Dear Billy T and Somerville Speakup Line,
We got this letter below from the principal and superintendent this week, this is so scary!
FYI these are 5th graders!!! I want to also mention that a 6th grader told a teacher he wants to be a school shooter!! The punishment for all of this is only suspension!!!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Early this afternoon, we were made aware that 3 Argenziano School students each had a knife in their possession while at school. One of the students reportedly showed the knife to a younger student and verbally threatened the student to not tell anyone that the student was carrying the knife. The knives have been recovered and the 3 students were immediately removed from school, and the Somerville Police Department has been notified.
This incident is in clear violation of our school safety protocols. Any type of weapon is strictly prohibited in our schools or on school grounds regardless of whether the item is considered a “recreational item”. Our process is clear: any student who brings or has in their possession any type of weapon while on school grounds will be suspended immediately, Somerville Police Department will be notified, and the student may face expulsion. As is customary, we will also work with the students and their families to provide whatever support they may need.
We urge parents and guardians to be vigilant of your child’s access to items that may present a danger to themselves or to others. Such items can often be obtained off the internet or in sporting goods stores. Please also remind your children of our strict protocol regarding possession of any type of weapon in our schools or on school grounds.
Glenda Soto, Interim Principal Mary Skipper, Superintendent
Interesting to see the responses here….typical for the “New Somerville”
Context matters. If they’re going to write a letter like this they should clarify the circumstances so we know whether it’s an actual bad thing (real, sharp knives with intention to use them) or just a case of overreacting on the part of the school (5th graders fooling around with knives they brought from the kitchen table). Otherwise people will jump the worst case conclusions, as they did a few years back at the high school.
As a former student of this school, teachers should really look into the bullying that happens in this school.
Totally agree
There is a formal investigation going on, please do not post such things to alarm people. I am a teacher at the school and I do not feel unsafe in anyway…please before we post these things let Somerville public schools and the police department do the investigation and let us protect all students even the ones involved.
We all know how the “investigations” at the Argenziano go! Please it’s laughable. I think someone also needs to investigate the bullying going on in the school. We know the administration will sweep this under the rug making it seem less alarming than it is.
The bullying at this school is outrageous. My son is a victim of it daily, and the Principal thinks it is just kids being kids, but when my child is coming home daily upset and scared to go to school, that is called, BULLYING. There is a defined line of who is treated one way and who is treated another way this school, and if you fall under the wrong category; it’s hopeless. We relocated to Somerville a few years ago to give our son a chance at a safe environment and a good school system, instead, he has received daily bullying and fear in school.
There is a lot of things that happen in the Somerville schools that teachers and parents are not notified about. They are concerned about much smaller issues regarding behavior and self control when in this day and age there are much bigger problems and issues to be dealt with.
I used to go to that school kindergarten to 3rd grade but then I want to a new school called prostpect hill I am in seventh grade and to be honest in my old school I did nothin but easy work and that school mostly focus on sports and prospect hill focused on learning so think you should bring your kid to my school and we would treat them will nothing but respect.
Like tolerance and correcting a preteen’s silly mistake? You’re right, those are bigger issues.
Meanwhile, OP, what should the appropriate punishment be for brandishing a butter knife? Stoning? Tarred and feathered? Made to wear a Scarlet “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” patch? Better yet let’s bring back the stocks and put 10 year olds on display to publicly shame them because we all never did anything stupid when we were 10.
If you want to feign outrage, why don’t YOU run a school?
Butter knife? Where did you get your info? It was not a butter knife get your facts right!!! Camping/pocket knife more like it. No weapons of any kind in school 0 tolerance.