-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
-
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS May Giveaway ***Canik METE SFX***
Hanover High teacher accused of threatening to bring gun to school
- Thread starter Reptile
- Start date
If that's the case, I think he's unlikely to be prosecuted or even fired, not over this. The "I was just using hyperbole" argument will be easy to make.
He might still get fired over whatever the initial disciplinary complaint was about, though, and this won't help that.
If so, he's just done something very stupid. Loose lips, and all that.
As Abraham Lincoln said "Tis better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."
Seriously as a gun owner I would NEVER should make a verbal threat involving firearms. It will almost invariably come back to bite me in the ass.
Tartakovsky
NES Member
Not a tough call. He remarked about bringing a rifle to school. It’s hyperbole until it isn’t. At the least, a moron like this with zero common sense or situational awareness shouldn’t be an “educator”.
not new guy
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 36,098
- Likes
- 54,355
In a private conversation that somebody overheard he made an offhanded, not serious comment. I don't think there's really a crime to charge him with here. The terrorist threat thing won't hold water.
Tartakovsky
NES Member
Jail time? No. Termination? Absolutely.
not new guy
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 36,098
- Likes
- 54,355
Maybably. The union's involvement might be the only thing that saves him, but the bleating of the sheep may be too loud for them to overcome.
quinnjalan
NES Member
I’m guessing Hanover (Hangover or Handj0b might be better names) High School won’t be putting on the play; “Annie get your gun” anytime soon, cos terrorism! As for the teacher….dún do bhéal.
Tartakovsky
NES Member
The person he made the comment to confirmed that he made the comment.
not new guy
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 36,098
- Likes
- 54,355
I know, but it's not a question of whether he said it, it's the context that he said it in + the actual words he used that are relevant.
Tartakovsky
NES Member
“Makes me want to bring my rifle into school” is pretty damning. I fail to see how context can save him. He said it in the “teachers’ pod” at school. If I said “makes me want to bring my rifle to the office” to one of my peers while in the office, and HR overheard, regardless of context, you can bet I’d likely be terminated.
not new guy
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 36,098
- Likes
- 54,355
Are you in a union?
The person he was having the conversation with said that the guy was speaking metaphorically and did not use the best choice of words. The person having the conversation with him seemed to think that his words were not meant to be taken literally, so that should count towards something. I’ll assume the principal who made the call knows the guy’s personality, his temperament, his history, and interviewed him and knew whether or not his words are to be taken literally.
commodon
NES Member
Teacher at Mass. high school accused of threatening to bring gun to school
A 54-year-old Hanover High School English teacher has been on administrative leave since the incident.www.masslive.com
One of Decie’s fellow teachers, who said she overheard the conversation, told her superior Decie appeared agitated and said “when something like that happens it makes me want to go home and get my rifle,” according to the filing.
I think it obvious the comment purely hyperbole and a bad choice of words on his part for the setting he was in, but technically speaking he never said he was going home to get his rifle, bring it back to school and cause harm. I think the teacher who reported him and those that reacted in the way they did was a bit over the top.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2005
- Messages
- 47,537
- Likes
- 33,585
Taken literally and not metaphorically, it is not a threat but a statement of desire. It states the utterer "Wants" to do something, not that he has decided to violate the law and do it. If I say "I want to drive at 90" on a nearly vacant highway, that does not mean I have decided to violate the law and plan on driving at that speed.
The fact that they searched his house and did not find a rifle (or any gun) give credibility to the claim it was hyperbole.
His risk of conviction is high based on the "cuz guns" doctrine. Chances are he will end up with a CWOF and possible unemployment. There could even be a condition of the CWOF that he agree not to attempt to get his job back.
But, in today's world, anyone hearing mention of "gun" who does not report it, whatever the context, is betting their career on nothing happening that could be considered related to the comment.
I wonder if a search warrant was issued, or if it was a coerced consent search ("Nice walls you have in your house, it would be a real shame if we got a warrant and ripped them all open").
The fact that they searched his house and did not find a rifle (or any gun) give credibility to the claim it was hyperbole.
His risk of conviction is high based on the "cuz guns" doctrine. Chances are he will end up with a CWOF and possible unemployment. There could even be a condition of the CWOF that he agree not to attempt to get his job back.
But, in today's world, anyone hearing mention of "gun" who does not report it, whatever the context, is betting their career on nothing happening that could be considered related to the comment.
I wonder if a search warrant was issued, or if it was a coerced consent search ("Nice walls you have in your house, it would be a real shame if we got a warrant and ripped them all open").
The principal knew what he had to do to protect his pension.
Last edited:
Wondering what the rest of the comment was.
"Active school shooters make me want to go home and get my rifle..."
Or
"That little shit Timmy won't shut the f*** up and it makes me want to go home..."
I say shit like that in school all the time. I have yet to get fired. It is likely that this guy is being punished not for what he said this time, but for the fact that he doesn't work and play well with others. As might, perhaps, be evidenced by the fact he was already awaiting a disciplinary writeup.
A LOT of times, school employees don't really get punished for the incident at hand. They get punished for previous incidents that haven't quite risen to the level of punishment, but still gave the principal a headache. Fair or unfair, that's how it often goes. I have little doubt other workplaces are like this, a lot of the time.
Happens with students, too. Little Johnny will tell his friends he "got suspended for wearing his hat," but in fact he got suspended for about five previous things he did that earned him a d-session. The hat is just the straw that broke the camel's back.
In general, people who are well-liked and well-respected don't get into trouble, regardless of what they say in a school setting. By contrast, people who aren't liked are going to find themselves called to the carpet pretty routinely. Again, might not be fair, but that's life.
I've known too many principals to make that assumption without knowing more about this case.
not new guy
NES Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Messages
- 36,098
- Likes
- 54,355
He may have had a history, but I bet this comment by Rob explains why the whole thing ended up as a news article and ultimately a thread on NES:
commodon
NES Member
but he didn't say that.
According to the article, he said "when something like that happens it makes me want to go home and get my rifle", which agreeably isn't the smartest comment to make in public, in a school environment.
Glockster30
NES Member
Like I say, I often say stuff like that.
It's possible I should stop doing that.![[rofl]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/013.gif "ROFL [rofl]")
In today's environment, why would you say anything like that at a school?
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2014
- Messages
- 24,019
- Likes
- 30,191
I always wondered if that was an anecdote for catching some vd qnd making a ship unsailable
Sometimes, it's simply the right thing to say. I'm not going to miss an excellent metaphor just because it includes the word "rifle." I spew out tens of thousands of words each day; I'm not able to parse every one of them.
Glockster30
NES Member
![[slap]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/025.gif "Slap [slap]")
I know of someone who was thoroughly investigated because after his daughter was relentlessly bullied and the school refused to do more than make the bullies write an apology note, he said he had had enough and to consider this parent/administration meeting as the "warning shot" before his lawyer came in "guns blazing"
The administration said he threatened a school shooting.
One lone teacher stood up for the guy.
That teacher didn't have their contract renewed.
The administration said he threatened a school shooting.
One lone teacher stood up for the guy.
That teacher didn't have their contract renewed.
Similar threads
