Death threats: 'I don't think any of them take it seriously'
BANDON, Ore. -- About a dozen parents attended the Bandon School Board meeting Monday night, hoping to get some answers about the handling of death threats made to students.
Police say a student at Ocean Crest Elementary gave death threats to multiple students for two months.
Authorities told KCBY News that a student had been passing death threats to other kids in notes from October to November of 2012.
According to police, they were not notified until a parent called a month after the alleged threats occurred.
The principal of the school, Elizabeth Olive, told KCBY News last week that the student was disciplined, and school staff and police will be talking to all the kids about how serious the issue was.
Two parents addressed the board members, asking why police and parents were not notified earlier.
The superintendent declined an on-camera interview, but a press release from the district says, "The school district appropriately handled student safety and discipline issues."
The release goes on to deny the threats lasting for two months, saying that they occurred over two days.
KCBY News has a call in to Bandon police to find out where the discrepancy lies between the time frame parents originally gave, and the district is denying.
Some parents at the meeting say they aren't satisfied. "I don't think they are taking this very seriously, I think this should have been the first topic of conversation in this meeting, not swimming pools, none of the other stuff," said Ocean Crest parent Kirk Frietag. "I don't think any of them take it seriously."
Frietag says he will continue to attend meetings, and he hopes more parents will too.
I don't think that the school dist that I am in takes 'bullying' seriously. My son has been bullied for 3 yrs and this last yr the school told me that my son needed the councelling and the other parents weren't called.  And these parents/teachers/school dist ppl wonder why there is soooo many teen suicides. NO ONE IS HELPING THE BULLIED KIDS!!!
Elementary students are capable of following through with such a threat. There needs to be some education for the teachers and students alike. Nothing may have ever come of the threats, but they need to make sure this child understands that it is not acceptable to threaten others lives. Here again is teaching children the value of a human life.
Every threat should be taken seriously and immediately reported to the police. Â There is no excuse for it, at any age.
 @Baldr Odinson I can understand your radical anti-gun, semi-trolling comments. But this one... wow. Seriously?
 @Baldr Odinson I'll remember that next time I see a 3 year old threaten to kill their brother.
 @PleaseBeSmart In that case, it is the parents who are most directly responsible.  And, yes, it should still be reported.
 @Baldr Odinson LOL. This is great. So no age is too young? My niece is coming up on the terrible 2s pretty soon.
 @PleaseBeSmart Yes, I meant it.  Case in point: there was a case a few years back in our area where a boy who was only 5 threatened to kill one of his classmates.  It was reported to police (I think because it happened at a school), and police showed up.  But it wasn't where they led him away in handcuffs and booked him or anything.  Rather, simply having a policeman show up and talk to the boy, AND getting the parents involved, illustrated to the boy the seriousness of the threat.  It also served as a wake-up call to the parents.
 @PleaseBeSmart  @Baldr Odinson I think that he means that the parents should step in and find out what the motivations of the toddler in question are... you know, parenting :-P
 @Baldr Odinson Report the threats of a toddlers to the police? Did you type that with a straight face?