Student voices not heard.

As in a previous post, I discussed the fact that the students, although young, should have been requested, yes even required, to give direct testimony in the VP's, ( EP) criminal trial.

These three video clips are examples as to why I feel that way. 

A public trial teaches us more than any testimony in a civil trial.  Do not sign any NDA in civil cases with schools. Make sure prosecutors do their jobs.

These three videos describe some graphic details, especially this first one.  It is criminal that students can commit murder in "very safe" environments. 

See my posts on workplace violence and how divorce can be a factor in my soap operas ideas.  I do not care how mentally ill someone is, to be honest. Criminal is criminal.

This first video does not involve a gun.

https://youtu.be/EKi2RI0ZXio?si=0sEruuSlv7KGsShC

Per above link, a language barrior with the custodian impact cleaning up a crime scene, really?

Just an ordinary day they say.

https://youtu.be/k2C_uGbCoV8?si=K2bLZxIaXX5Lng1Z

Shared experience

https://youtu.be/uuxda0aEKLE?si=Ao-L-y9vn5utvMrs

Not a fan of the movement to ban guns. Watch the first video to understand why.  This young woman in the third video is well spoken. Her take as a student in the middle school in Parkland  (not in the high school) and in another building at Brown seems to matter.  But she did not witness the shootings. 

Does it make you righteously angry that one person can wreak havoc and chaos, and a defense attorney underplays the impact on the young students in a criminal trial because nobody died in the first grade classroom? They witnessed first hand, their teacher get shot and at least one was threatened. 

Marian R. Carlino

May 31, 2026

Applause. Applause. Experts talk

Draw your own conclusions. Experts from seven and twelve years ago. I guess the lawyers for VP paid no attention, right?

I bet these experts get paid big bucks. He said prevention is hard work. Wow, who would have thought? Listen, but don't just weep for the children, protect them.

Do you think I had an idea in 1998 that the IDEA was used to negate and used in retaliation on my rights and the rights of all the children in the class?

Dear Courageous Cats..all 25 of you, including CN, I will always remember you and I love you still.  I have grandchildren now. Their rights are important to me too.

https://youtu.be/89XeX4eeulw?si=rqmoiTBd3aKGRgdI 7 years ago

https://youtu.be/1q72EEDZp18?si=JuM7XIM8nnFafHMO 12 years ago

My next posts, in a few days, will be about the medical fields obligations. 

Marian R. Carlino

May 31, 2026

Part 5 Why didn't you remove the child when you thought he had a gun?

The defense lawyer for the VP did his job for his client. He did not do anything, in my opionion, to tell the truth. (See post on What about JT?)

It is important to pay attention to these trials. Experts do, as they study the failures. 

In IDEA, the concept of least restrictive environment is important, but also has led to unrealastic expectations and, frankly, the violation of rights.

I say it is important because through the years, long before 1975 (and still today) appropriate education has not always been provided for all. We all know it is a herculian task that faces our educational system. It faces us in our homes. "She got more than me, wa wa." How come I can not go?" You know that drill.

I have four examples here from my own experience. In 1983, I worked in a group home for mentally and physically challenged adults. To this day, I can not figure out why one young man was a resident. And my favorite, Alan, was in his 50's in 1983. He had been placed in an institutional setting at a young age and was socially and educationally deprived by that placement. His cognitive skills and behavior were not an issue. He had been adopted and as he told me, had what would be considered ADHD as a young person. Basically, he was not wanted. He was my friend for years. My kids, not born when I met him, knew him also. He read the newspaper and kept up with news. Our discussions were not just about food, although he worked in a local restaurant as a dishwasher.

In my first experience in an LRC (Learning Resource Center), I taught a young man, placed beause of his reading deficit. He excelled in math. He complained to me one day that he was in the same math book/group as the year before. I met with the teacher who complained to the principal (not the same school district as 1998). The teacher did not understand the issue. The principal, teacher and I met. There were tears. I did prevail. The kid did not have a deficit that impacted his math. The teacher had years of experience beyond mine. She was not familiar with his IEP?  

