It’s not an overreaction…

Published 9/22/07

…it’s — oh, wait, it is an overreaction. Yet another one from America’s screwed up public schools. From the Northwest Florida Daily News:

An investigator with the Department of Children and Family went to Destin Middle School on Sept. 19 to look into an allegation that a child had been having sex with an adult, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report.

The investigation revealed that the story started during P.E. class while a few boys were joking around.

I can see it now: “A joke about an elementary school boy’s mother wearing army boots led to a Department of Homeland Security investigation into whether she was involved in a paramilitary organization…”

The Fray

4 responses (add yours)

Gnomic says:

I don’t see an over reaction here. I see the cops investigating a rumor. Its not like this kind of case starts in any other way. Rarely is there a “smoking gun” - pictures, witnesses, being caught in flagrente delecto on the luchroom table at high noon. Lets assume that this rumor was well known, but no one looked into it because “we assumed it was just a joke. Then we’d be talking about the incompetance of the police and the school faculty.

Now if the kids involved are expelled and prosecuted for various crimes - that’s an over-reactions. Kids do stupid things. So do adults, but we used to give kids a chance to learn better.

September 23rd, 2007 at 10:17 AM

Leland says:

Sadly, if the school had no choice. If the school ignored it and it turned out to be true, the list of law suits would be long and expensive.

September 24th, 2007 at 5:11 PM

The Albatross says:

Being 11 miles from Destin and having resided in and around said community for over 27 years, I can state first hand thatthe general sentiment here locally was barely a blip on the radar screen. No one here gave one wit about a larger “Department of Homeland Security investigation” as our concern was for the child.

Investigating an report of sexual misconduct against a child by an adult is deemed here as an “over reaction”? If it was your child, somehow I doubt that you would think the same.

Why the need to trump up a local story to push your political paranoia?

The bigger story, since you seem to be looking for one is the upcoming trial in Panama City of a juvinile detention fatality. If you look hard enough you can spin it any way you like, because it clearly appears the suit has substance and “the man” has clearly committed some sort of criminal act that resulted in the death of a child.

September 29th, 2007 at 9:47 AM

The Albatross says:

P.S. Okaloosa County schools are far from screwed up. Though rural (Destin is the luckiest Fishing Village on the Emerald Coast) - Okaloosa County Schools is the home of the inception of Special Olympics in Florida.

We love our kids and lacking the best funding, we work together for the good of our schools and our community.

September 29th, 2007 at 9:53 AM