2010.09.03 - Kaine assures Skyline Parents their kids are safe.

[LaceSprocket]

Respectfully ~~

P1: Why would Kaine need to do anything as a favor to Skyline? His son was kidnapped from their school. Supportive or not, what could he possibly owe them?

Kaine clearly stated that he does not blame Skyline. (He blames Terri.) So why do them a favor? Maybe not a favor, as much as he might:

Show thanks. Show appreciation. The Wall of Hope for Starters.
To show solidarity in their shared sense of loss and grief.
To assure other parents that Skyline is safe.

And who knows... maybe this is another message to Terri that says: "See, I don't blame Skyline. I blame you."

 

[passionflower]

IMO, something happened inside the family unit that made all of them think that TH & DDS are to blame and not the school.
IMO, Kaine KNOWS allot more than we do.
No way could he make that statement of the school being safe,
it is just his way of saying it's in the family and not outside predator. JMOO

 

[goatman]

What if TH isn't guilty? What if a stranger/someone other than TH really did disappear Kyron from the school?

I agree with those of you who said it wasn't his place to say that the children were safe. Just like imo it wasn't in LE's best interest that they say it was "and isolated incident" almost immediately after it.

IMO, speaking for myself, had the school of been diligent in implementing and operating procedures that monitored everyone that ENTERED the school and everyone that LEFT the school, we would know a lot more in this case than we do (read: we would know who took Kyron).

Kaine speaking at a group of parents AFTER TH has been arrested/named a POI/named an official suspect is one thing. Doing it before any of that is, imo putting the cart before the horse. We don't know anything for sure.

And I am wondering how parents felt coming out of that meeting.

 

[skylineneighbor]

I read that the new security cameras at Skyline School were donated by a local company. Are all Portland schools going to be similarly equipped with cameras, or just Skyline? Shouldn't all parents whose children attend Portland schools be able to feel the same sense of security as Skyline parents/students? I hope that security systems will be installed in all Portland school buildings so that every school-age child in the community is afforded the protection and safety that is due them. jmo

While nearly every supermarket or traffic light has a surveillance system, PPS does not have them in all schools. These cameras were only installed because 1) a child vanished while on school grounds, 2) Chown Hardware donated the equipment and installation, 3) the school itself listens to the community, and 4) floor plans of school and all possible the "escape" routes are discussed all over the internet.

 

[LillyRush]

I just finished watching a Today Show video on my phone, the title of the video clip is "Still No Clue as to Kyron's Whereabouts". I believe it was shown on the Saturday morning (9/4) airing of the today show, but I don't know because I hardly ever watch live tv. Anyway, Kaine is shown being interviewed and saying that he feels that they are back to square one, like things are no different than the very first day of June 4th when they knew just very basic information.

That is not good. In light of having just viewed this video, I am again wondering why he felt confident enough to speak to the parents? Also, how will the parents that he just spoke to this week feel now if they also saw this video clip discussing how there is "no clue" and they are back to square one??

I guess if he was just talking about the new safety procedures and that he believes they will be more effective, then it was fine for him to speak. But, other than that, he does not sound very confident anymore that the investigation is going in the right direction, imo. So, if I were a parent who had gone to that meeting, I would start to feel uncomfortable again real quick after seeing him like that on the Today show just days later.

(ok, time for bed..I'm repeating myself now lol )

 

[RoughlyCollie]

And who knows... maybe this is another message to Terri that says: "See, I don't blame Skyline. I blame you."

What if he is wrong?

 

[pufnstuf]

I'm sure the school appreciates Kaine feeling the school was safe before and can use his words if Kaine ever tries to sue the school.

I think that the obvious conclusion is that Kaine has no intention to sue the school.

 

[RoughlyCollie]

I think that the obvious conclusion is that Kaine has no intention to sue the school.

He's pretty safe doing that, because if he is wrong and TH is innocent, he can still sue the school system and win. He could lose at trial, or an appellate court could decide that, as a matter of law and/or public policy, schools have no duty to keep an individual child safe from whoever did it. After all, courts have decided that police don't have a duty to keep individuals who ask for help safe -- their duty is to the public as a group.