Another teacher in that school wanted me to provide independent work for my students while in his classroom. He did not want to understand the idea of IDEA or least restrictive environment. I would have kept everyone of my students all day,  but I worked in an LRC, not a self contained classroom.

The Least Restrictive Envirionment is a legal term. Schools often get threatened, some rightfully so, with violating it due to the placement of a child. 

Until I invited a child into my Girl Scout troop, a mother of super happy child, thought her child could be educated appropriately in a regular classroom. The least restrictive environment for this child was the home due to her complex, rare disabling condition. The school district offered home instruction, OT, and PT services. I met this child as a home tutor. The parent loved their child to infinity and beyond. They provided many enriching experiences. The child flew on airplanes, knew WDW more than anyone I knew but it would have been a disservice and health risk for anything but home education. The parents did not usurp their responsibilities in the educational part of parenting which many parents do. But until the mother saw the Girl Scouts, she did not have a realistic view of "normal" and physically healthy child development. The mother thanked me. My troop benefited from the child as well.

Public schools are responsible for a lot, but the parent is the primary teacher, not the school.

So back to removing a child from a classroom, even temporarily. The devil is in the details. My book goes into detail about the struggles I had in removing a child who had violent episodes.

Lawyers, advocates, parents, educational staff usually have good intentions, but sometimes resistance can lead to deadly consequences. Sandy Hook and the high school in Parkland, Florida,  are prime examples of IDEA and least restrictive environment failures. Adam Lanza, the alleged dead shooter at Sandy Hook, was taken out of school by the parent, but not after, per reports, many years of denial.  Cruz, from Parkland,  went to jail which is a very restrictive setting.

The lawyer in the criminal trial of the VP, EP, kept asking the educational staff, "Why didn't anyone of them separate JT that day?" No one really explained least restrictive envirinment or the IEP. WHY?  I have an idea as to the answer, for both the reason for not removing the child and for not fully answering, FEAR.

Did a fear of retribution carry more weight than the fear of the child pulling a trigger? Violations of IDEA and placement are punitive to staff. 

I am not excusing staff, but they did take action. The VP ignored the staff;  the relayed fears of the children; and the threats of JT.

JT violated all the rights of the staff and students. Six year olds are not held legally liable for their decisions nor those decisions of incompetent staff. 

Was JT in an approptiate, least restrictive environment? With some information disclosed publicly, he was not in an appropriate grade level placement, so probably not. It was not academically least restrictive. Angry children go to school everyday. Could, would or should have a different type of classroom setting for JT, for least restrictive educational purposes, prevented this shooting? Maybe it could have with less frustration, more individual attention helping? Remember, learning disabled children are expected to move in and out of classrooms much more often than their non disabled peers. In JT's case nothing was prevented. A jammed gun was the difference between one injured to several injured or dead. 

If you have school aged children, read about Least Restrictive Environments and even 504 plans.

Keep in mind, there is no right to privacy in a public setting. Classrooms in public schools are public settings. 

Your child rights end at my child's body. I state that with no prejudice. Least restrictive environment interpretation has restricted peers for years. I know first hand as a teacher and as a parent.

Least Restrictive Environment:

Section 1412 (a) (5) - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act https://share.google/syTeGGQY34yd44l5V

Stayed tuned.

Marian R. Carlino

May 31, 2026

PART 4 What nerve a teacher has to have an idea that fits the true intent of IDEA!

You could call this Part 4 if you would like.

If you have not read my book for more detailed info or any of these blog posts or have not watched any of the news coverage surrounding a shooting that happened on January 6, 2023 in a school in Newport News, Va. you may just think, as did the naive editor of the The Current  in 1998,  that this is just yesterday's news.

Think again.

