Earlier this year, a middle school student in a special education classroom in the Corinth School District violently attacked a substitute teacher. The large, strong young man waited until dismissal time when all of the other students had left the room before sexually assaulting the teacher. Only her quick thinking and actions allowed her to escape and to find help.
The school principal, school superintendent and the school board all agreed to allow this violent, mentally ill young man back into his classroom with minimal supervision after a short suspension. The school officials also decided not to inform parents or other staff members about how bad this attack had been, or of the potential violence in this young man. In fact, this was the second time he had attacked a female teacher. The first time he was in fourth grade, and the same administrators took the same approach of ignoring the attack and avoiding any consequences or safeguards for the future.
I only know these things because the substitute teacher who was assaulted was my wife. I also know that the school officials I mentioned would have done nothing at all if my wife and I had not directly contacted several teachers within the school and every member of the school board to tell them that this young man is violent, dangerous, unpredictable, and that he will assault someone in the school again. Despite our warnings, we have continually been told that the young man has rights and that “nothing can be done” to place him away from the general population in the school and in a safer environment.
Oddly enough, this is not the only story of denial and ignorance my family has encountered in the last year involving mental illness. We live near a young man in Wilton who suffers from what appears to be schizophrenia. He is in his early 20’s, and in the spring of this year I called the police twice on this sick young man within a two week period. Both times he was walking the streets of our neighborhood, looking very angry and yelling profanities at passing motorists and pedestrians while swinging his fists wildly in the air. The police responded very quickly and professionally to my calls, and the arresting officer told me it took several other officers to restrain the young man and bring him to the Mental Health Ward. Both times he was released from the Mental Health Ward within a day or two, even though our understanding was that he would be held for a minimum of 72 hours for observation.
When we began to ask around, we found out that the parents of this mentally ill person have a winter home in Florida, and that the young man is allowed to live alone, unsupervised and unemployed with no structure in the Wilton home. Neighbors told us he has a history of discontinuing his medications during these times which tends to make him violent and unpredictable. He had been arrested several times in the last year before our calls were made to the police, and one incident involved him wandering around the neighborhood brandishing a machete while he spewed profanities at parents and children out working in their yards.
I hope these brief accounts are a call to action. Denial of the violent potential of some mentally ill people is not working. The recent appalling tragedy in Connecticut is proof of this. Discounting signs of violence from this population is not the answer. Worse than that, denying these warning signs is irresponsible and dangerous, and too often parents and school officials and those hired to help and protect our children choose to overlook the danger. We need to be honest, and to speak up, and to protect our children even when it may be uncomfortable or unpopular to do so.
Well said….Unfortunately, I believe it will fall on deaf ears. “Ignorance is bliss” said the veal calf in it’s crate.
Well written, Brian and I agree. There’s a huge gap in school placement and treatment for these children. Just like children with autism develop so much more typically with early intervention,these children need early intervention as well….at the very first signs of mental disturbance. It is so unfortunate that government and community officials wait until tragedy strikes to consider making changes. Parents, teachers,administrators, neighbors etc. need not only acknowledge the signs of mental illness with children but immediately intervene and help them find an appropriate treatment program. We owe that to our community for the safety of us all. My prayers are with the families from Connecticut. I pray that the deaths of those beautiful children are not in vein and that big change follows. Thanks for putting out this article !!!
I am so glad to read this post as I feel there is south more to this problem than gun control alone.
Our medical system has no way right now to deal with the problems of the mentally ill. And they are just that, ill. The young man you speak of left alone and expected to take the meds that control thus violence is a case in point starting with the parents. It is sad but true that in many cases where a child has or is docs with a firm of mental illness, the father leaves. Why? Because the system does not offer solutions to this very real problem.
Wonderful friends of mine have a bipolar son. He was violent towards them years ago before his meds were figured out – and the parents played the key role, could they have used help? You bet. But in the state in which they live if you take your child to a hospital or institution for help even for the shortest time, you have no visitation rights and you certainly have no say and/or education possibilities when it comes to the treatment of your child. My friend is smart. Very smart. But she is the exception and an example that these illnesses can be controlled when parents get deeply involved. But that is not practical in today’s world. There needs to be something in the medical system that treats these patients like any other illness. We would not turn our backs on cancer, heart disease etc. why on mental illness. It is a priority, and we all must become involved.
you rock with your words brian, as well as with your ability to make us all think about our world around us. We all need to speak up..for each other.
Somehow we seem to think mental illness needs to be ignored or we look for blame. Most parents cannot look objectively at the situation, and professionals are so fearful of law suits, there is no action taken. The damage done by these sick individuals lasts a lifetime. I have no solution. Ignoring or paying lip=service is not the answer.
Brian, a poignant and important issue . . . mental illness is still in the closet. We must address this at home and in the schools . . . and in the community-at-large. Time to turn on the lights.
