THAT NIGHT…I went home and did a little research. 

I researched the school and district policies on “threats.”

Not surprisingly, there wasn’t anything about threatening the President of the U.S.  However, there were some criteria for what constituted a viable “threat” made by a student while on campus.  This situation did not meet any of that criteria.  Not a single iota.  In fact, the policy goes out of its way to say words have to be weighed with intent, opportunity, etc.  (Like one kid threatening another at school, there is opportunity maybe or maybe not intent (administrative discretion is used here)…there was checklist and this situation didn’t merit a single item.

We talked with our son, who once again assured us this was crazy because NO ONE THREATENED THE PRESIDENT, and asked him if he knew it was a felony to threaten the president.  (Sex, peer pressure, drugs, accountability, and all the things teens deal with these days….somehow or another not threatening the president of the US wasn’t in our top ten primary concerns….especially since H doesn’t have the habit of ever threatening ANYONE…why would we think his first one would be toward the president?)

H reminded us about the movie that came out a few years ago showing George Bush being assassinated.  He reminded us we had this conversation then..that it was a felony to threaten the president.  So yeah, we covered it…so could we please not do it again? haha

My husband called the police officer that night and had him email the report to us…it says essentially that there was an accusation the threat was made, but his investigation shows only he said, she said, with everyone either pointing fingers or saying it didn’t happen at all. 

We chalked it up to middle school drama, administrative incompetency and go on.

THE NEXT DAY….

I was in the grocery store when my cell phone rang.

VP:  “Ms Tova, this is Mr A from the middle school.  I wanted to call and tell you the Secret Service will be here within the hour to speak with Hunter.”

Me:  “You have GOT to be kidding me?"

VP: ~righteous~ “No I am not.”

Me:  “I can’t be there within the hour.”

VP:  “If you can’t be here, myself or another could sit in as H’s representative, in your place.”

Me:  ~laughs~ “Isn’t that above your pay grade?”

Silence.

Me:  “If you’re calling to ask….I do NOT give permission for the Secret Service to speak to my child without myself or my husband present.  Are we clear?”

VP:  “Yes.”

I hung up.  Called my husband.  He went to the school and sat in on the meeting.  He said the SS agent seemed annoyed at the waste of time, but he was professional anyway.  The SS agent never asked H if he threatened the president, instead he asked things like…do you own a gun, ever shot a gun, ever killed anything?  (Even though the original statement said there was a threat made involving the president and a grenade.)

(As a side note…my oldest is a pacifist in everything…. but especially doesn’t hunt…thank goodness these questions weren’t directed toward my 6 year old…who LOVES to hunt and skin his own game. hahaha  No access to grenades tho…sorry..)

Now here is where it gets interesting.

Though the boys were pretty much vindicated through the interview process (no one threatened the president)….their names are now on a list kept by the Dept. of Homeland Security.

They didn’t go to trial.  Weren’t convicted of anything, were essentially exonerated in the end of even making the threat, the “incident” is still on record. 

The SS agent told my husband there is no statue of limitation on the list, and YES it could effect any future security clearance my son might wish to obtain for employment purposes.  As well as any area in which Homeland security is involved.  And God forbid if someone ever makes another bad joke involving the president in his vicinity….and really how likely is that with teenage boys?  They’re all so wise and circumspect in their speech.

So essentially if I LIE and say I heard YOU threaten the President, and then I call the cops or Homeland security, EVEN IF YOU PROVE I’M LYING…the incident is recorded.  Your name is on a list to be flagged in the future for anything that has to do with security, passports, etc.  Since this list doesn’t fall under criminal/civil law…its just a “list” and therefore “no due process is required.”  (And in some states, like Ohio, by law, the “incident” has to be given to the attorney general…(ya know in case he/she decides there is a case here after all and wants to prosecute it).

How ludicrous is that?

Now imagine if someone does this to one of your kids?  And that someone is supposed to be a child advocate, someone who is in a profession dedicated to educating and shaping children?

Does it seem reasonable that the VP’s choices, every step of the way, were made in ways that could produce the most harm to the kids involved?

It’s been two weeks, and I’m still flabbergasted by it all.