Trying to word this very carefully,,, I've been on both sides of this coin, as a parent and as a teacher. In the last 5 years since I came down from high school to teach 6th grade, I've had 3 students with criminal backgrounds, assault, sexual assault, murder, assault with intent. The first time I found out I was going to have a student who at that time was 12, who had been out of public school for 4 years, because he killed another young child who was bullying him, I was horrified. My first thought was I want out, I don't want him in my class, will my students be safe, will I be safe? My second thought was it was wrong to put that child in public school in the same area as the crime happened because it was still very fresh in the minds of the community. I knew the student had arrived the moment I pulled in view of the school because there were parents picketing the school. Some held signs that said "Murderer go home!!!" others said awful things concerning the teacher that would take this child, me.
I had things thrown at my truck, at me, I was called vile names because I would allow this child into my classroom. First off if I wanted a job, I had no say. Second, I found out he was put in my class on purpose because the administration felt I could handle it, I could protect all involved and I could be objective. We had meetings with the counselors and parents, I got what information I could on the case, I read everything I could find and I asked a lot of questions. It was the roughest 3 months of my entire career, including my time teaching VBD high school students.
The child was scared to death to face all the parents that were held behind police lines for his safety, not thiers. I had held parent meetings to explain what was going to happen, that he would be in my classroom, he would not be allowed in the general population alone, he would be with me before school, during lunch, at all breaks, and with me until picked up by a parent. I was lucky, I only lost 2 students to parents who just couldn't handle it. I didn't blame them at all, I know how I would have reacted with my history of members of my family being murdered, my little sisters 8 and 6, my step mother, and a close friend.
It took a lot of praying, tolerance, and it got easier for me as I realized I had to not only be concerned about the effect on the other students, but how it was going affect him being ostracized, not allowed to interact outside of the classroom, be called horrible names by students and adults alike. I got to know him very well, he's still in touch with me, he told me all about what happened and why, even though I never asked him to. It was a horrible, horrible situation.
It was hard, but it paved the way for me with the next two I got.
You have to look at everything you can, and follow your heart. It won't be easy on anyone involved and for the child's safety and to have any shot of a halfway normal life he should not be in school in the same community the crime happened. He'll never be allowed to grow past it. I'll pray for all of you involved, and trust that it will work out in a good way for all.
