I can’t sleep tonight. I am worried about my son. My nonconformist son who decided to stand across the street from his high school during the “walkout” today holding a sign that said “Don’t blame guns. Blame culture,” while his friend waved a Support Trump flag. A group of protestors, the same students who so eagerly walked out of school to join the cause of peace, chased down and threatened my son and his friend, while pushing and shoving them, until a school social worker and another student intervened. They were okay, thank God, but the school administration made the decision to send them home for the day for their safety, as the other students were “very upset.” What? Upset about what? Upset about the fact that my son had an opinion different from their own and decided to share it? In fact, these non-violent, peace-loving students must have been beyond just upset because the administration decided that it wouldn’t be safe for my son to return to school for the rest of the week.
I keep seeing videos and news articles showing the peaceful young protestors who are fed up with gun violence and want change. I get it. My heart breaks for the young people of today who can’t feel safe at school. I get it! But it’s not the gun’s fault. Tomorrow my son can’t feel safe at school because the same students who protested gun violence, have threatened him. Violence happens with or without guns. The guns just get more attention.
I pray for my son. I pray for the schools. I pray for families that have lost loved ones. I pray for the politicians and our President. I pray for the bullied and the bullies. We are all hurting. Only God can help us.
Jessica,
John & I were talking about this earlier tonight and can’t even fathom what your Son & his friend had to endure today….. it’s a sad day when kids can’t even express their opinions without getting chased and attacked by their peers & then having the school admins stand behind the ones that tried to harm them! Prayers for them🙏
Thank you so much for your prayers. It has been an emotional day. I am grateful for all of the support we have been given. ❤️
Hello Jess,
Thank you for sharing your sons experience of being bullied at his high schools walk out.
Let him know I think what he did was very brave .
Shame on the School for not expelling the kids that bullied your son!
Hi Tammy,
Thank you for your support. I will share it with my son. I am so proud of him and how he is handling things. God bless you.
Jess
Dear Jessica,
There is such terrible irony in this story, and I admire both you and your son for peacefully standing up for your beliefs. I will continue to pray for your family as you navigate through this trial. May others join you and share your son’s side of the story—the side the news will not cover.
Hi Kim,
We appreciate your prayers. We have received an outpouring of support through social media and we are truly grateful. ❤️ Jess
Jessica,
I am sickened by this. My husband was employed as a teacher at this school before being diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2011. When his health was such that he could no longer teach, he rode metro mobility in once a week to volunteer. He did this until a couple months before his death in 2015. He loved the students and staff and he thought SW was far and away the best school in the entire district. When I would go to school with him, I was impressed with nearly all the students and staff I met. I just viewed the school website today, and many of the teachers I remember Rick working with are now gone. I don’t know anything about this current principal, but I can’t imagine this happening under Dr. Smith, who was the principal when Rick was there. Perhaps his leadership allowed for the excellence that this school was known for. Apparently, SW is going the way of the rest of the district. Shame on this SW administration!!! I’m praying for your family with a heavy heart today.
I have to be honest……..I’m so tempted to email this current principal with my outrage.
Kim,
Thank you for sharing this with me. I am so sorry for your loss. My son has been a student at Southwest for three years. This school year a new administrative team
came on and things have really gone downhill. Overall, I think the school is really struggling. The fact that they have asked us to keep him home for his own safety really speaks to how bad things have gotten. We appreciate your prayers! Jess