Parents, Community React to North Hampton School Gun Threat

Some students were again reportedly withheld from North Hampton School Tuesday in the wake of an incident on school grounds involving one child threatening to shoot another with a shotgun.

Some parents and community members say more action needs to be taken in the matter, which is why they say they're still not comfortable sending their children to school. Teachers in some grades and classes were posting coursework and assignments online because so many students have been absent.

Principal Peter Sweet has said there was and currently is no threat to safety at the school — which was missing roughly half of its students Monday — and that the matter has been "dealt" with. Police are conducting interviews and investigating the matter, which some community members say has been overblown in parent e-mails and media reports.

Here's what community members have to say about the incident, for which the information and e-mails have since gone viral. What do you think? Please tell us in the comments.



Carolyn Buzzell Dalton: 
"The principal says 'each' incident was investigated and never got to the point of bullying. There isn't a 'point' at which a child stops getting teased and starts getting bullied. If it's going on to the extent of the administration discussing incidents, then that needs to be dealt with swiftly and seriously. Children are not being made to take responsibility for their actions in this generation. In many cases it is because the administration is afraid of a lawsuit, however the ones who are suffering are the children and parents who are doing the right thing and just never speaking up!"

Parent concerned about bullying (name withheld per the request of the individual):
"I have always found it concerning that provisions are being set in place to prevent outsiders from causing harm to our kids . Lockdown drills. New front entrance for security purposes etc. However where is the carefully well drafted rules and regulations at the local state and federal levels to prevent bullying and serious incidents of criminal threatening inside the school? This lies in the hands of this administration who has a long history of ignoring delaying and seeing where the dust settles rather than being honest and forthright. It starts at the top. Ironically the school thrives on promoting an environment of taking responsibility for oneself honesty fairness how are the kids to buy into that when the child who is. Accused of bullying is at school while multiple children are at home waiting for their safety to be. Ensured. Until their parents will allow them. Access to their public school!"

Kristina Tylock:
"This was a case of panicking and rushing to judgement before the actual facts are known. My children attend this school, before I knew who was involved I made sure I got the facts directly from the school,I was 100% certain there was no danger..and after I found out who it was and got even more facts I was positive even more there was no danger. It was as exactly as Peter posted. It has been over hyped and rediculous [sic]."

Ashley DuBack:
"No matter what the "facts" are, a child was bullied for 2 years! 2 YEARS! How can that be? How can a kid force, or try to force, another kid to eat urine-soaked carrots and no one see it? I just don't understand."

Heidi Hirtle, sixth grade parent:
"The letter that went viral from the victims parents about the safety issue was both eloquent and selfless, stating that they were requesting the school do more to assist in getting this child the help he needs. This is not a situation of who's family is more affluent. Its about keeping a community safe and having faith that the systems in place are doing that. We have seen today that those systems do not work and need to be address immediately, again, for the safety of our entire community...

"I am concerned that [Principal Peter Sweet] cannot and will not spell out the plans in place to ease the minds of the parents.  I do believe this threat to be valid on some level and am concerned that the school is unable at this point to handle an emergent situation appropriately.  I did keep my daughter home today...

"All schools, including North Hampton should adopt the same zero tolerance policies for issues such as this with enough appropriate disclosure to the community at large for their safety."

Peter Casella:
"... It was a pissing match between 2 kids. One kid said I'm going to shoot you with a bb gun. Other kid says oh yeah well I'll shoot you with a shotgun. All the kid was doing was "one upping" the other kid. Like my car is fast. Oh yeah well my car is faster... there is nothing to do besides tell both kids that you don't say things like that. There is was and never wilk be any danger to any of the students at that school. Hence why both the princpal and police cheif said the same thing. All this was is 2 parents embellishing stories trying to make matters far worse than they really are and trying to hide the fact that their kid threatened first and the media took a huge bite and ran with it."

Sandra Baillargeon-Sheridan: 
"[H]ow can they say there is not threat ?!? In today's world you never know. And the fact that almost 1/2 the school was out must tell them something. I fear for my grandson in 1st grade. The fact that they (NHS) does not go by the no tolerance policy really bothers me."

Stefanie Brown:
"I'm just surprised that not all parents were made aware of this last week.."