| An old saying claims that a rumor can spread around the world before the truth gets its shoes on.
Nothing has changed much, especially now in the electronic age, when people routinely text message gossip to friends, associates and family members. But rumors - or even the facts - can be shared in a second, and much more quickly now. Cell phones still have a role in that instant, information type dispersal, as well.
But what if messaging and calling spread unfounded stories of a critical manner, like a criminal activity?
That was a situation at Terry High School this week, as students discussed rumors of violence on cell phones and text messages Wednesday after a fight on campus Tuesday. As a result of the rumor mill, nearly 300 students were pulled from school by their parents Wednesday afternoon, said Vera Wehring, Terry principal.
No incidents have happened since Tuesday's melee, when four boys were suspended after a fight in a school hallway. Wehring said a fifth boy reported to be suspended was exonerated when a security camera showed he was not actively involved in the fight and was trying to keep people away from the fracas. The boys were suspended through Friday and further disciplinary action will be taken, Wehring said. The boys were given citations by the police. No weapons were found on campus, and no intruders appeared on campus, either, Wehring said.
The fight happened in a hallway after the school day ended. Teachers saw the brawl and contacted security, Wehring said.
“The kids say it was not gang-related, so the report from the students was it was a disagreement over words - they were just kind of trash-talking each other,” she said.
She said she has “no idea” how the rumors about subsequent violence started, but once they started, they “spread like wildfire.”
“It was very distracting because, on the one hand, we had heard the rumors and were trying to investigate the rumors and make sure students and staff were safe on campus,” Wehring said. “On the other hand, we were having to allocate resources to answer phones and look up students' schedules and go get students from class and so, in my opinion, that wasn't the best use of our resources. We would have been calmer, we would have been better off, if we could have focused everyone on maintaining safety and security on campus.”
If administrators thought students and staff were in any danger this week, they would have taken additional action, Wehring said.
Phone call home
A phone call went home to all parents at the end of the school day. The school uses an alert system to inform parents of rumors that spread across campus and those rumors “were unsubstantiated and everyone was safe (and) the campus was secure for the entire school day,” Wehring said. No lockdowns were used, but the school was prepared to do that if it had been necessary, she said.
Wehring and other educators might have witnessed a new phenomenon - one in which a rumor or news spreads quickly not by conventional word of mouth but by electronic means.
“This is the first time I have seen it to this extent,” Wehring said, explaining that the number of students having cell phones and text messaging ability played a role.
She said an e-mail was sent to staffers on Wednesday and that she made an announcement Thursday to try to encourage students to turn in any rumors to adults on campus. Plus, she encouraged them to keep the focus on education.
“All of the rumors (Wednesday) were non-specific, unverifiable,” Wehring said, adding that police investigated those rumors.
While students were discussing the Tuesday incident at the school Wednesday, some parents chose to withdraw their children, Wehring said. She said 295 students signed out before the end of the day Wednesday. On a normal day, about 100-120 students are absent on a regular day, and the school's attendance runs about 95 to 96 percent. She said that a normal number of absentees was recorded on Wednesday, but it was after lunch that parents showed up and pulled their children out of school. Students were counted absent if they left school, but they won't be considered truant and will not face any penalties for leaving, she said.
Concerning the school's policy on communication devices, she said students may carry cell phones or text messaging devices to campus, but are not allowed to use them during school hours, or what's defined as instructional time. Students caught operating devices during instructional hours are subject to having the devices confiscated and required to pay a $15 fee to get them back.
“We discipline (students) if we catch it while it's occurring,” Wehring said.
She said usage of devices is also restricted before school begins, but that only includes students using them in the school building.
“If they're outside, we don't hassle them about it,” Wehring said.
Rumor-mongering
Wehring said students should be taught about engaging rumor-mongering, in spite of students' tendency to gravitate toward drama and gossip.
Terry teachers Neal Huebotter and Denise Adams were pleased with how the week's matters were handled.
“I was proud of my students,” Huebotter said. “I think that might have worked a little harder. Doing their class work, I guess, took their mind off it a little bit. They came in and did their work. I had no disruptions in my classroom.”
Huebotter said he tries to ease students' fears when they talk about rumors of violence.
“You want to try to keep them calm, (and) you remain calm,” he said.
Adams said she talked about the difference between facts and rumors in her class.
“My students were not tardy (Thursday),” she said. “They came in ready to work. They were a little nervous, but they were relieved because they saw teachers on duty.”
Huebotter said teachers are trained at the beginning of the year to learn how to recognize possible risks on campus, such as student discussion of rumors of violence.
“The safety of the kids comes first,” Adams said. “And they felt safe today, they told me.”
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