There’s a Montreal elementary school that had to beef up security and contact the police this week because on three separate occasions, a man tried to enter the school to “discuss Allah” with the students. He has no children at the school, he just wants to get in there and talk religion with the kids. (Full story here)
This happened on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Police confronted him each time and got him to leave, even tracked the man to his home and talked to him there. Because he has no criminal record, no arrest was made but extra security measures were taken today.
If I had a kid at that school, I would be freaking.the.HELL.out.
I’m sure someone is probably assuming I must have a problem with Muslims, and that’s completely wrong. I studied world religions once upon a lifetime and Islam is actual a peaceful religion in general and it’s sad that some fundamentalists have given it a bad name. I don’t have problems with the particular religion, I have problems with someone who does not belong in that school repeatedly trying to sneak or push his way in to talk to children.
Why? Why does he need to do that? He’s not a parent, he’s not an invited guest for a talk at an assembly. I’d be just as alarmed if it was a Christian, Buddhist, or an atheist. Strangers do not have any business trying to slip in amongst elementary school children. The last time someone who didn’t belong walked into a school, the Dawson College shooting happened.
I know that a public school means a public place and it’s difficult to arrest him if he’s not uttering threats or being violent, but as a parent I would want to know that more had been done than just asking questions when it happened for the third time.
I may have hated school sometimes, sometimes I hated the people who were there who teased me and made me feel bad, but at least I felt safe. Not once in my life did I ever worry about someone bringing weapons into the building or strangers repeatedly trying to sneak into the school to preach to us.
When did schools stop being safe?
I don’t know. The Amish shooting really shook me. If kids aren’t safe in an Amish 1 room schoolhouse, what school could be safe?
There were a ton of reasons why we decided to homeschool. Our fears for their safety was one of them, as was the current American teach to the test philosophy. 🙁
Honestly, I think you’d be a better homeschooler than me. I wish I was as crafty as you! Can my kids go to camp at your house?