Violent Felon Elementary
May 8th, 2007 by Dan GaffneyIn the 05/06 school year Cape Henlopen had 401 cases of crime and other offenses ranging from fighting and criminal mischief, to drug offenses and assault.  However, the most shocking statistic from the Delaware Department of Education School Conduct Report is the 14 “violent felonies†reported at Cape. It sounds terrible just saying “violent felonies†and school in the same breath. The number 14 is far more than any other downstate school. Appoquinimink had four, but zero and one were the numbers reported for the other Sussex and Kent schools.  I decided to look into this report of 14 violent felonies and found that a shocking 12 happened at just one school in the district; HOB Elementary!  This had to be a mistake, I thought, 12 violent felonies at an elementary school in Milton Delaware? I asked Superintendent Dr. George Stone about this and here is his sad reply:
The statistic is correct as reported. The issue is in the way the SRO chooses to report the offense. All of these “violent felonies” involved inappropriate sexual contact or offensive touching. If the SRO feels it is unlawful sexual contact, it is reported as a “violent felony” If it is reported as “offensive touching” it doesnt show up on that report. Our SRO in that prior year took a very strict stand on offensive touching, and part of the reason was that the court would order mandatory counsling the offender’s family could not afford. Of these twelve incidents, most could have been reported as “offensive touching” by a different SRO. I’m not saying that woud be right or wrong, its just how they view it. Bottom line, HOB has similar offensive touching situations as do other elementaries, and anyone touching another inappropriately was dealt with according to the legal interpretation. Often with severe consequences.GS
So we’re to believe that a cop is trumping up charges on six and seven year olds in order to get free counseling? Charging kids with felonies, flooding family court for a welfare program? This doesn’t smell right. Remember, we’re taliking ”violent felonies” as in Del. Code title 11, s. 4201 (c). Either we have an out of control cop, or something very wrong is happening at HOB. Stay tuned, we’ll attempt to find out. Â
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May 15th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Cape Schools are very belligerant and as an 8th grade student I believe that when I graduate High School this District in fact will eventually will lose it’s accredidation. Please, Dan, refer to this on the broadcast, and I in fact am appalled at the fact of how bad Cape has become since I was a little kid in Kindergarten. People never had to worry about the gun violence or the sexual activity in the classrooms of H.O. Brittingham ELEMENTARY or Sexual activity in the bathrooms of the 9th grade campus. What is going on? I want someone to tell me, because I have no idea and I believe that if you want your child to have a good education and dont want them to have to do through this, like seeing their best friend getting laid in the bathroom or seeing a parent pull out an air pistol. If you want your child to have the best educational experience than DO NOT KEEP THEM IN CAPE!!!! Just because your family went there doent mean that you have to too. This would be a better district if we had stricter consquences, fire all of the principals and get new ones, suspend the students that repeatedly get in trouble and get rid of the GANGS!
May 15th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Pretty serious stuff there deboy 15. You are serious, aren’t you?
May 17th, 2007 at 10:54 am
you should cut stones job and not other peoples job he ruined woodbrige now hes ruining cape fire stone and that will save us 3 milliaon thats hes been stealing
June 14th, 2007 at 11:30 am
rehoboth elem goes down in all state testing-yet george stone allows a pool party on state time at the principals house-what a true desire to improve–alcohol served on state time,when does thie end????the district is a joke