student reprimanded for tackling a knife wielding classmate

[Drache]

Grade 7 student Briar MacLean was reprimanded for tackling a knife wielding classmate

There was a time when 13-year-old Briar MacLean would have been hailed as a hero for saving a fellow student.

It takes courage and conviction to tackle someone threatening a classmate with a knife — but instead of a pat on the back, the Grade 7 student at Sir John A. Macdonald school was taught a harsh lesson in minding his own business.

"I received a call from the school's vice-principal indicating there was an incident at the school and that my son had been involved," said Leah O'Donnell, Briar's mom.

"I was informed that my son was in trouble for being a part of it."

Kids getting in trouble at school is nothing new — but Briar, according to what the vice-principal told his mom, was in the hot seat for preventing a potential tragedy on Tuesday morning.

The trouble started over an altercation between two boys at the school, located at 6600 4 St. N.W.

Again, school scraps are nothing unique — but then one of the boys pulled out a knife, turning an angry scuffle into something far more serious and potentially deadly.

At this point, according to the strict rules of the Calgary Board of Education junior high, MacLean should have left the scene to find a teacher, abandoning the unarmed student to his fate.

But instead of doing what was required, MacLean did what was right.

The young teen charged into the fray and tackled the knife-brandishing student.

The jolt sent the student and knife to the floor, leaving the potential stabber with a nasty bump on his noggin — but that was the extent of injuries received at Sir John A. Macdonald school that day.

No cuts, no stab wounds, and no need to call an ambulance — all thanks to a kid who chose to act rather than cower or run.

"He pulled out his flip knife so I came in and pushed him into the wall," said MacLean.

"It was just to help the other kid so he wouldn't get hurt."

MacLean's reward was a day in the office, removed from the other students, and a stern lecture about not playing the hero.

Thankfully, the boy has a family to tell him what's right.

"They told him they don't condone heroics in the school and he wasn't allowed to go back to class for the day," said O'Donnell.

"Isn't that horrible? We've taught him to do the right thing, and to step in — in our family we teach our children that they need to stand up for others and not run from danger out of self-preservation."

The school itself didn't return calls Wednesday, and a spokeswoman with the Calgary Board of Education said details of the incident couldn't be discussed due to privacy regulations.

But the Calgary Police Service confirmed they were called to Sir John A. Macdonald school that morning, where a student had pulled a knife while fighting with another, and a third boy had intervened to disarm the student.

The student with the knife has apparently been suspended and police are still investigating, meaning charges have not been ruled out.

In the meantime, MacLean has been left to believe he's done something wrong — though thankfully, he says he'd do it all over again.

His mom, meanwhile, is fighting back, exposing the school's attitude on the matter and saying students shouldn't be taught that sticking up for others is wrong.

"When did we decide as a society to allow our children to grow up without spines? Without a decent sense of the difference between right and wrong?" reads the letter she wrote to the Sun.

Obviously, no school will encourage kids to place themselves in harm's way — but to condemn a student who likely saved another from serious injury or even death is a terrible lesson for the entire junior high.

"We're coddling kids and that doesn't make for strong individuals when they grow up," said O'Donnell.

"What are we teaching these children?"

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/05/31/grade-7-student-briar-maclean-was-reprimanded-for-tackling-a-knife-wielding-classmate-at-sir-john-a-macdonald-school

[JB400]

  for the kid for standing up for what he believes in.  He did do the right thing.  Tip of the hat to him.

The school on the other hand

[XH29N0G]

From my perspective as an adult, it seems a twisted.  But it is possible that the situation is different. 

Don't know about Calgary, but where I am now stabbings are not uncommon.  In my daughter's middle school (there have been at least one or two a year for each of the years my kids have been there).  I coach a local team and the kids told me in 7th grade that they can be jumped into gangs if they stand up for themselves instead of keeping their head low.  The knifing that happened when my son was there was after school and seemed well organized and was a payback issue.  High school is a little different - they bring guns.  I ended up in lockdown after a concert at my son's high school a few months ago because someone was apparently shot after a basketball game.  The kids are in a different world today than I was when I grew up.  Don't know, but it could be that the detainment is part of a policy to sort things out,  but if it is, it should have been made clear to that kid because it sounds like he was trying to do what was right.