I worked as a corrections officer about 7 years ago. Because of many mental health hospitals being closed, many of those that belonged in the hospital getting help ended up in jail instead. They are very unpredictable and could be violent or just act very strange. Jail is not the place for them as they are not receiving the proper help they need. The system has failed them.
Brian- Your words are enlightened, and even if a newspaper wishes to turn a deaf ear, those that you touch welcome your honesty and experience. I am so heavy of heart over the losses this world has incurred in the past few months. Our countries’ ability to ignore violence and hatred and choose to embrace such behaviors in their everyday entertainment of our children, such as video gaming and movies breaks my heart, for feelings of love , empathy, and compassion are back seated. We need to keep our message of love alive in words such as yours, and in our everyday actions.Thank you Brian, and warm and hopeful holiday wishes for you and your family.
Thanks for sharing this. I have been stalked since 11/28 by a women suffering from a severe mental illness. I had made several attempts to help her prior to this but the mh system is not working. even on real suicide attempts, she was only held for less than 12hrs. now, even with my children being effected, I cannot seem to get an order of protection. I was told “she has to make a physical attempt to harm me”..and at this rate, I believe she will. Just hope I live through it, to get the proper help. and stalking..I need “more” evidence.
Thanks for bring this subject into light, I pray your wife stay safe and out of harms way.
apparently one childs rights are more important than all the other children and adults..I realize this is a double edge sword but I thought this was a good school but dealing with some issues such as bullying and this maybe just maybe the people in charge need a little education before something worse happens and we end up like conn….
My husbands step brother is a very violent young man who has been in and out of the mental health unit for the 72 hour stay. Parents can’t do anything, policy can’t do much and the mental health professionals can’t do anything unless he harms someone or willingly commits himself. Something needs to be done but it seems to me it’s all about the money. It’s easier to just say “no to guns” it’s not as easy to address an issue as big as “mental health.”
I agree Brian. We no longer have a place for the Mentally Ill to help meet there needs. There used to be institutions to care for these needs. They may not have been the best in rumor and investigation but they were off the streets not causing harm. What if we, as a nation were to give the Mentally Ill our attention and find a place for them to keep them and everyone else safe? We need to show love and compassion for ones who cannot help themselves
If it was the other way around where your wife did something to the boy it would be everywhere. I don’t understand why Corinth didnt address this issue. We lived in that community for several years and my children went to those schools. As a mother of a girl I would want to know if this student was around my daughter. They have schools that will help him more than Corinth.
Hearing this is sad, to say the least. Have we, as a society and race, come to the point where we turn the blind eye to problems, thinking… hoping that someone else will take care of the problem?
We shout and blame “Gun Control” in the cases of Sandy Hook Elementary School, West Nickel Mines School, Century Movie Theatre in Aurora, CO, Clackamas Town Centre in Clackamas, OR… three of which occurred this year, all by mentally ill individuals.
Gun control is but a scapegoat for the real reason why these incidents are occurring at an alarming rate. The real issue, in my opinion, is we, as a society, need to be more involved. Gone are the days when neighbors said, “Hello” to each other. We are oblivious to outside world, too involved in our own. The underlying reason(s) run deep yet not so deep that it can’t be curbed.
As people, we need to take action ourselves, not ignore them and hope someone else does just because we’re too busy or we don’t want to get involved because guess what? You are involved AND part of the problem if you refuse to take action.
I’m glad that your wife came away without physical scars but the emotional and psychological ones will remain for quite some time. Thank the school board for that one, more so than the student.
I just hope we wake up in time.
Maybe you should read up or find out about mental illness before you are so quick to point the finger. This is an actual disease, just like any other condition can be classified. You have no right to call these people “sick”. Yes, it’s very unfortunate what happened to your wife but at least she is safe and healthy. Maybe you should thank god everyday for being healthy and not being disabled.
Anonymous: I have been a counselor for 15 years and have worked with many, many people with diagnosed mental illnesses – what happened to my wife was more than “unfortunate,” it was devastating, horrible, and life altering. Perhaps you should read up or find out about victims of sexual assaults and the severe damage it inflicts. Maybe if it happens to you or a member of your family you will understand my use of the word “sick”. I would like to use much stronger language, but I think that “sickness” is fair if mental illness is indeed a disease.
Feel free to email back with your name and contact information and we can speak further on this topic – it is one that my family and I have been forced to deal with. In the mean time, if either of the young, sick, unsupervised men in my story hurt, or rape you or a member of your family – I send my deepest sympathies in advance.
