Strollerderby

...Texas.

Yah, one phonecall to the city authorities would have brought plenty of vehicles to transport those children home if necessary, or yes, at least to any local establishment.

It's not because the school was in Texas. It's because special ed students nationwide seem to be receiving less than adequate attention and care in public schools. It's just disgusting. Somehow their lives have less value??? Ridiculous.

I would think that the teacher placed in charge of the students in the special education classrooms would have made an effort to speak on her students behalf. Most students would answer that they would rather be cold than dead and burnt... Studnets with disabilities are no different and would answer in the like. Where is common sense in our schools. I agaree the principal is ultimately responsible, but again where is the teacher and why did she let this happen?

Having taught in CA and TX, I would have to say that TX has a better system in place for Sp. Ed. kids.  The student to teacher ratio is much better and the teachers and aides tend to be better trained.  I think people who knock TX for being red are similar to the Texans who roll their eyes when I say I am from California.  I am in Austin and Buda is just south of here so it's probably more liberal than most parts of TX and hearing that they didn't evacuate the school until 2 hours later makes me think there's more going on.

My school had problems with constant calls for bomb threats for a good three months.  Of course the threats always happened during two specific class periods.  I would not be surprised to find out that the not evacuating the kids had something to do with the prinicipal having the sense to realize that it was some kids calling in to get out of classes that they hate.  I remember at my school they stopped evacuating the nursery (yes there was a nursery so that teen mothers could continue to get an educaton).  This happened in Texas and the person calling in the bomb threats was a senior girl on the soccer team.  She was expelled and reported to the FBI.  Not a single bomb threat again after that.

Schools across the country have major issues not only with the evacuation of students with permanent disabilities who are identified on an ongoing basis, but with students and staff that may become injured during an emergency evacuation situation. How does your shool plan to address the needs of injured and otherwise immoblile individuals during an evacuation? Most use the safe zone and wait option. This means that, of course, that everyone else evacuates the facility and those who cannot get out on their own are left behind with another 'helper' to wait for emergency responders. I think anyone can see the inherent dangers in this option. My children's school has the plan and reosurces in place to get EVERYONE out, no matter the individual. No one is left behind.

Considering that Texas has no problem executing people with mental disabilities this isn't really surprising.

i'd like to make one correction to this article.  the police did not do the sweep alone.  the principal also recruited teachers to walk around the school in search of the pipe bombs.

I am a ssenior at Hays High and it was a little chilly that day but I do agree that it was ridiculous to leave them in there. We all went outside not knowing what was going on and then went back in a while later.

There are rumors that she said some mean things like "leave them in there im sick of them" but that is completely not true. our school takes everything super serious and i dont want people thinking we dont care about everyone. At least it wasn't anything serious and there were actually no bombs. But now I guess we learned from our mictakes and helped teach others how to react in situations like this one.

thanks

-Lindsay

And also I'd like to add to my last comment... We have a room of students who have to lie in beds or are in wheel chairs and cant exactly move themselves so it would have taken more people (not saying we couldnt do it) to help get all the special ed kids out.

and we arent used to bomb threats or anything. it was called in the morning to our library and the librarians called the SRO's. but just adding that note.

and people need to stop saying crap because we live in texas. we're dealing with illegal immagrants more than anyone and we have large schools full of kids who dont care if they graduate or not so we;re constantly having to babysit and deal with these students who dont want to cooperate.