[Old Moparz]

Glad he was punished, it was probably all staged so he could get out of a class he hated, or even worse, a test he forgot to study for.

[Mike DC]

Don't know, but it could be that the detainment is part of a policy to sort things out,  shruggy but if it is, it should have been made clear to that kid because it sounds like he was trying to do what was right.

That is what I was thinking too.  No harm in holding off the praise until they can sort out what happened.  

But it sounds like they jumped straight to punishing this kid.  That does not smell right.





The schools these days seem to be run with such a prison mentality.  It's disturbing.  

And the system's answer for every question or criticism is always the same - "Give us more money and give us the kids for more time out of the year."  Funny how much that sounds like the privatized prison system too.
   
   

[Drache]

Don't know, but it could be that the detainment is part of a policy to sort things out,  shruggy but if it is, it should have been made clear to that kid because it sounds like he was trying to do what was right.

That is what I was thinking too.  No harm in holding off the praise until they can sort out what happened.

"At this point, according to the strict rules of the Calgary Board of Education junior high, MacLean should have left the scene to find a teacher, abandoning the unarmed student to his fate."

"MacLean's reward was a day in the office, removed from the other students, and a stern lecture about not playing the hero."

"They told him they don't condone heroics in the school and he wasn't allowed to go back to class for the day," said O'Donnell."

Sounds just like those Walmart employees that stopped a shooting and were fired for it....

[2Gunz]

IMHO the USA would be in a lot better shape if we spent more time being involved and a lot less listening to these pansy's.

[1970Moparmann]

Unbelievable.   As I keep saying, I am really worried what my future Grandkids and kids have to go through in the future.  Things are turning upside down in this world.

I COMMEND THAT KID!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[Cooter]

So....Wonder what woulda happened if that "hero" kid would jumped the kid with the knife, got stabbed and died? Then, the parenets would sued the school, won a bunch a money and lived happily ever after?

No, there's no "Right" way to deal. The school would been screwed one way and well as the other in these situations. Just glad the "Hero" kid didn't get killed. (I've been there with a gun, and it didn't end well).

Daughter got rearended in traffic yesterday. She gets pushed into another car in front of her. I get there, there's this little girl who my kid said she saw "looking DOWN" just before she hit her. Tore the rear and front end up on my daughters car. The girl gets a ticket, but so does my daughter. Said she's getting a ticket for following to close. WTF? How is THAT right? Lemme see, I'm sitting at a stop light, dumbass crashes into the back of me sending my car into another. Dumbass gets a ticket, and I GET ONE? I guess EVERYBODY has to get a ticket in order for everybody to be in court for the judge to decide who's at fault. Although the driver of the car that was in front of daughter did not get a ticket.


This is why this kid got what he got right or wrong. He was between a rock and a hard place, because if it hadda went wrong and he died, you would seen ALOT different side of those parents. It's all about the money today. The school doesn't want "Heroism" to become the new "In thing" to do now, because of the consequences of law suits if the "Hero's died" being a "Hero". The parents would sue and they know it. I blame these frivilous law suits for causing this type of mentallity today. Some shouldn't even make it across the legal aids desk, yet they go all the way to million dollar payouts.

[Old Moparz]

IMHO the USA would be in a lot better shape if we spent more time being involved and a lot less listening to these pansy's.

That actually happened in Canada, but similar idiotic policies are in place here, too. Look at the kid who just got in trouble for chewing a Pop Tart into "a dangerous gun."   

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/student-suspended-for-pop-tart-gun_n_2903500.html

[Old Moparz]

So....Wonder what woulda happened if that "hero" kid would jumped the kid with the knife, got stabbed and died? Then, the parenets would sued the school, won a bunch a money and lived happily ever after?

No, there's no "Right" way to deal. The school would been screwed one way and well as the other in these situations. Just glad the "Hero" kid didn't get killed. (I've been there with a gun, and it didn't end well).

