We are South Florida Sun Sentinel reporters, investigating dangerous kids in Florida's classrooms. Ask us Anything!

We are South Florida Sun Sentinel reporters. In the aftermath of Parkland, we’ve been investigating dangerous kids in Florida’s classrooms. Over the past 18 months, we discovered 100 court cases with chilling details of disturbed kids making deadly threats against teachers and classmates. Our reporting found that these emotionally disturbed children often have easy access to guns at home and are protected by state and federal disability laws. Ask us anything about today’s schools and a generation of children at risk.

Please take some time to read our stories.

Part 1: https://projects.sun-sentinel.com/teenage-time-bombs/dangerous-kids-threaten-schools/

Part 2 https://projects.sun-sentinel.com/teenage-time-bombs/how-schools-manage-violent-kids/

The link to the whole series is here: https://projects.sun-sentinel.com/teenage-time-bombs/

Proof: https://s3.amazonaws.com/content.sun-sentinel.com/images/parkland/reddit-image.jpg

We are MegsWriting and BrittForNews50

Comments: 174 • Responses: 3  • Date: 

CaptCurmudgeon10 karma

Is your organization advocating for a position? How do you balance Constitutional protections for parents with strong medical protections for their children?

Is there any type of longitudinal data showing the progression of disturbed children through adolescence? For example, how many are repeat offenders or progress in their dangerous acts? How many "grow out of it?"

MegsWriting-1 karma

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We are talking to experts now for a story on potential solutions. It likely will require more mental health help, greater funding of the IDEA law, removal of weapons from the homes of disturbed children, proper threat assessments, and easier processes for public schools to transfer violent children to therapeutic schools. We do not know of longitudinal data. But the records we looked at showed many children with prior acts of violence or threats.

TeaBagginTammy5 karma

Is there any way for you to cross-reference these kids' psychiatric records and prescribed medications?

I've heard it said that James Homes likelihood for homicide drastically increased due to the medication he was given. I don't remember if it was the medication itself, or an improper prescription, but maybe something to look at?

MegsWriting-3 karma

Thank you. Some of the records we obtained listed medicines, but numerous children reported to authorities that they were off their meds. I expect that more information will come out at trial about the Parkland shooter and his medications.

MechemicalMan-3 karma

Great reporting on a very important topic.

In your findings, do you think that actual mental health is decreasing, as a whole, from let's say, going back to the 1950s; or do you think it's just more diagnosed and we fixed one problem- removal and abuse of mentally handicapped people- and replaced it with another - now those mentally challenged people are around people without metal problems, which is almost contagious. They seem like they have the ability to bring spread mental un-health through interactions. Or was this not at all in something you can answer?

MegsWriting0 karma

I have not seen any research to show that mental illness is contagious.