3rd-Graders' Plot To Attack Teacher Foiled

Ga. Cops Say Kids Planned To Bind Teacher With Handcuffs And Stab Her With Steak Knife

(AP)  A group of third-graders plotted to attack their teacher, bringing a broken steak knife, handcuffs, duct tape and other items for the job and assigning children tasks including covering the windows and cleaning up afterward, police said Tuesday.

The plot involving as many as nine boys and girls at Center Elementary School in south Georgia was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said.

School officials alerted police Friday after a pupil tipped off a teacher that a girl had brought a weapon to school. Tanner said the students apparently planned to knock the teacher unconscious with a crystal paperweight, bind her with the handcuffs and tape and then stab her with the knife.

"We did not hear anybody say they intended to kill her, but could they have accidentally killed her? Absolutely," Tanner said. "We feel like if they weren't interrupted, there would have been an attempt. Would they have been successful? We don't know."

The children, ages 8 to 10, were apparently mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of them for standing on a chair, Tanner said.

Two of the students were arrested on juvenile charges Tuesday and a third arrest was expected. District Attorney Rick Currie said other students told investigators they didn't take the plot seriously or insisted they had decided not to participate.

"Some of the kids said, `We thought they were just kidding,"' Currie said. "Another child was supposed to bring a toy pistol, and he told a detective he didn't bring it because he thought he would get in trouble."

Currie said the children are too young to be charged as adults, and probably too young to be sentenced to a youth detention center.

Police seized a steak knife with a broken handle, steel handcuffs, duct tape, electrical and transparent tape, ribbons and the paperweight from the students, Tanner said.

Currie said he decided to seek juvenile charges against two girls, ages 9 and 10, who brought the knife and paperweight and an 8-year-old boy who brought tape. He said all three students faced charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and both girls were being charged with bringing weapons to school.

Nine children have been given discipline up to and including long-term suspension, said Theresa Martin, spokeswoman for the Ware County school system. She would not be more specific but said none of the children had been back to school since the case came to light.

The purported target is a veteran educator who teaches third-grade students with learning disabilities, including attention deficit disorder, delayed development and hyperactivity, friends and parents said.

The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child's job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, he said. Another was supposed to clean up after the attack.

"We're not sure at this point in the investigation how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher," Tanner said.

He said the teacher told detectives the children involved weren't known as troublemakers.

"You can't dismiss it," Tanner said. "But because they are kids, they may have thought this was like a cartoon - we do whatever and then she stands up and she's OK. That's a hard call."

The parents of the students have cooperated with investigators, who aren't allowed to question the children without their parents' or guardians' consent, he said. Authorities have withheld the children's names.

Martin told The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that administrators would follow school system policy and state law in disciplining the students.

"From what I understand, they were considered pretty good kids," Martin said. "But we have to take this seriously, whether they were serious or not about carrying this through, and that's what we did."

Four mothers of other third-grade students at Center Elementary called for the immediate expulsion of the suspected plotters.

Stacy Carter and Deana Hiott both cited school system policy stating that any student who brings "anything reasonably considered to be a weapon" is to be expelled for at least the remainder of the school year.

"We don't want our children around them," Carter told the Times-Union. "The one with the knife could have stabbed my child or someone else's child at lunch or out on the playground."

"This is an isolated incident, an aberration. ... We have good kids," Center Principal Angie Coleman told the newspaper.

[newsterl]

And if the teacher did anything wrong the legal system will suppress it, until court. As an adult she''''s knows to cover her butt and not say she did wrong (she maybe doesn''''t realize it), her lawyer will tell her keep her mouth shut.

debbysue63

Are you SERIOUS??? you dont read the news much do you? you dont notice all the people who are for all intents and purposes tried and convicted by the MEDIA before the person even had their FIRST court date!
Soon as there is an arrest or some event happens, the media starts speculating and then quoting sources who all hide behind ''spoke on condition of anonymity...'' then they will STATE that the reporter did not ''immediately'' receive a return call from the persons LAWYER.

[newsterl]

newsterl,these r not "cutesy" PC terms, The "N" word and retarded are negative terms w/not so nice history behind them, especially when used for bad name calling."

Well using the term '' THE N WORD" is not going to disguise it into something else- everyone knows exactly what word that is covering up, it doesnt fool anyone and is stupid- CONTEXT and INTENT is the key with a word like that, any idiot can tell when you are using the word in a demeaning way and when you are using it to say... describe an event in history, quote a 19th century book, poem etc.

"Its OK to speakout when u "BULLCHIT", we''''re adults, we know what your saying. "

Thats right, you do, but last time I checked CBS has the real word bullshi.t CENSORED, just like se.x, ga.y dic.k cheney and a few others.

"I teach my kid there is no sense in cursing because its just adding a negative verb. Why curse it dont nice when you could use other words that make the point."