We are celebrating 250 years of our Constitutional Republic this year. It is important for a free nation to remember its history. A free nation involves work to remain a Constitutional Republic. Sometimes the violent mob of oppression wants to ruin it. Sometimes only one voice can ruin it when the devils are in the details and have weak, mob followers.

Have you heard people deliberately misinterpret our Constitution? If not, were you asleep during the Covid lockdowns?  Any info on what is going on in NYC today?

Staying alert is important. Think.

Safe schools take work too, and lots of it. Our taxpayer dollars should work for all of our children, not against them. 

It seems the intent of IDEA in 1975 was to have school services benefit all children and their civil rights. I wonder if it was a response in 1975 to the decision in 1973 that blew up the rights of the unborn human, especially if it was found to be a human with disabilities. Maybe the IDEA advocates, researchers, and authors had seen disturbing patterns so they acted peacefully and in a proactive manner to benefit all children.

The law's intent is for civil rights for all children who attend school. Some have special needs. 

****NO One has special rights.****

This is where the rub is; in illegal misinterpretation of the law. If a child meets certain criteria a child may receive services that other children do not need. IDEA is basically a funding source for services and guidance in implementation. It is good fruit in the correct hands. 

Misinterpretation and implementation in the wrong hands has been a problem since 1975. 

The principal's spin on the law in my case was deliberately misleading. She was not stupid, but she was a vindictive person. (May still be.) 

Since I found the shooting of a first grade teacher by a six year old student, in Newport News, Va, on January 6, 2023 eerily similar to what could have happened in my class, I have paid attention to the news and so far one civil case and one, now dismissed,  criminal trial. 

My book again, outlines the details of my class, so I am not repeating them here. 

The court cases and some testimony in both trials has led me to a similar  conclusion. IGNORANCE of the intent of IDEA was ignored and/or intentionally used to allow a violent child to get to a point of almost committing murder. My other blog posts explain.

I am listing resources here so review the links. These websites summarize and list the law and guidance.

If you find in any part of the law that it states another student has special rights, more rights then another child, or can, with legal protection, hurt or threaten another student, call your representatives. Make peaceful, advocacy noise.

The Least Restrictive Environment for learning; how one needy student or one vindicative administrator can ruin a students elementary experience..a deeper dive. Stay tuned.

idea.2004.all.pdf https://share.google/AXUNykpDwCS8AKWg5

Statute and Regulations - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act https://share.google/YR0eSMzFzfTfi4dIr

240502-Learn-the-Law-Individuals-with-Disabilities-Education-Act.pdf https://share.google/i5PNHELEGB0G5jvuN

Marian R. Carlino

May 30, 2026

What an IDEA! Part 3

How does the devil get into the details of our lives? Leave God out, it is that simple. When the devil whispers in an ear, it is never sweet.

Dangerous ideas can be planted, watered and grow. The fruit produced may be poisonous. Apple? Anyone?

A dangerous thought, pondered, then acted upon can lead one from a loving life to pure hell. Script writers for soap operas must watch the news. As the story of my former coworker shows, who could even make that up? It was a surreal event. School violence episodes are surreal too. Chaos and new norms ensue as a result.

Even without an extreme episode in my professional and personal life, my idea to seek further help for my student led to other ideas by people with devilish intentions. My life trajectory was disrupted, but fortunately no chaos.

Ideas, because life is a bell curve, influence not only one's immediate environment, but can be felt globally. Hence, the expression, "Think globally, act locally." Impact versus influence.

Take a great idea and see the impact. Who does not love indoor plumbing? Convenience and sanitation all because someone connected dots!

Great ideas, meant to be good, can be turned around, misinterpreted, or manipulated to cause problems. My idea was hijacked. 

Laws, passed for the greater good, can be oppressive. Well meaning advocacy can lead to the rights of others to be violated. Acts of charity may not be charitable at all, but, in reality, used to control others.

