I hate school.

I took this picture this morning in our local Walmart... some poor kid's cry for help, written on the blood pressure machine.

NC Teacher accused in sex sting facing new charge

N.C. teacher accused in sex sting facing new charge

Posted: Jul. 12 12:26 p.m. Updated: Jul. 12 5:37 p.m.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — One of three North Carolina teachers charged with soliciting a minor for sex is facing additional charges in South Carolina.
The Buncombe County Sheriff's Office told The Asheville Citizen-Times on Friday that authorities in Greenville, S.C., have charged David Frank Pace with four counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
Authorities said Pace was still in jail Friday and would be transferred to South Carolina authorities when he is released.
Guilford County Sheriff B.J. Barnes announced Friday that Pace, David Brian Seus and Kevin Samuel had been charged with soliciting a minor for sex after a police sting. Barnes said the men thought they were talking to young teenage girls but were actually talking to deputies.
Authorities have said that two of the suspects contacted a deputy posing as a 13-year-old girl, and another deputy posing as a 14-year-old girl was contacted by the third suspect.
Seus, 30, is a teaching assistant and a lacrosse coach at Western Guilford High School. He was arrested Tuesday and was released after posting bond. He resigned Thursday.
Samuel, 46, teaches at The High School Ahead Academy. He was arrested Thursday and held on a $10,000 bond.
Pace, a teacher in Hendersonville, was being held on a $190,000 bond after he was arrested Tuesday.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Rape defendant formerly worked as school security guard

Rape defendant formerly worked as school security guard
MIFFLINBURG — A 59-year-old man charged last week for allegedly raping a 15-year-old boy at his home had been employed as a Mifflinburg School District security guard.


Barry Tomasetti, Mifflinburg school superintendent, would not say whether Jerry Dale Haines, of 201 Meadowlark Lane, resigned or was fired from the district. Tomasetti on Monday would only confirm that Haines no longer works for the school.
When asked about how long Haines had served as a security guard for the district, school board member Donita Keister replied: “It is not our policy to discuss personnel matters outside the board room. Please be advised that he is no longer employed by the district.”
Police say the boy said Haines have sexual contact with him in February 2006. The boy, whose name was not released, told police that Haines entered his bedroom and asked for oral sex. The boy told police Haines sexually assaulted him again later that same night.
In addition to rape, Haines has been charged with statutory sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Nebraska teacher pleads guilty to sex with student, 13

Neb. teacher pleads guilty to sex with student, 13

By ANNA JO BRATTON Associated Press Writer
Posted: Jul. 2, 2008
OMAHA, Neb. — A former teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to fleeing to Mexico with a 13-year-old student so she could have sex with him. Her plea was part of a deal to ensure she'll spend less than a decade in federal prison.
Kelsey Peterson, 26, cried in court and shook her head when the prosecutor said she started having sex with the boy when he was 12 years old and a student at Lexington Middle School, where she taught.
But the former math teacher pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to have sex, and avoided a similar charge that would have carried a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of at least 70 months in prison, up to a maximum of 87 months. The judge could decide on a different sentence, but that would give Peterson the right to change her plea, said federal prosecutor Jan Sharp. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for September.
Her family burst out of the court room Wednesday shouting at reporters, telling them to "ask (the victim) how old he is," and saying Peterson is being unjustly accused.
Peterson's attorney, James Martin Davis, has publicly questioned the boy's birth certificate. Davis said the boy was likely at least 16, and that he was the aggressor.
Amy Peck, an attorney for the boy and his family, said that suggestion was disgusting.
"He was a 12-year-old boy and the defendant knew it," Peck said Wednesday. "The result of this lower plea could have been obtained without playing to every racial stereotype that there is."
Peterson taught the boy during the 2005 to 2006 school year, then started having sex with him in November 2006, according to court documents.
The pair disappeared in October, soon after the district's superintendent confronted Peterson about allegations of an inappropriate relationship with the boy, then 13.
She was arrested a week later in Mexicali, Mexico.
In an interview to be aired Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America," the boy, who is now 14, said Peterson cried and told him she loved him when they were discovered by authorities in Mexico.
He said he told Peterson he loved her, too. He's now living in Nebraska with his parents, although his attorney wouldn't say where.
A portion of the interview was aired Wednesday on the local ABC affiliate, KETV.
The guilty plea doesn't mean Peterson is off the hook on state charges, which include kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault. Her attorney said he hoped those charges would be dropped.
But Dawson County Attorney Elizabeth Waterman said Wednesday there are no plans to drop the state charges.
"Right now she's charged with what she's charged with," Waterman said. "The nature of any type of deal, I don't want to speculate on that."
Peterson likely won't be brought back to Dawson County to face state charges until after the federal sentencing, Waterman said.
The Associated Press previously named the boy as police were searching for him but stopped using his name after authorities charged Peterson with a sex crime.
He was an illegal immigrant in the United States when he left with Peterson. He's now back in Nebraska temporarily after being granted humanitarian parole by the Department of Homeland Security.
Peck said she plans to ask the U.S. attorney's office for a visa that could put the boy and his parents on the path to citizenship.
The "U" visa is designed for victims of certain crimes and their families and needs the backing of someone involved with prosecuting, investigating or judging the case.
"We have not been promised anything at this point," Peck said.
Said U.S. Attorney Joe Stecher: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
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U.S. District Court, Nebraska: http://www.ned.uscourts.gov/
Dawson County: http://www.dawsoncountyne.net/