There are many occasions when a good CURSE word is the only one that really fits, for example, you just crashed your little toe into the metal bedpost while going to the bathroom late at night in a groggy sleep, do you scream and go; "OUCH!!!! OH F....K THAT HURT LIKE A SON OF A...!!!!" or do you say "Oh, dear! that certainly caused me pain, it may be broken"

which is why the media uses a phrase like "the N word" which we ALL know and know what they mean, but people are too chicken to SAY the word. Same with "Retarded" "crippled" "blind" "deaf" etc have all become these cutesy PC terms, newsterl
Newsterl,these r not "cutesy" PC terms, The "N" word and retarded are negative terms w/not so nice history behind them, especially when used for bad name calling. Its OK to speakout when u "BULLCHIT", we''re adults, we know what your saying. I teach my kid there is no sense in cursing because its just adding a negative verb. Why curse it don''t nice when you could use other words that make the point. And if the teacher did anything wrong the legal system will suppress it, until court. As an adult she''s knows to cover her butt and not say she did wrong (she maybe doesn''t realize it), her lawyer will tell her keep her mouth shut. I grew up in a bad area in the 70''s, riots, drugs,ect. I saw everyday at shcool. It wasn''t just the students, teachers too. Kids react to stimuli they are given to react to.

which is why the media uses a phrase like "the N word" which we ALL know and know what they mean, but people are too chicken to SAY the word. Same with "Retarded" "crippled" "blind" "deaf" etc have all become these cutesy PC terms, newsterl
Newsterl,these r not "cutesy" PC terms, The "N" word and retarded are negative terms w/not so nice history behind them, especially when used for bad name calling. Its OK to speakout when u "BULLCHIT", we''re adults, we know what your saying. I teach my kid there is no sense in cursing because its just adding a negative verb. Why curse it don''t nice when you could use other words that make the point. And if the teacher did anything wrong the legal system will suppress it, until court. As an adult she''s knows to cover her butt and not say she did wrong (she maybe doesn''t realize it), her lawyer will tell her keep her mouth shut. I grew up in a bad area in the 70''s, riots, drugs,ect. I saw everyday at shcool. It wasn''t just the students, teachers too. Kids react to stimuli they are given to react to.

[newsterl]

Newsterl, you need to get a life. You must not have one. You''''ve posted info on serial killers, the bible, bad children, b/genetics, b/seeds. All negative.
Ddebbysue63


I got plenty of a life, I also have plenty of opinions and I freely express them with no PC bullchit or mind games, that''s the problem today- too many people playing too many PC word games which is why the media uses a phrase like "the N word" which we ALL know and know what they mean, but people are too chicken to SAY the word. Same with "Retarded" "crippled" "blind" "deaf" etc have all become these cutesy PC terms.

Maybe you missed it, but the news is 99% NEGATIVE, just happens to be CBS has been posting stories ABOUT the bibull or related, killers, children etc- those are all negative stories- I cant help THAT.

"People should consider the odds that the teacher may have done something wrong."

Well the news story has not said the teacher did ANYTHING wrong, if the teacher had you can BET they would have found and published even a hint of it by now.


" You must be an instigating retired (fired)teacher, a hermit that surrounds yourself with news and thinks news is the only world."

LOL nothing further from the truth on both accounts. I''m a successful artist and run an on-line business that does nicely- despite the economy.

Newsterl, you need to get a life. You must not have one. You''ve posted info on serial killers, the bible, bad children, b/genetics, b/seeds. All negative. People should consider the odds that the teacher may have done something wrong. You must be an instigating retired (fired)teacher, a hermit that surrounds yourself with news and thinks news is the only world. There are good things in the world out here. The hard world lived by our ancesters wasn''t that bad. The industrial revolution ruined that, MANufactured, not natural. Some spankings are good, but ruler to the hand causes arthritis later in life, not good. Your user ID newsterl,I hope is NEW STERL, meaning newly sterilized. I don''t want to deal w/negatives like you, my kids world needs better. GET COUNSELING!

[newsterl]

The problem was not that prayer was removed from schools causing all this, it was corporal punishment that was removed- creating psychopathic brats who know they can do anything they like and no one can do anything more than suspend them- giving them a free vacation basically, because they can SUE or have the police come.

The kid breaks up a desk in anger and the teach says/does something, now the PARENTS come to the brat''s defense and sues the school.

[newsterl]

Now, back to the teacher, a VETERAN teacher, can you say Menopause, burn out, Come on 9 to 1 odds, 7 to 8 months into the school year, that teacher pissed some kids off."