It does not take massive conspiracy theories in which an entire government is suspect for bad things to happen and create chaos. It only takes one bad idea. Apple? Anyone?

Schools, as we have seen in recent years, can become infamous because of one idea. I do believe that the IDEA has contributed to the increase in episodes in our schools and communities. The law, created in 1975, meant to help children, has been twisted and misinterpreted. 

IDEA impacts every aspect of public education and beyond. Not familiar with IDEA, stay tuned.

Marian R. Carlino

May 30, 2026

What an IDEA! Part 2

An idea that led to a soap opera in my life.

I never expect anything of anyone else that I would not do myself within my skills or true abilities. I am thankful for people who put themselves in harms way to protect me. I am not brave enough to do some jobs. But the ones I take on, I do with respect for myself and others.  

What was my idea? 

I wrote a workshop request using a child’s initials. My proactive concerns for prevention led to conflict which is prime material for a soap opera. My story did not start with a shooting or end with one. Maybe that is what some people wanted? I do know some wanted me to go away. 

Right before I left teaching, a soap opera, on steroids for me anyway, started in my life. It ran from early 1998 to 2008. Some details are in my book. The editors had a problem with the original length, so I had to leave out chapters. Frankly, I thought some details such as including more of the closed door hearing documentation from 1998, could have been included, but a narrative was suggested. 126 pages of the closed hearing are still intact and timely. I left most details of another significant season in my life out, even without editor input, but that topic can play into societal violence too.

Soap operas involve conflict. The juicy parts make people tune in.  Conflict runs through each chapter, episode and season. Season finales usually signal conflict resolution, the writers just run out of relatable ideas, or someone dies even if in a dream.

School Violence and divorce, the main topics of my soap opera run, were also about conflict. In my professional and personal life, conflict resolution did occur, with, and despite, the help of lawyers. No killing occurred in any season. That is not due to luck. I saw patterns in the scenes unfolding in my class/school and in my personal life. I  connected dots in 1998 in my class. And, I had one good friend who helped connect dots in 2005 at some risk to himself. He helped write the end of the season of 2004 to 2005. My dear “co/writer” died in 2025. He will remain forever in my heart. 

Divorce can factor into violence which can impact our schools and communities. TV soap operas always have both in their story lines.. How many years did Days of Our Lives run?

Ironically, a real deadly soap opera occurred in the life of a former coworker a few years after I left teaching with her. She came into my class, daily, in the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 school years so we were close until April 22, 1998.  Her soap opera, in which she has a unwelcome role, made it to 20/20 on national TV.  20/20, what a unique name for a show highlighting failures in real life.

Sometimes, the good doctor in a soap opera is really an SOB.  It was less than a six degrees of separation to my life not only because of my coworker. Sometimes we know several supporting characters who at some point we are in life with. Fortunately, my former coworker got out of that part of her soap opera a few years before a deadly turn of events. But it is part of her story.

How does that soap opera relate to this discussion? You know the day the climatic murder of a spouse happened, a block away from a high school in an upscale neighborhood, no one locked down the nearby high school.  No one thought to do a lockdown out of precaution? This was well after Columbine. 

No one thought the good doctor was the type to swindle insurance companies, deal elicit drugs, or murder his wife.  No one?  No patterns? I also knew one of his trusted staff members. No one caught on?

And the day the murder happened, the information was that an unknown murderer was at large. And no one, again I ask, no one thought to lock down the school?  It was a good thing he only had one victim in mind that day. He had divorced one wife. Why didn’t he just divorce the second one? 

The lack of conflict resolution in this soap opera impacted the entire area and engaged local, state and national media. That is just like a school shooting when conflict is not resolved peacefully.. The impact on a community at large is life changing. Media loves to cover the damage.

Like many school shooters who take their own lives, this good doctor took his own life (while in jail). (They say.)

Good ideas involve conflict resolution without weapons. TV soap operas are based on life. Some real life ones are horror stories and the devil is in the details.

