Stop Violence in Schools, Peace and Protection For All Our Kids

https://ktrh.iheart.com/content/2022-06-02-texas-high-school-water-polo-player-arrested-for-punching-opponent-8-times/

Texas High School Water Polo Player Arrested After Punching Opponent 8 Times | NewsRadio 740 KTRH The incident happened in April, but is still under investigation.

Candle light vigil in Frisco, TX for the victims and families in Uvalde, TX

I can't stop thinking about these parents on the first night without their beloved children....the gapping holes in their wrenching hearts, their little one's now empty bed and a hard future filled with the pain and suffering of a child that is forever gone. These mothers and fathers will never fully recover in this lifetime. This colossal wave of death that has hit the tiny town of Uvalde, Texas, is every parent and community's worst nightmare.

Our schools are not safe. Our children and teachers are not safe. We must do more! Such a sad day in Texas and for our country. Please pray for the souls of these children, their teacher, the grandmother, the surviving families, first responders and medical personnel.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/24/us/uvalde-texas-elementary-school-shooting/index.html

We express our most profound respect and heartfelt thanks to Congressman Ro Khanna, Congressman Ami Bera, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi for their letter of support. I am grateful to these members of Congress for their effort in raising awareness of the bullying problem that exists not only in North Texas schools but across our nation's schools. I am looking forward to our communities working in collaboration as a united front to prevent all instances of verbal and physical bullying across our nation's school system.

UPDATE:
May 23, 2022
Coppell Middle School North Incident

Dear Friends and Family,

We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support shown to our family after the assault on our son that took place in the Coppell Middle School North the cafeteria on May 11th, 2022.

Based on the worldwide response, it is clear that bullying continues to be a problem that impacts the learning of students everywhere.

We are grateful that Coppell ISD has taken this incident seriously. They have acknowledged the failures in their systems and processes and publicly stated today that they will take steps to “ensure that every student feels safe and secure,” and that they will ‘train and retrain their staff’ on safety protocols.

While it is unfortunate that it takes an incident such as this to determine the effectiveness of student safety measures, we appreciate CISD’s willingness to improve. We appreciate that both Coppell ISD and the Coppell Police Department continue to investigate this matter. Their investigations are independent of our family and are a standard part of a campus violence incident.

One of the key takeaways that our family and others have carried from this event is the importance of a student knowing and understanding their individual rights in a Texas public school system and as residents/citizens of this great nation.

We hope that everyone emerges from this event more willing to get involved if something is seen that does not look right. We hope students will have the courage to use the resources made available to them to report bullying, violence, and self-harm.

Following improvement measures have been promised by the CISD and CMSN administration after our family raised the concern via social media, news channels and through our legal counsel:

• Victim’s In school suspension (ISS) was removed.
• CMSN is adding additional staff to supervise students during morning arrival, all lunches, and afternoon dismissal. These additional staff members can provide supplemental support to our current staff monitors in these spaces.
• Corrective action is taking place, which means that the district and CMS North are addressing any identified issues and gaps that occurred in the initial response to this incident. This includes a thorough review of our current policies and procedures, especially when physical confrontations are involved, a reassessment of the discipline initially assigned in this case and improved communication with the parties involved.
• After speaking with the CMS North administrative team, we have learned a few lessons. Importantly, proactive communication should have been sent to parents sooner alerting you of the incident, as it escalated on social media and in the news. The videos shared understandably led some parents to be concerned about student safety. We are working with leadership teams to ensure that future communication is sent to parents in a timelier manner.
• Our CMS North team has reserved time this week for important conversations with students who would like to discuss any concerns around safety and security, including bullying. They can reach out to the campus counselors Jennifer Parker ([email protected]) or Kinsey McConnell ([email protected]).
• We have a valuable tool to report bullying, violence, and self-harm anonymously and safely. The “Stop it” app allows anyone on a CISD campus to report harmful incidents in real-time to school authorities. This program works – and has helped us step in and peacefully handle issues before they escalate.
• We will conduct training and retraining for our staff to ensure they have a full understanding of our safety protocols, with proven tools to address anger and conflict. We’ll also provide more education on these topics through Parent University so we can work together toward success for our students. This is a priority, and you’ll hear more about our work before next school year.

We have truly been overwhelmed by the positive support we have received during this difficult time. Inasmuch as the problems have been identified and solutions are in the works, we are anxious to move on and get back to our normal lives.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the growing volatility of the situation, the attorneys have requested a PAUSE from tomorrow's demonstration of support before the school board meeting in order to maintain peace in this ongoing process. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

See statement below in separate post by family spokesperson.

You can help in 3 ways:
1) Sign petition:
https://www.change.org/p/assaults-at-schools-protect-the-victim

2) Donate to to assist with legal fees:
https://gofund.me/264d76a4

3) Make sure your local school district has set protocols on how to handle bullying and assault incidents that protects victims mental and physical safety while being respectful of their right to learn in a violence-free learning environment.

Donate link to help Shaan's family with legal funds:

Justice for Shaan & Stop Bullying and Violence, organized by Dinesh Hooda An 8th grader - middle school student Shaan was verbally and physically as… Dinesh Hooda needs your support for Justice for Shaan & Stop Bullying and Violence

Press Release - Justice4shaan