So basically you are condemning the teacher w/o knowing a thing about her and making assumptions that she must have done something to ''make'' the kids want to plot to kill her. You make the incorrect assumption that all children are apple pie and tulips little dolls who can do no wrong, are innocent and need to be coddled, you don''t accept the fact that there are just BAD SEEDS born that way- the Jeffrey Dahmer, Adolph Hitler, Charlie Manson types. You figure that it''s normal for a ''hyperactive'' kid with a ''learning disability''- (the new PC term for what was called retarded) to get so angry with their teacher for scolding them for disrupting the class, that they have an EXCUSE to plot (as victims of being scolded) the murder of that terrible teacher who was so MEAN.
Maybe they should have been thwapped upside the head or had their fingers whacked with the pointer on teacher''s desk like they used to do in the old days- it got results and the kids stopped. Now they know teach cant touch them (or the parents) because they can SUE or sic mommy/daddy/police on them for ''assault'' and they act accordingly.

[newsterl]

If you take 1,000 cases of people going into the hospital for major surgery or transplant, a percentage of that 1,000 will die on the table or later of complications, was it the fault of the surgery all 1,000 got or was it the fault of some WEAKNESS in a few individuals who coudldn''t handle the anaesthesia or the stress of the surgery?

[newsterl]

Ask the CDC and the FDA, they know this is true. I know it because they poisoned my daughter, I found out about this when she had a seizure 2 days after her immunization.

debbyesue63

Then your child is GENETICALLY DEFECTIVE, because 99% of the rest of society gets the SAME vaccines and there''s NO problem, the few who have a vaccine reaction are probably allergic to pollen, ragweed, dog hair, wheat and have other problems.

You take 1,000 people at random and you will find a certain number of them WILL have problems, if it''s only 1% then 10 of them will have a problem, but the other 990 DONT, so is it the fault of the medicine being that 990 took it with no problems, or the fault of the TEN?

[newsterl]

Bullchit Debbysue63, ADD and all that are real yes, BUT it all goes back to the PARENTS, like I said- skummy parents have skummy children- its genetic, and its taught depending on what the problem is.

"cheap perservatives in vaccines that stay on a shelf for 3 to 5 years before they are even used. That is why not only our children, but adults are so quick to stress, which again in the vicious circle we are spinning in, we need antianxietys, antidepressants, muscle relaxers for our "

Oh STOP!! you want stress stories? how about the kids born in the 1880''s to parents who had to work their azzes off or starve to death, there was no SS, disability, welfare, foodstamps, home heating assistance, school buses to drive the kids 2 blocks to school etc- they had to work their azzes off morning to dark, go to school, do homework, get up before school milk the cows, butcher the chickens, buch the hay or whatever else was required and then WALK to school which might have been a couple of MILES away in a snow storm.

We have stress and all the rest of the problems today because we have DOUBLE the population we did in 1950, thats a FACT.

We are now on a natural and organic diet which is helping and the symptoms of the vaccine poisons are slowly wearing off. Someone mentioned it in an earlier post, it is true. 8 years ago I did research on MSG poisoning and got the same results. They cause ADD, ADHD, Autism, Anxiety (thats just the A''s!), muscle problems, tension, addiction, Parkinsons! Eventually Diabeties, because our endocrine system can''t keep up and gives up. Kids with ADD ect. put on a no preservative diet got better. Now, back to the teacher, a VETERAN teacher, can you say Menopause, burn out, Come on 9 to 1 odds, 7 to 8 months into the school year, that teacher pissed some kids off. Hyperactive people fight or flight... don''t run they fight. Learning disabled...any complaint or problem they mentioned would not be taken seriously. Everyday a bully picks on a kid, that kid retaliates to protect themselves and their the one that gets in trouble, not the bully. Those are just kids in that class, the teacher is an adult. Yes the kids may need counseling for their decision, they need to know they went about it wrong. They also need to know how to handle a problem when they have one and to know that it shouldn''t have to go this far for someone to take them seriously. Newsterl, I''ve read your other comments and you really need to do some reasearch on this and life in general, not yours, but others. Step out into the real world!
OK, I''m done ranting ;) Everyone else, sorry ''bout that.

The vaccines we are giving our kids don''t only contain mercury (which is the scape goat, not the real harmful chemical), but fermaldehyde and gluteraldehyde are the ingredients that are doing all the damage. Fermaldehyde can''t go into nail polish by law because it is so harmful and recently on the newsthe new mobile homes sent to New Orleans had to be replaced because it harmed the people that moved in them. Starting the day our children are born they start shooting them up with vaccines that have fermaldehyde and gluteraldehyde in them. Poison our kids so Joe Blow at a pharmacuetical company can save a few bucks by putting cheap perservatives in vaccines that stay on a shelf for 3 to 5 years before they are even used. That is why not only our children, but adults are so quick to stress, which again in the vicious circle we are spinning in, we need antianxietys, antidepressants, muscle relaxers for our tensions, so pharms. can make more money. Ask the CDC and the FDA, they know this is true. I know it because they poisoned my daughter, I found out about this when she had a seizure 2 days after her immunization. At the time I was taking a class in Psychopharmocology, so I did the research on it and lived it at the same time. If your kids are eating preserved out foods, they are getting a double dose of it and no med in the world can help.