More to come. 

MarianR. Carlino

May 29, 2026

What an IDEA! Part 1

Other parts under construction. Stay tuned.

If you think my thoughts run on a particular pattern, you are paying attention. Whoever says life is not predictable is probably defending someone in court.

This is a work divided into parts. 

Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives. TV Soap Opera writers made a successful show for years (may still be on the air, not sure) using that expression. Did they coin it or was it just a lucky choice for the title?

I don't watch soap operas anymore on TV, or do I? I watch trials on school violence: prevention and failures; breaking news events at schools; and the news on kids gone wild in my city, other towns and communities across the globe. Drama in disturbed minds and homes play out in public areas. Most scenes are scripted by adults, but the most troublesome to me are the ones scripted and acted out by children.

I lived my own soap opera from 1998 to 2005. Most of it is history, but the news feels like it was just yesterday or even today. 

For the purposes of discussion, school violence is not just about the extremes of school shootings. Make no mistake, we pay for even the small events that do not make the YouTube or podcastors circuit.

Life is a soap opera. Even non televised life gets down right dirty at times. Proctor and Gamble were smart business people early on. Their products still sell. But as we all know, some stains remain for all to see.

Real life soap operas do not have a director and no one seems to call, "Cut" in some locations. However, at least in schools, many are paid actors. All the world is a stage, right?

My next parts will be about ideas, both lower case "idea" and upper case, IDEA.

Stay tuned. Life can get bumpy, especially when the some narrators tell you nothing is predictable.

Shannon Wright, in 1998, died because she inwardly predicted that the trajectory of a bullet would hit a child so she stood in front of the student whom she saved. Shannon died protecting that child. She was good fruit.

I would not say the same for many others in education, past, present and most likely future. One does not have to be a soothsayer to predict other school violence on an extreme level will occur. There are bad fruit in education. You know, one bad apple theory, right?

Marian R. Carlino

May 29, 2026

 

What chya gonna do when a gun comes to school? Could have, Would have, Should have

I really do not think that I was the only teacher during the 1997-1998 school year to believe that a kid would bring a gun to school.  But in my district, then, it sure seemed like it. 1996 to 1998 were not quiet years in schools when it came to gun violence, especially in “unexpected” school districts. I was cognizant of behavior patterns and access to weapons. And I knew we were not some special immune district. I did work with humans after all.

I may have been unique in questioning administration though, well at least in my district. My book does detail the responses from parents and teachers. The parents wrote letters, so did certain staff. The correspondence is telling. What I wrote about teachers’ insight would be, at least in a court of law, considered hearsay at least in Newport News, Va. But, after my workshop request addressed to particular staff, no one could fain ignorance. They could all have been called on in a trial to speak for themselves. I listed them in my legal endeavor.

In almost every incidence of violence in a school setting (not only gun violence), one will hear naive statements, and often, “the safety and well being of the students is the top priority” right after the damage had been done.

If a trial is held, defense lawyers outright lie, using terms like unprecedented, unthinkable, unpredictable, “who would ever think a young child would bring a gun?”. Then you hear could, would and should. The lawyer in the recent dismissed trial of the VP liked "could and should", except when it came to his client. Her defense lawyer in the civil trial, which the VP lost, used “unthinkable" and unpredictable.

What is unthinkable and unpredictable after a students tells you? 

So, in this blog post, I have listed 12 videos or news stories that discuss what happens after a kid brings a gun to school.  Don’t let the naive and stupid; administrators trying to save face; or a lawyer offering bs lines to protect (the people who did nothing or failed to be proactive) get away with ignorant statements. Be proactive. If you need examples, share these videos or this post.

It is almost summer, with school heading to seasonal breaks. You should have time to review. The oldest link is 18 years old. They are not in any order but all are related to children under 12 years old. These are American schools but violence in a school is not unique to America. 

