See last night’s blog for the back story.

In todays news, apparently cooler heads have prevailed and the 18 year old student who was jacked up for safety concerns will not actually face expulsion.

Finally we have some details about who said what.

Student will return to classes at HCHS

There will not be a tribunal for Justin Martin, 18. He isn’t even suspended, even though he is spending the next few days at home and will be back at school on Monday.

..

Those steps last week came after school officials started receiving phone calls that students at the high school had been threatened by the teenager, that he had a gun, that he had a list, that he was dangerous.

His grandmother, with whom he lives, was called last Wednesday and told to take him home, after students started texting that he had threatened someone.

In reality, he did not threaten anyone. His third block class was discussing the massacre at Virginia Tech when a girl asked him if he would “bring a gun to school and kill somebody.”

The question stopped the discussion cold, and Justin answered, “That’s a personal question. I’m not going to respond.”

Soon, the halls were buzzing, students were texting cell phone messages to each other and to their parents, and Justin was called to the offices of assistant principals David Miller and Derek Jones.

After listening to his side of the story, Justin said, they assured him everything was all right, but sent him home anyway. They told him to return to school the next day.

Hart County School Superintendent Nancy Clark said she was notified of the incident by Assistant Superintendent Glorianne Patterson.

“She told me what had occurred and how it was handled, according to the code of conduct. It continues to be handled that way,” Clark said.

“I am pleased with the way the high school addressed the issue and protected the students. The board was informed.”

Clark said the incident was blown out of proportion because “it came at a time when people are panicking” over the Virginia Tech incident.

Uh, no.  It was blown out of proportion BECAUSE people are panicking over VT.  Be honest here.

Principal Dennis Brown said he and counselors took the statements as a threat.

He had several journals of “inappropriate” writing in his backpack, Brown said. He was not carrying a weapon of any sort.

But, Justin said, when he sat down with Brown, the principal said, “What’s this about you telling some girl she’s number 3?”

“I told him, I think hit lists are completely stupid, and I’m not going to blow 20 (years) of the rest of my life away for being bullied,” Justin said.

The inappropriate writings were, apparently, lyrics Justin writes “when I get mad.”

As a precaution, Brown had Justin taken to the police department in handcuffs. There, the young man said, he was interrogated and later put into a holding cell.

Around 2:30 p.m., he was released.

The chief and an investigator told me, ‘we searched your room’ and couldn’t find anything. They told me, ‘We owe you an apology; you are free to go. There are no charges.’”

Nice that the police apologized, but the school cannot.

That still did not take care of charges at school because a tribunal was planned within 10 days, and he could very well be expelled.

However, Brown said he and his staff had not had time to talk with the police until after Chief Cecil Reno and investigators talked to students and visited Justin’s home.

April 24, Brown said that, after he and other officials had time so talk about the situation, it was decided there is no evidence Justin did anything wrong.

No kidding.

Christian said she thinks Brown “handled this whole thing unjustly. It should have been handled on Wednesday.

It does raise a valid question.  If the fears of the administrators were alerted on Wednesday, why not detain and search his stuff then?

Why encourage the boy to return the next day if you are worried he is a threat?

Publicity?

“I just hope this doesn’t happen any more to any other child down there,” Christian said.

And, she said she is unsure of how her grandson will be treated at school, “or if Brown is going to do what he said he is going to do.  I’m feeling wary of Brown right now.

“We’re sending children to get an education and have someone they can look up to, and it’s not happening there,” Christian said.

She said Jones and Miller told her not to keep Justin home on Wednesday, but to let him come to school Thursday.

“They told him everything was ok,” she said.

Not so much.

“It’s unfortunate that, in the eyes of the community,” the student was guilty. “That’s not the case,” Brown said.

Justin dresses “differently,” wearing black T-shirts and baggy pants.

Justin said his shirts usually have logos of heavy metal bands from one specific label.

He wears a distinctive hair cut and a heavy chain he said his girl friend gave him.

“Justin marches to the beat of a different drummer,” Brown said, but, he added, “He’s not the only one that dresses differently.”

Brown said he has students who wear really baggy pants, or who wear cowboy hats, boots, and belts with big buckles.

Sure, we don’t worry bout the rappers or the rednecks, just the heavy metal kids.

Although some administrators have told Justin he should “tone down” the way he dresses to “fit in,” Brown said, “I don’t think he needs to change his personality.”

Yea, that is really inappropriate.  Why force the kid to sacrifice individuality?

Brown said the “cooling off” period is not punitive.

Well not officially, and in fact maybe it is a good idea to put some time into the mix.  But it is not like the boy will not face some scrutiny when he returns.

“He’ll keep working at home. We’re getting his school work to him, and he’ll be back in class April 30.”

I wonder if he will knuckle under, wear some jeans and a flannel shirt with a big ass gaudy rodeo buckle so he can be one of the good old boys?

God I hope not.  Maybe I should offer to loan him my old Ozzy Osborne shirt….

All this has done is reinforce my suspicion about the agenda of the administrators.  My friend followed up this story with a few final thoughts:

When my Mom, My son Justin and My Uncle who use to be Magistrate Judge of Hartwell

Maybe now we see why the principle backed off….

…met with the principal it was a heated discussion…

To have been a fly on the wall…

Good luck Justin, and LSU is happy you were vindicated.

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