Daughter got rearended in traffic yesterday. She gets pushed into another car in front of her. I get there, there's this little girl who my kid said she saw "looking DOWN" just before she hit her. Tore the rear and front end up on my daughters car. The girl gets a ticket, but so does my daughter. Said she's getting a ticket for following to close. WTF? How is THAT right? Lemme see, I'm sitting at a stop light, dumbass crashes into the back of me sending my car into another. Dumbass gets a ticket, and I GET ONE? I guess EVERYBODY has to get a ticket in order for everybody to be in court for the judge to decide who's at fault. Although the driver of the car that was in front of daughter did not get a ticket.


This is why this kid got what he got right or wrong. He was between a rock and a hard place, because if it hadda went wrong and he died, you would seen ALOT different side of those parents. It's all about the money today. The school doesn't want "Heroism" to become the new "In thing" to do now, because of the consequences of law suits if the "Hero's died" being a "Hero". The parents would sue and they know it. I blame these frivilous law suits for causing this type of mentallity today. Some shouldn't even make it across the legal aids desk, yet they go all the way to million dollar payouts.

While I agree that the dumb crap should be tossed out & never make it to court to waste time, the media only gives the impression that they "ALL" make it to court when most cases don't.

My wife was driving through a construction zone on the interstate where two lanes of traffic were squeezed into one. Naturally the traffic slowed down & eventually stopped. My wife stops behind a FedEx van & a small compact car stops behind her. The driver of the tractor trailer behind the compact car never slowed down & plowed the compact car into the back of the F-150 my wife & daughter were in & pushed it into the FedEx van. Our truck had $3500 worth of damage & the car behind her was totaled with the back bumper in the back seat. Amazingly there weren't any serious injuries, but my wife's neck & back were sore for weeks.

She wanted nothing more than to at least have the doctor bills covered for a simple exam to make sure there wasn't any hidden injuries & got nowhere. After the insurance company runaround she poke to 2 lawyers & neither of them were interested. They said there was no chance she'd win a penny for anything & wished her luck. The only positive thing was, she didn't get a ticket like your daughter.   

[1970Moparmann]

Personally, I think with all the laws and crap, it's creating more followers then leaders.   A leader takes control of the situation like this kid.  Could he of got hurt, you bet, but "what if" he didn't do this?  He took charge of the situation that he felt he wouldn't get hurt, and he gets slapped on the hand - WTF? 

Now-a-days so many people don't want to get in the middle of helping ANYONE out.   

[Drache]

After the insurance company runaround she poke to 2 lawyers & neither of them were interested. They said there was no chance she'd win a penny for anything & wished her luck. The only positive thing was, she didn't get a ticket like your daughter.   

After my last accident the insurance company here wanted nothing more than to pay me out whereas the lawyer I talked to suggested I sue the guy who was the cause of the accident and actually guaranteed I'd win or I wouldn't owe him any money. Stupidly I took the insurance payout since it involved 10 minutes of my time signing paperwork and not the 4 years and multiple doctor's visits I'd need to "prove injury".

[Paul G]

We are turning in to a society of pussy's. We are all supposed to just lay down and let the bad intensions of bad people just happen. And deal with the consequences later rather than do whats right and stand up for yourself and others. Anti bullying tactics tell kids to stop the bullying by sticking up for the one being bullied, this kid did just that and got reprimanded for it. Go figure?

[2Gunz]

When i was a kid you wouldnt dare pull a knife or a gun, you would be the laughing stock of the school for being a "pussy".

lets bring back positive peer pressure!  LOL

[Tilar]

When i was a kid you wouldnt dare pull a knife or a gun, you would be the laughing stock of the school for being a "pussy".

lets bring back positive peer pressure!  LOL

I think what needs to come back is good old fashined spankings. Beat that ass red right in front of God and everybody.

[GOTWING]

This is very simple, the kid is a freakin hero period. Yes there was a time when he would have been recognized as that, those days are gone forever. You have done a fantastic job as a father teaching him to do what is right. Now days a six year old can get in big trouble for playing cops and robbers on the playground using their finger as a gun, society has turned into a bunch of worthless cowards. I know we are not supposed to talk politics on here so I will respect that, but I think you all know where I was going to go with it!

[Tilar]

And you're 100% right. And if people would actually start standing up and fighting back things might go in a different direction.