Remember, you could be the one with a needed puzzle piece. What would you do to prevent a violent attack in your school? After the fact, the law will be made clear to you about what should have been done.

In almost of these scenarios, children warned the staff who took action. Those children must have held more clout then the children under VP, EP  in the now infamous elementary school in Newport News, Va.

New gun laws also would not help. Gun laws were broken in these scenarios. 

https://youtu.be/Ce2dQk6TplQ?si=Fzf0N40Vvvuea-fs

 https://youtu.be/svOk6Dthky0?si=i8uNWVt0dJLFl31

https://youtu.be/gx2nTgSkbsc?si=_-b9Y4-RjPiJJfgZ

https://youtu.be/gx2nTgSkbsc?si=9fEt44Gw_KPhutth

https://youtu.be/HxmEpZfkXFo?si=i8U_PYRoKqgi7xt9

https://youtu.be/dSAma5OSD5M?si=V6vTdYJGzmNVehn5

https://youtu.be/ddmupe5Z4rM?si=rgAXWFCPZjpwUzTz

https://youtube.com/shorts/CPLTg916LUU?si=ACHhth8Xj08ahu22

https://youtu.be/lOGJO3ojK2k?si=Mh5KwuaPX3Wyx1jO

https://youtu.be/9uzDvOlTakM?si=TRxBN3vDXe8ybi9f

https://youtube.com/shorts/KvslMqFiA4o?si=lUsN7AYQ95b_yqF4

https://youtu.be/6tZ_J3RE3yw?si=usRaFN1mieXF-SZE

https://youtu.be/2816d_jT_w8?si=hL5wyfTOYx3w4UAs

Marian R. Carlino

May 26, 2026

What about JT? A 6 year old who shot his teacher

 Who is JT and What about him?

Just like CN in my former classroom, JT is a young child for whom a school district had concerns about his behaviors since he was in kindergarten. Unlike, CN in my former class, in 1998, JT pulled off trying to kill his teacher on January 6, 2023. He succeeded in leaving a bullet permanently lodged close to the heart of his first grade teacher after pulling the trigger in front of his classmates (in a classroom with no solid walls. The school had safe rooms in times of emergencies.)

My classroom could have been the scene of a similar event but it was not. My story is in detail in my book. The circumstances are still timely since two trials were recently held regarding the actions of JT. JT’s teachers faced very serious circumstances in reporting and dealing with their violent student. I could connect dots. The law could also in JT’s life. The teacher won a civil case, asking for a $40 million dollar award in the fall of 2025 and was awarded a civil judgement of $10 million per a jury decision. The State of Virginia jailed the mother and she lost custody. The State of Virginia thought a criminal case was warranted. A grand jury was convened and a trial was scheduled. The Grand Jury Report from 2024 outlines a lot of information.

The Grand Jury report did not indict the 6 year old. He was too young. Based on their findings, the Grand Jury did indict the VP, EP, and found fault with many security measures at the school.

On May 18, 2026, a jury was selected and on May 19,  2026,, the jury trial began. Suddenly, on May 20, 2026,  the trial was dismissed unilaterally by the judge. Evidently the 8 counts regarding the children did not meet the judges definition of criminal. 

SO, what about JT? Although I have no empathy for his actions, we know what angry children can do, wasn’t he a danger to himself?

BUT, didn’t the VP have a responsibility to protect JT from harming himself? He was not listed as one of the 8 counts.  His mother or custodial guardian was not called to testify by the prosecutors. The defense attorneys did not give an iota to the children’s rights. Other than the teacher, the most serious non physical trauma is actually being suffered by JT. Was the VP really protecting JT by ignoring nor acting proactively to the staff concerns? Why wasn’t he listed as a child in the indictment against the VP? 

The Grand Jury Report May explain about JT and the VP’s concern for safety. The teacher almost paid with her life. JT will never have a normal life. And as for the other children, well, the Judge did not care about their rights either. The prosecutor said in opening statements, the trial was about the children. Was it?  

