Another child (11yo) threatened my sister, want to know if it's serious, and what recourse I should take.

I apologize in advanced for the length.

I

[Jaredt]

From this I perceive as him thinking this through and having a plan. I do believe that if given the chance he would do it. When my sister confronted a counselor at the school, she said "to ignore him", and took no recourses.
My mom plans on going to the school tomorrow (3/14/07), but I'd rather go into such a situation with a little more leeway, as well as what steps I can take outside of the school.

-Do you think that this child could seriously attempt to kill based off of the report my sister gave me?

-Would it be over the top to call DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services in Washington) on the child and his parents given the situation?

-Offhand, do you know of any good legal recourse; a phone number for such situations, or action that could be taken towards the child's parents or the school counselor?

I'm not wanting to sue in any case unless an incident where my sister was hurt do to their neglect were to occur, to make sure that the children at the school are adequately protected (searching on the internet has proven relatively fruitless). I do intend to go after the counselors job with the school district if nothing happens tomorrow.

Thank you for your time,
-Jared

[jd1419]

I would say file a complaint with the sperintendent and also I would put a complaint in with the police---in this day and age there is no reason that a threat like this should not be taken seriously.  IF possible get all the kids togethere who heard this so there is more than one complaint--at least the kid will hopefully get help--someone may step in and head off an incident that could get a lot worse.  I hope nothing happens to your sister or any of the kids in her school.

[RockRose]

This boy actually brought a knife to school,  (one capable of doing damage,  not like some toy knife or a butter knife) and openly threatened other students,  and the school did nothing?   Makes my head spin.  There have been cases of children bringing dull knives in their lunches to cut their food,  or a knife left in a car in the parking lot left over from helping a grandmother move houses,  and the kids have been expelled.

Something is really not right here.  I think you need to find out what - either your sister is not telling the story very clearly to the teachers,  or she has made it up (I don't know her!),  or something else is amiss.

[boosty]

your mother should definately contact the teacher and mark's parents as soon as possible. not to be left one day alone. dont underestimate kids behaviors . you know that there are kids who commit suicide at an early age, kids who do murder and kids who end up in jail. i am not saying that thats what this situation is, but you never know and you should take nothing as a joke even if a KID is saying it. if my daughter was in your sisters shoes, i would let the grown ups in charge know about it as soon as possible. AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. good luck.

[anxiousmomtobe?]

Your mother needs to call Child Protective Services and complain.  She also needs to call the police.  Before she does any of this she needs to meet with the administration of the school.  Your sister should not be in school with this child.  He needs to be charged with uttering death threats under the young offenders act in the state where he lives.

I believe his threats are serious.  He may be genuinely mentally ill, or he may be a sad, abused boy who is lashing out in his unhappiness.  Only expert can figure this out.

By the way, you can't sue as you are not the guardian and these actions wouldn't constitute a lawsuit anyway.

[Jaredt]

Thanks for all your comments, and for clarification, the kid didn't have a knife, he just said he did. Today is when my mom is meeting with the principal (She was busy yesterday). Thanks for your suggestions.