"Scummy parents breed skummy children and this ADD, AHDD, ''''learning disabilities'''' is nothing but excusive KRAP designed to take responsibility away from the person and make them into a ''''victim''''
newsterl".
Get an education, newsterl! ADD and ADHD are for real. It''s not the parents at fault. It''s many different biological problems caused by harmful things in our environment that cause our neurotransmitters to speed up, short out and brain functions to not work properly. Autism is related to this too. Though sometimes it may seem that kids are just being kids and adults (need Xanax) don''t have enough patience to raise them, because they are too busy working 2 jobs to pay the bills and for meds that make us need more meds. Kids don''t have physical education anymore, so they end up with energy bottled up inside that comes out looking like hyperactivity disorder.

[newsterl]

As I read this story the only question that repeatedly came to mind was, "What did the teacher do to make the children react in such a way that they felt they had to go this far?"
Now I understand that the class was of children with ADD, ADHD, and various learning disabilities.
debbysue63

They need a reason? nowadays you just LOOK at someone ''wrong'' and they can pull a weapon on you, a simple ''invasion of space'' on the freeways turns into a raging gun battle, a driver impatient with the truck ahead who isnt moving, gets out of his truck and smashes the window of the other driver and so it goes.
Story already said what the teacher did;

"mad at the teacher because she had scolded one of
them for standing on a chair,"

No doubt you go backwards and you''ll find the PARENTS probably punch out the pizza delivery guy because he was ''late'' with their order, or they trash a neighbors car in the lot because it wasnt parked the way they want.
Scummy parents breed skummy children and this ADD, AHDD, ''learning disabilities'' is nothing but excusive KRAP designed to take responsibility away from the person and make them into a ''victim''

[txbucky]

For those of you who are blaming the teacher; you should be looking at the home life of the children and what are the disabilities of the children. I have eight neices and nephews and half are in those age ranges and several have disabilities caused by thier biological parents wrong doings. If the childrens parents played more of a role in the childs life, as well as the the teacher and parents understanding their childs disabilities this may not have happened. But you can not automatically say, "It''s the teacher''s fault and she must have done something wrong". Has your child ever got mad at you when you diciplined them for doing something wrong..you betcha they did. Wake up people.

[jetblaze-2009]

the devil is alive and he walks among our children. we as parents need to protect our young. how could this happen and we as parent are not aware of what our children are thinking. 3rd graders!!! parents pay attention, to many of our young are dying fast. signs of times and abomination to the end....

[shantelly-2009]

The childrent evidently didnt know the seriousness of the situation. Those childrent cannot be blames for this, Maybe the parents should just speak to them and find out what made them go to these extremes. Like someone said earlier the teacher had to have done something more then just scold one child, i meen why would all nine of them react??? That i my question. The situation needs to be dug deeper.

As I read this story the only question that repeatedly came to mind was, "What did the teacher do to make the children react in such a way that they felt they had to go this far?"
Now I understand that the class was of children with ADD, ADHD, and various learning disabilities. These kids are not stupid, they have disabilities they have no control over. They also have the ability to know when they''ve been wronged and because of there "disability" in occasions that fight or flight come to the issue, they are more likely to fight. Why did they fight? This teacher had also scolded, 1 of them for standing on a chair (?) How did she scold that child....Did she do it in front of the other children...Were the other children scolded too (which happens and is wrong to blame all students for what one or more do)... Is that 1 scolding the only situation that happened all year? I''m not saying the children were justified by what they had planned to do, I''m saying the big question is, What did the teacher do to make the children go to this extreme to protect themselves. I do feel the children were most likely trying to protect themselves, I do not feel they were acting out of vengence and that they did this because of 1 incidence of scolding. NINE kids felt the teacher needed to be punished, WHY?

[newsterl]

As can be seen from just those few cases, school prayer doesnt make any difference, in those cases religion was the problem;

Marcus Wesson orders the death of 9 of his children all spawned of ...
... endorsed it. He justified his sickness by reading the girls Bible passages
containing references to men with multiple wives. "God ...
www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/marcus_wesson/4.html

John List, famous murderer - The Crime Library - The Crime library
... Most nights, they read the Bible together, a practice John kept up until he murdered
her. Alma List. ... They liked to read and discuss the Bible. ...
www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/list/8.html

Fathers who kill & why they do it - The Crime library
... On January 22, 2004, in Atlanta , Georgia , a 6-year-old girl was found beaten
and strangled to death and covered with pages torn from a Bible. ...
www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/fathers_who_kill/4.html