What about JT? What about Justice for all? 

Read the Grand Jury Report in the link. Watch the short, dismissed trial on one of the many YouTube channels, like Court TV. And pray that your children’s school districts are prepared for prevention. The stakes are life changing when they are not.

https://www.wavy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/04/Full-Report-2024-opt-1.pdf

Marian R. Carlino

May 25, 2026

 

Another School District

So something similar to staff not doing their jobs. Will the Superintendent pass the buck? Will the defense yell, hearsay? 

We shall see.

Do students have to take it for the team?

Posted twice for effect.

https://youtu.be/6Tnv7kNPbAM?si=xaFyNpdfLzrJeaq

https://youtu.be/6Tnv7kNPbAM?si=OLMa9dxGn98AC6ev

Marian R. Carlino

May 23, 2026

Hearsay and the hypocrisy of the VP weeping

It has been a few days since the criminal charges were dsmissed against the VP by a judge, not by the jury. The judge took the decision into her hands. 

The VP was found culpable in a civil trial for the shooting injury to the teacher in a first grade class in the elementary school in Virginia. Civil cases on behalf of the children are still active and pending against the VP. This potential for monetary gain was used against the parents when they took the stand this past week to testify in the criminal trial. 

No one at the school, other than the VP was indicted by a grand jury on criminal charges related to the children. I find that piece of information telling. Evidently, the judge did not.

I am a proponent of due process especially since I know first hand how due process can be denied. 

In this case, whose legal rights were given priority in this trial, the children or the principal? When you listen to the lawyers, the judge and this one example of legal commentary, you may form your own opinion. The following is my opinion.

I do not believe the children, of whom this trial was about, per the prosecutor and defense, received due process. Here are a few reasons why I formed this opinion. They are not listed in any scale of most importance. The reasons on my opinion are all important.

Reason 1: Was it the type of charge? A grand jury thought it was chargeable offense and a trial jury was selected and sworn in. This was not a bench trial. The 14 members of the jury were not in the courtroom when the judge made a unilateral decision. 

COULD the jury. if questioned about the validity of grand jury findings before the trial, opted out based on a question about the charges?

CAN that type of question even be asked at jury selection?  Do you think this is a valid charge? Should we proceed?  

Reason 2: The defense threw red herrings into the case to distract. I know that is a common trick of the trade, but is it due process for minors? Example: Was a student in the classroom? Was there monetary gain in a pending civil case? This questioned the motivation of the parents whose kids watched or heard gunfire in their school. The defense lawyers underplayed school policy. The defense questionned every video or policy presentation to underplay and discount their validity.

Reason 3: Underplayed seriousness of impact on the children because no child got shot or killed.

Reason 4: As difficult as it may have been, the children were not allowed to testify on their own on what they heard or witnessed, not even in a controlled setting.

Reason 5: The defense lawyer kept interrupting and used the lawyer technique of asking the same question several times. Both the judge and the prosecutor said "asked and answered" for many questions.

Reason 6: HEARSAY. The adults, staff and parents were not allowed to relay the utterances of the children. So who could speak on the children's behalf?

Reason 7: Lawyers are lawyers. They talk out of both sides of their mouths. The judge and defense lawyers, but even the prosecutor, were not willing to allow the whole senario to be flushed out.

Reason 8: The prosecutor did not ask about the relationship of the principal with staff or the shooter's parents. Was there a prejudice of any sort for the student or the shooter's parents that made the VP reluctant and fail to take more action? The parents, except for that week, evidently were sitting in the classroom daily under a plan to mitigate the violent outbursts. Did the principal know the mother carried drugs and a gun in her purse? Did the vice principal find out so the parents could not sit in class anymore?  Was child protective services involved before the shooting that teachers did not know? How did a young child become so violent?

