had been asked to participate in a classroom discussion about "school shootings and safety," said the sixth grader's father, Tim Loutzenheiser.
"My son simply stated that his opinion was that he would feel safer if some of the adults at the school were trained and allowed to carry firearms," Mr. Loutzenheiser told WorldNetDaily.
His reply caused him to be "flagged" as a potential violence risk by teachers and school administrators, who then contacted his parents to suggest they meet with the school's "Hazard and Risk Assessment Team."
"My wife and I were in disbelief when they (school officials) telephoned us and told us that's what they wanted to do," Loutzenheiser said. "We asked, 'Do you have the right kid?'"
In resulting talks with school officials, Loutzenheiser said he learned that his son "often spoke favorably about the First and Second Amendments, but the comment he made to his Social Studies teacher was the one that triggered this action."
School officials told the couple that because of Derek's comments he should be separated from the other students and forced to enter the school's "Mentor" program, where he would be studied by an adult supervisor who would monitor Derek's thought processes.
"We were told that this would be in the best interest of my son, and by doing this the school would not have to involve Social Services," Loutzenheiser said. "We refused."
At that point, the couple contacted an attorney in nearby Grand Rapids, Michigan -- one referred to them through the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action. The couple has also been told by a representative from the Rutherford Institute, an international legal and educational civil liberties organization, that "they would be willing to take on this issue."
Loutzenheiser said when he and his wife, Shelly, arrived for the Hazard Team meeting Mar. 8, "We were outnumbered 7 to 2." He told WorldNetDaily that he wanted to make a good first impression with the members, so he shook each member's hand and introduced himself.
He also told them he had brought along a tape recorder and would be taping the proceedings since none of the legal organizations that said they would represent him could send a representative to the meeting on such short notice.
"My wife and I both saw a transformation from 'smugness' ... to looks of great concern on some of their faces," he said.
"What was odd about the purpose of this whole meeting," said Loutzenheiser, "was that three of the team members were Derek's teachers, and each of them said they didn't know there was any 'situation' with him. That got me to thinking, 'Then why are we here?'"
However, and though "team" members denied it, the elder Loutzenheiser said he believes teachers and school administrative personnel began to form a bad impression of his son when, in January of this year, the sixth grader refused to sign a "Red Letter" vow of peace to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
"The letter, which was written by the principal," Loutzenheiser said, "asked the students to take an oath to turn in their friends for suspicious activity, to vow to never defend themselves if attacked, and something to the effect of never to use a gun or other weapons. Derek simply told the principal, 'I'm not signing that.'
"I think that's what got him 'noticed' by some of the administrative staff at least," he said.
Of the meeting with "team" members, Loutzenheiser said, "We got right to the point and determined that the charges against my son are without merit. They all assured me that he is a wonderful student, gets straight A's, and because he is a little more advanced academically (at their suggestion he took the ACT test and scored very well) they feel he may need an 'adult' to talk to about issues."
Loutzenheiser admitted he didn't know what team members were implying about having Derek "talk to an adult about issues." He added, "We were able to determine that because my son knows and understands political and Constitutional issues so well, that he often speaks in terms not typical of a 12-year-old, and we should be assured they have no issues with this."
The couple believes Derek's Social Studies teacher was the impetus for the inquiry.
"She felt concern when Derek stated -- when she asked -- that he would feel safer if some of the adults would be trained and have access to firearms at school," said Derek's father. "Because this teacher felt this [was an] irrational threat, she spoke to other 'team' members who are also Derek's teachers."
The couple said they discovered that there had been a series of similar misunderstandings involving some of the things Derek had said in school -- none of which were threatening or dangerous.
One teacher, said Loutzenheiser, stated that he heard Derek speak of taking the hunter's safety course -- which was offered through the school -- and that Derek sometimes spoke about how he liked hunting.
Another teacher said that in her class, where his son helps write the school paper, he was tasked with reviewing a video game. The teacher, he said, felt that the game might contain violence but didn't feel "concern" until "after she spoke with the 'team.'"
One of the vice principals, the couple said, also felt Derek may need some "mentoring" because he was "attacked by three older students last September, in which Derek fought back and deterred his attackers on school property," Loutzenheiser said.
"They (school officials) wanted to reinforce how understanding they were, in light of the fact that the school has a zero tolerance policy -- no fighting even in self defense -- and how Derek was not punished in any way for defending himself," Loutzenheiser said.
However, his wife Shelly had inquired of teachers and school officials just a day before the meeting occurred, and "there were no issues yesterday, but they seemed to remember some today," he said.
"We also asked them why, if these problems were so terrible, no one had bothered to pick up the phone and call us before it came to this," said Loutzenheiser.
More disturbing to the couple was the school's constant alluding to "a list" -- ostensibly the same "list" their son, Derek, was on, albeit briefly.
"No one really explained what this 'list' was," Loutzenheiser said, "but from the sound of it, if you raised anyone's eyebrows at the school -- for any reason -- you made this 'list.'"
Jerry Klomparens, principal of Harbor Lights Middle School, told WorldNetDaily he could not discuss cases or incidents involving specific children. However, he spoke briefly about the school's "Mentor Program" policies, and said they were only administered after school officials obtained permission from a student's parents.
"We believe any educational processes must first come from parents," Klomparens said. "This program is only designed to help parents" meet special needs of certain students.
The principal explained that Harbor Lights uses the mentoring program to "match students who have particular interests up with teachers or adults (who are volunteers) who have similar interests."
When asked about the so-called "list" that Loutzenheiser mentioned, Klomparens reiterated that it was school policy "not to discuss the status of our students." He also said it was possible that some errors may have been made in the past in explaining the "mentor" program to some parents.
"It's not a real formal program," he said, adding that sometimes teachers suggest students whom they believe would benefit from it. Other than having mutual interests, Klomparens said neither teacher nor adult volunteer mentors have received any special training or qualifications.
But the Loutzenheisers remain unconvinced.
"Each of these people on the 'team' probably had no issue with Derek, but by virtue of assembling together and talking, they were able to feed upon each others' concerns, no matter how small, and allowed them to grow," said Tim Loutzenheiser. "We're convinced that Derek will now be placed under a microscope for observation more than ever."
------------------
Slowpoke Rodrigo...he pack a gon...
Vote for the Neal Knox 13
