La Rad
To put it mildly….
Friday (yesterday), I dropped Michael off at school as is our usual routine at about 7:40 AM. When I was driving back home, there were police, ambulances the whole nine yards heading back in the direction I had just left. I never thought something happened at the High School, as I was just there and all seemed normal.
Michael called me at 9:00 AM as I was on my way out the door to bring Matthew to school. He said someone was stabbed in the boys bathroom. I said do you want me to come get you. He said the school was in lockdown and I couldn’t come get him. At that point, the kids didn’t know who the boys were that were involved or if the stabber was still in the building. An hour later my neighbor called and said the boy who was stabbed had died and they were releasing the kids. He came home somewhat shell shocked. He said they were all in the cafeteria for one hour, then the gym for another hour, then dismissed, with little information. It wasn’t until we saw the press conference that we got names. He was in the same grade with the boy who died but he was new to Sudbury and Michael didn’t know him. He didn’t know the stabber boy either. That boy is on the cover of the major newspapers today, as is his victim.
Everytime they said “15 year old Freshman at Lincoln-Sudbury High School…” I disassociated.
Very tragic for both families. The family of the boy that died, whose name is James, just moved here from Natick. I’m guessing they moved here for the school system. Horrible. The other boy has some serious special needs and doesn’t live in Sudbury, he attended the school through an outreach program. I have not gone anywhere in town, as I’m sure this is all that’s being discussed. Nothing like having the fact that no one is safe -anywhere -ever –brought right to your school’s boys room. Adding to the creepiness of it is that this episode took place in East House…the school is divided into four houses. Michael’s house is East House. It’s probably the bathroom he uses when he uses it. There was another kid in another stall as this was taking place. The stabber boy went into the East House office, blood on his hands yelling “it was an accident”. A knife to the abdomen, heart and slashing of someone’s throat. Quite an accident. I feel so sorry for that kid too. Two lives over. He turned himself in without incident.
To the school’s credit, they did an EXCELLENT job containing those kids, telling them not to talk to the press and getting them out of there in an orderly fashion. Kudos to all of them for keeping our kids safe and for their compassion when I’m sure inside they felt the same feeling I did when Michael called to say someone had been stabbed. They brought hall monitors over from local schools (7 from Acton) to be on the safe side. As it turns out, the school JUST, two days ago, did a Lockdown training session. Prescient?
I am in an altered state by this. I am grateful he didn’t know either boy as that would make it ten times worse. After he came home yesterday he was either texting, IM’ing or on his cell all afternoon. I figure that’s his therapy. Networking. I asked him how he thought school would be come Monday and he said it would probably be very sad. “On one hand, a kid got killed there. But it’s still school.” They have grief counselors there this weekend. I asked him if he felt the need to go he said “No, but you can”. My wise son.
As for Matthew…he informed me he is never using the bathroom at school again.
I wonder what Monday will bring. Probably metal detectors.
While I am by no means comparing, I cannot fathom how Columbine recovered.