Reason 9: No one legally requested the school records of the shooter. JT was protected more than the other children.

Reason 10: What was the racial make up of the school? Was there a DEI program in place? What training in school violence prevention program was used?

Reason 11: The video tape of the VP, done on Zoom in 2023 by the school HR representstive was shown in which the VP used the pronoun We when talking about what was done. She was covering for her inaction then. The defense tried to undermine the authotity of the HR representative. The VP is no longer employed at that school district. Did she fight for unemployment which is a court of law? How soon did she lawyer up? Why wasn't a policy expert at the school called by the prosecutor to explain the chain of command?

Reason 12 : Personal experience

I worked in a white picket fence school district. The violent child was a 7 year old, red haired white kid whose mother was a cop. The family participated in Civil War Reenactments. Someone gets shot, and you eat lunch with that "dead" person. He had access to guns.

The mother told us in a meeting that the father called me and the other teachers "bitches out to get him." The white principal had it out for me and showed a prejudice towards me, also white. (I was raised in the "hood" though in Plainfield, NJ). The Child Study Team gave nothing for the rights of my other students or for me. (My book does explain that!)

The day after the events that led me to speaking up and already in writing for my class, this note on a response to another report by a child is what I received from my principal. You may now understand why I question every school violence episode with or without a gun. 

The hearsay rebuttals by the defense attorneys was like hearing chalk scraping on a chalkboard.

I wanted to scream.

What would you do if you received this after reporting serious concerns for safety at your workplace?

P.S. Initials of minors is clearly allowed. 

Marian R. Carlino

May 23, 2026

This link is from a lawyer who has a YouTube channel. He follows and comments on trials. I only follow for the school violence related coverage. He is one of a few I pay aytention to.

 

Legal justice is important. In my opinion, this lawyer podcaster does fair coverage. I always read the comment section as well. The comments are an important part of most podcasts. 

I do not allow comments on this blog. I do not want my message confused with other commentary. My blog is not monetized. Comments can always be related on Amazon or any site when searching for my book if interested.

https://www.youtube.com/live/jt9U3a9xNUY?si=N3Tcg1kIKR47nLkn 

Love. 

Marian

From the Teacher's Desk : How costly are missed warning signs?

From the Teacher's Desk : How costly are missed warning signs?:  The 40-million-dollars?  (Originally published on April 22, 2024, edited and updated November 7, 2025.) A young teacher, who also suffered ...

Reposted from a previous post:  Updated May 17, 2026

https://marianrcarlino.blogspot.com/2019/06/time-keeps-on-slipping-into-future.html

Marian R. Carlino

May 18, 2026

If it takes a trial...Vice Principal on trial

Updated with this trial link 

https://youtu.be/KeNWi_YEgWA?si=0WjLuoNS4tgv9Ow7 

Opening arguments of the Prosecutor in the trial.

The defense attorney projected blame and stonewalled today.

The principal was not charged but did not come off really good today. 

I wonder what staff relationships were like between the staff and administration.

I will never stop talking or writing about my situation in 1998. PUT IT IN WRITING before the weapon of choice gets used. In my case, the student used hands and feet to attack others in kindergarten and first grade. My story with sworn taped testimony could gave played out as in this school. The Principal thought my violent student had special rights. My former principal was lucky it was me as the teacher. I credit my actions to prior knowledge and the death of Shannon Wright.

When a 6 year old is so violent, that teachers are assaulted, it is a miracle other children were not hurt. My educated guess is that other children were hurt, but mums the word in the land of education...even after a shooting (or assaults of any kind). Time and the court trial may just be telling. 

https://youtu.be/0q-2ODZmawQ?si=EU2XnjzktUtp-0Qg

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/18/us/school-shooting-ebony-parker-trial

Previous post on the civil trial.

https://marianrcarlino.blogspot.com/2024/04/how-costly-are-missed-warning-signs.html

Marian R. Carlino

May 18, 2026