Zaac
Well-Known Member
I wish we had a transcript of what exactly was asked of the boy. We do know, when asked what the device was, he responded with, "It's a clock". What we don't know is what were the follow up questions, such as, "Why did you bring it to school?"
He told why he brought it to school: To impress his teacher. He wants to go to MIT and be an engineer.
Knowing this information might shed some light on why the actions that were taken were taken. I'm not condemning the boy (although, again, I don't think what he did was very bright), but I'm not going to jump on the condemn-the-police bandwagon until I have more information.
They already had decided it wasn't a bomb as the kid kept telling them it was a clock. They didn't take any "it's a bomb" actions. So what purpose would exist for arresting the young man?
With the information I currently have, I can't say whether detaining him was the right or wrong answer. A question I do have, however, is why wasn't the school evacuated. This definitely looks suspect.
You know why it wasn't evacuated. They had already deduced it wasn't a bomb before they arrested him. He kept telling them it was a clock.
You can buy those little kits all over the place. I did something similar with providing kids the boards and circuitry to build their own computer.
So why arrest the kid for a hoax bomb when he's told you it's a clock and that he built it to impress his science teacher?
In the case of this story, it seems we (as a board and as a country) have immediately split into two factions: one who condemn the police, and one who applauds them. I'm trying not to become a part of either group until I can make an informed decision.
I think the police and the school administration condemned themselves on this one. The administrators could have investigated a little bit more especially if, IMO, you're the science teacher.
And the police actions just don't make any sense. And in that regard, neither do those of the administrators because if they really feared it was a bomb, then the administrators should have cleared the school before the police even arrived.
We used to get one or two bomb threats a year in high school. the building was always immediately cleared and then the police and fire department would show up to do their sweeps. I personally think someone in my Calculus class was making the calls because they seemed to interrupt exams. :laugh: