The Future Looks Bright

Today I had the honor of speaking with Caleb, Alie, Brook and Emily, 5th grade students at an elementary school in South Carolina.  Mrs. Raper, their teacher, contacted me a week or so ago about speaking to her students.  Their school had recently changed their severe storm preparedness protocols, and the students had some ideas for making students safer during a tornado.

Mrs. Raper and I were able to connect via Skype, and I spent over twenty minutes answering the questions they had about tornadoes, and about my experiences with tornadoes.  I was impressed with the depth of their questions.  They had clearly prepared for the session, and were very polite and considerate.  Their questions were also efficient, focusing on the task at hand instead of asking questions that were not connected to the discussion. 

I have been in education for twenty-five years now, and Caleb, Alie, Brook and Emily gave me plenty of hope for our future.  They were curious, they were inquisitive, they were respectful, and they were definitely motivated to better themselves through learning.  Their parents should be proud, as should Mrs. Raper.  It is easy to jump on the "public education is bad" bandwagon with the numerous awful stories we see in the media, but Mrs. Raper's leadership, and the behavior of her students, tells me the future is bright.

Caleb, Alie, Brook, Emily and Mrs. Raper, thank you for the honor of speaking with you today!

Student bitten by rabid fox

Pineville, South Carolina

A young girl was waiting at a school bus stop when she was chased, knocked down and bitten by a rabid fox.  She has had numerous vaccines, to combat the virus from the fox.

She returned to school two days after the attack, but says she is scared to go outside alone.

Rock Hill teacher assaulted student, 9

Rock Hill, SC
A Rosewood Elementary School teacher has been arrested and charged with assault after grabbing a 9-year old student's arm, leaving bruises.

Robert Johns, Jr. has been suspended by the school district, with pay, pending the investigation.

Middle school teacher attacked

Safe Havens, International

Failed school attack leads to indictment

Safe Havens, International

Sexual assault attempted on school bus

Safe Havens, International

School employees properly handle reported assault

Aiken, SC

Safe Havens, International

Only 1 of 24 Approved School Safety Projects Completed

Charleston, SC
South Carolina was given $15.5 million from federal Safe Routes to School grants. The state was awarded around $5 million in 2007 and 2008 for 24 projects statewide. But so far only one has been completed.

Traffic engineering director Tony Sheppard, of the State Department of Transportation, says they have made progress.

Bids will be submitted this spring for construction on eight projects, while another nine are in the right-of-way phase. These projects are mostly for building and refurbishing sidewalks.

Safe Havens, International

High School Student-Teacher Accused of Sexually Soliciting a Minor

 Spartanburg, SC
A 26-year old student teacher was arrested and charged with soliciting a minor.  The student was 15.  Benjamin Dylan Arthur was a student teacher at the Spartanburg High School Freshman Academy.

Arthur sent explicit text messages, and a picture of himself shirtless to the 15-year old student.

Safe Havens, International

Bluffton Teacher Accused of Assaulting Student, Commenting about Nazis, Jews

Beaufort, SC
A Bluffton Middle School teacher is accused of grabbing a seventh-grader by his shirt collar, forcing him under a desk and telling him, "This is what the Nazis do to Jews," according to the Bluffton Police Department.

The student's parents decided to press charges.

A lawyer for social studies teacher Patricia Mulholland said she was merely conducting an "interactive lesson" on the Holocaust during a class Wednesday.

Greenville Father Blames "Irresponsible Gun Owners" For Child's Deat

Greenville, SC
Greenville County schools will make counselors available to students and those who work at Berea Elementary School to help them after an 11-year old student was shot and killed on Saturday evening.
Now the Greenville City Police Department and the Coroner’s Office are trying to piece together what happened moments before his death.

11-year old Davius Boyd was found dead inside a home on Willard Street just before 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Boyd was a 4^th grader at Berea Elementary School.  Police say there were three minors inside the home at the time of the shooting.