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Law enforcement, school officials should have acted earlier to help studentTue, 08/15/2006 - 4:44pm
By: Letters to the ...
I am writing to express my outrage at the handling of the Robin Kittrell case. This situation was truly a tragedy, one that possibly could have been averted. If [Whitewater High School Principal] Greg Stillions and others had cared more for the growth, development and success of the children at his school than for glory and headline-grabbing, this child might well have been saved from engaging in what he will surely look back at as the stupidest move of his life. Instead, Stillions and law enforcement allowed the crime to occur, and look like heroes for saving the school. A true hero would have saved the child as well. Robin Kittrell is only 17 years old. He is a child that will be treated as an adult by the criminal justice system. As we are all aware, youth at this age are going through a crossroads into adulthood, and they are not always capable of engaging in reasonable behavior. I don’t know Robin Kittrell and I don’t know his family. However, I do know from years of experience that sometimes good kids do bad things. Our jobs as parents, school officials, teachers, counselors, law enforcement, and the community as a whole is to help shepherd these youth into fruitful and productive adult lives. We as adults are charged with a duty to these children, to do all within our power to help them grow and learn. The school authorities in particular are charged with this duty. We entrust our children to them with that understanding. School resource officers are called school resource officers because they are meant to be a resource for our children, to assist in guiding our children down the correct path. Not to lay in wait, hoping for an attention-grabbing bust. When the school authorities first became aware that Robin was planning to bring weapons to school (in June according to quotes attributed to Mr. Stillions in the newspaper), they could have acted to prevent this act from occurring. They could have brought the problem to the attention of Robin’s parents, and given them the opportunity to get help for him. A young man contemplating a stupid move can be turned to take a different path. With foreknowledge, Robin’s parents could have sought professional help for him, and he could be facing a bright future instead of one behind bars in an adult prison. There are many outstanding educators here in Fayette County. That is why many of us choose to live here. I hope that I can trust that if my son were to develop a problem coping with the transitions that teenagers face, a teacher, a guidance counselor, a principal, or the school resource officer would see fit to bring me in and let me know, rather than wait for him to mess up so they can bust him. Finally, I would like to say this to Robin and his parents: Don’t give up hope in your life. You are so young. Even if you do end up serving time in prison, you will be young when you are released. You still have the power to make something of your life, and I hope that you find the strength to do so. I hope the community will not fail you a second time, and you find the guidance that you will need to succeed eventually in your life. Catherine Sanderson |