I understand your concern for the commnity but you need to understand that you basically saying to insititionalize mentally ill people…Instead of that why not press the school to have apropitte staffing in the special ed rooms? I wuld imagine if it was brough to the parents attetion that there was low staff numbers in special ed rooms they would understand a small tax increase to ensure that there was adequate staffing in the special ed rooms. Thee young woman has rights a ight to an education…Its not right acoust him for something that he can’t control and something that the school is at fault for…As far as the young man in your neighborhod why not start a petetion to a court requesting that the parents hire someone to check in on the young man while they are away to ensure he is taking his meds. many people who have sickophrainia are prefectly capable of being on there own if they take there meds but for some its very uncomfortable it takes what is “normal” to them away so when they havee the freedom to stop taking it many do and then they du become dangerous and they don’t even realize it…You can not acoust these people for the cards they were dealt they doidn’t chodse to be this way; and you shouldn’t try to rid places of them…you need to help them so they can live a normal life well as normal as it can be…I’m disabled and if I were mentally ill i wouldnt want people to trewat me like i needed to be in an insitutrion I would want them to help me so I could live a normal life as could they and life in an insitution is farr from normal
Sadly, this hits close to home especially since I have a family member with Skitzophrenia. It is more than apparent the governing body of Corinth has definitely messed up and within our system people with mental illness are hard o help because of rights these same rights but made next to impossible to help them because our county also likes to pretend there is no mental illness here or homeless people for that matter… Sadly the only way to make change is to get the media involved, otherwise these asinine people will not address real issues.
Unfortunately many people with mental illness or skitsophrenia do not understand their illness,therefore refuse treatment. because of HEPA laws anyone over 18 cannot be made to get help if they refuse. (They don’t see a problem.) Parents have their hands tied in trying to help their adult children. We need to start with changes in the law when a person is incapable of making correct choices on their own. I know from experience how heartbreaking it is to watch your child struggle and be unable to get them the help they need. Thank you for seeing this problem and pray God will show lawmakers the need for change.
It seems to me, you sir are using this as a platform for your own personal agenda. Does anyone want any counseling from this guy? Why would you post a picture of the gunman from Connecticut next to your post on FB? This makes no sense as the two are not even closely related. Anyone can be assaulted (physically or sexually) at anytime. It is not just the mentally ill or developementally disabled. Fact is the majority of people who suffer from mental illness are non-violent. Can you say that about the general population? Thre are risks that everyone is aware of when working in health care or the public school system. What happened to your wife is very unfortunate and sad. I say this as a husband and father of 3 daughters all of whom work in the education field. This could have happened anywhere! Would it be the grocery stores fault, or the library’s fault, or the mall’s fault if it happened there? School admistration is not responsible for enforcing the law. This matter was appropriately handled through the courts which is where it belongs. Blaming others solves nothing. As parents, and members of society we need to be proactive, not reactive! Your message is sterotypical. This creates unjust fear and greater ignorance! Individuals with mental illness(a disease)need your support not condemnation!
REALITY: I tried to email back to you, but it would not go through. I invite you to email me your name and contact info. so we can talk further about this. If you decide not to, let me just assure you that I am ABSOLUTELY trying to advance my agenda – it is the agenda of safety for your daughters, and wife, and all those working in schools. I did not chose this agenda, however – it was given to me – as a caring husband, father, and community member after my wife was sexually assaulted and the perpetrator was allowed back in school even though he had a documented history of stalking, harrassment, and assault. There is much more to this story, and I invite you to contact me and discuss it.
It is my thought that the picture of the gunman from the CT shooting rampage was used on your post because the event had just happened when you originally wrote this and you referred to the shooter as someone who needed help in the article. How did “Reality” miss that? Would “reality” prefer to see a picture of the student who sexually assaulted your wife? Perhaps the students’ name and parents’ names as well so we can all ask what is being done to help this perpetrator? As a school you must not only be proactive, but REACTIVE to what happens around you.
Does this student have siblings that can be harmed at home? Obviously, the difference between what is acceptable behavior and not does not come into play in this person’s mind, or he simply doesn’t care. This student will harm others, this is not a one time thing I assure you,
It was never my impression that you were blaming the school for what happened, just for how they handled this horrible crime. If we come to learn that others were attacked or harassed in any other way from this student, the school district will certainly have to start answering questions.
This is no grocery store, library or mall. This is a place we send our kids everyday and we can’t be there to watch for the signs of what might alert us to dangers that lurk within those walls.
The schools teach our kids to huddle in a corner in a group when lockdown happen. What kind of training is taking place to help a child to know how to get a violent sexual offender that you attend school with off of you before you can be raped or sexually assaulted? That’s what scares me. Lastly, this student had very well better have been assigned a one on one aide to monitor his-in an empty classroom, empty hallway, bathroom and stairwell. He lost his right to free roam at school the day he chose to brazenly sexually attack a teacher in my opinion.
I would very much like to share the specifics of this sexual assault and the documented history that the student has wit you. Please send your contact information so that we can speak further on the matter.