Judge delays SC teen's trial on explosive charges

Judge delays SC teen's trial on explosives charges
By MEG KINNARD Associated Press Writer
Posted: Today at 12:55 p.m.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal judge has delayed the trial of a South Carolina teen accused of plotting to blow up his high school, according to court documents.
Jury selection in Ryan Schallenberger's case had been scheduled to begin next week. But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Bryan Harwell granted a request by Schallenberger's attorneys to give them more time to prepare for the 18-year-old's trial on federal explosives charges.
The straight-A student was arrested April 19 after police say his parents picked up a package addressed to him containing 20 pounds of ammonium nitrate. Police said a search of his home found other materials needed to make several bombs and a cassette tape Schallenberger wanted played after death in an assault planned on Chesterfield High School.
Authorities also found a journal in which Schallenberger praised the Columbine High School killers in Colorado. A judge is considering a request by Schallenberger's attorneys to seal the journal, which authorities say also contains notes the teen made about explosives he had evaluated.
Schallenberger pleaded not guilty last week to receiving an explosive, attempting to destroy property by explosive and possessing an unregistered destructive device. If convicted on all charges, he would face a maximum of 40 years in prison.
In May, prosecutors dropped the most serious charge, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carried a maximum life sentence. They have declined to say why they dropped the charge.
The month before, a federal agent testified that Schallenberger told investigators after he was arrested that he wanted to die, go to heaven and kill Jesus.
He has remained in jail without bond since his arrest and also faces state charges.
A judge has granted prosecutors' request that Schallenberger undergo a mental examination by state experts, but that is on hold as defense lawyers appeal. Schallenberger's attorneys have argued that a different psychiatrist found the teen competent to stand trial and assist his lawyers.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Henderson coach charged with choking student

Henderson coach charged with choking student

Posted: Today at 10:14 a.m. Updated: Today at 11:21 a.m.
Henderson, N.C. — Police have filed felony charges against a Henderson Middle School gym coach for choking a student.
John Pecora, 59, is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old boy by the throat and lifting him up, according to Lt. Charles Pulley.
The incident happened around May 19, but police did not file charges until they completed their investigation. The charge was filed on June 27.
Police say the incident was witnessed by a school security guard. Authorities said the boy told them it started when Pecora made fun of the student’s feet.
Pecora was released on $10,000 bond. When asked about his employment status, school spokeswoman Terri Hedrick would only say that it’s a personnel matter.
Reporter: Beau Minnick
Web Editor: Kelly Hinchcliffe
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

School-Survival.net

Ran across this website, http://www.school-survival.net/. Looks like a really good resource for kids who do not fit in at school...(anybody remember that show from the '80s, "Square Pegs"?)
From the site:

"This is a support site for students who can't stand being forced to go to school. We are not telling you to drop out, rebel or do anything in particular. What you do is your decision and yours alone, we can just provide support and information for whatever choice you may make. What works for one person won't necessarily work for everyone. The point is: the choice is yours to make. And if, for whatever reason, other people refuse to let you make that choice, you will always find someone here willing to listen to you.
It's okay to hate school:
There is nothing wrong with you.If you hate school, parents and teachers may be quick to label you as 'troubled' or 'defiant' or diagnose you with a bunch of disorders. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There is nothing wrong with hating school, there is nothing wrong with hating being forced to go someplace you don't want to and being "taught" things that don't interest you in ways that would kill you if boredom were lethal.
You're not worthless if you don't get good grades, and you're not mentally ill if the mere thought of school scares you.
In fact, you're probably perfectly sane.
They say school is for learning? Well, being bored is hardly any way to learn anything! No wonder hardly anyone remembers what they were forced to memorize at school. School isn't about learning, it's about training people to be obedient to those with authority over them.
Don't trust school to 'educate' you - only you can be trusted with that!"