 

[celticthyme]

Students and parents are going to be fearful and weary about the safety of their kids at school, and they should be. Law enforcement has given no indication either way that they know what happened. They MAY THINK THEY KNOW, BUT THEY ARE NOT TELLING, thus leaving anyone involved at the school to "think" that the child was taken from there on that busy and not normal school day. Terri banked on this confusion IMO. If they dropped off his science project on Thursday, as many did, and then took the photo, no one is the wiser. She very well could have been running around the school on the 4th to give the impression "they" were there, though no one actually can verify that for sure, or no one has to my satisfaction. The reason I believe they really do not have to be afraid, is that this plot was set in motion long before the science fair and Terri could have done anything to Kyron, with Dede in tow that day, including showing up with him for a few minutes and leaving again via separate exits. MOO

 

[Donjeta]

"It's going to be tough, but I think what they got planned for the first day and the procedures and things that they're working on, I think it's outstanding,” Kaine said. “I think they've made some big adjustments and it was a safe school before, and now it's probably going to be one of the safest schools in the state."

JMO but based on the quotes he didn't exactly assure the parents their kids are safe. Of course he can't know that for sure, no one can. Even if they have 100% proof that it's Terri who took Kyron and she has no motive to touch any of the other children of course Kaine and LE can't tell who else might be eyeing other Skyline children with what kind of diabolical plans in their minds. He's IMO just saying that he is happy with the school safety procedures as they are now. He is reportedly getting ready for Kyron to start another year in his school which says to me that he would feel reasonably safe sending his children to Skyline even though bad things happened to Kyron there. IMO he's mainly saying that he doesn't blame the school safety procedures for what happened to Kyron and now the procedures are improved so there is less reason to worry.

But of course there are lots of dangers in any school that an automated attendance call back system or visitor badges aren't going to help in any manner. For instance, the perp may be someone with a legit reason to be at the school area and the crime may not involve leaving the school grounds.

 

[JBean]

Please remember that the topic is not about other posters , but rather Kaine's statement and what it may mean to you.

 

[Jo in Calif]

Kaine's statement, means to me, is that he is confident who took Kyron from the school, also Captain Gates statement, IMO that he is also confident, as to who took Kyron. They still don't know where Kyron might be, but IMO are pretty confident who removed him from the school.

 

[Morag]

...SNIP...
But of course there are lots of dangers in any school that an automated attendance call back system or visitor badges aren't going to help in any manner. For instance, the perp may be someone with a legit reason to be at the school area and the crime may not involve leaving the school grounds.

This is a legitimate fear.

 

[SurfieTX]

http://www.kptv.com/news/24910471/detail.html

"It was a safe school on June 4 and it's an even safer place now," Keefer said."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Hmmm...wonder what exactly was said at that meeting by LE and Kaine.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

http://www.kptv.com/news/24910471/detail.html

"It was a safe school on June 4 and it's an even safer place now," Keefer said."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Hmmm...wonder what exactly was said at that meeting by LE and Kaine.

Also of note from the above article:

Ben Keefer, the school's principal, said Kyron is enrolled at the school, but he will be removed from the enrollment list if he is absent for 10 days, per school district procedure.

Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby said there have been district-wide security changes in the wake of Kyron's disappearance.

Attendance will be taken twice a day -- once in the morning and once after lunch -- at kindergarten through fifth grade schools. Attendance is already taken throughout the day at middle schools and high schools.

 

[wvjules]

Also of note from the above article:

Ben Keefer, the school's principal, said Kyron is enrolled at the school, but he will be removed from the enrollment list if he is absent for 10 days, per school district procedure.

Portland Public Schools spokesman Matt Shelby said there have been district-wide security changes in the wake of Kyron's disappearance.

Attendance will be taken twice a day -- once in the morning and once after lunch -- at kindergarten through fifth grade schools. Attendance is already taken throughout the day at middle schools and high schools.

I hope Kaine and/or Desiree do not get the computer generated absence calls in those 10 days.

 

[tlcya]

Of course Kaine was at the meeting....he's the parent of a student at the school.

BBM
not to be harsh, but he actually isn't at the moment. Kyron is most definately not attending skyline elementary this year. (so far)

I think the school may have asked him to be present in an effort of CYA on the part of Skyline. If it does turn out that Kyron did not meet some unsavory end at the hands of Terri, then IMO Skyline has serious liability issues to be concerned about.

With Kyron still MIA, I am sure many parents were unnereved sending their children back to school this fall. Kaine's presence, although not in any sort of official capacity, may have been a calming influence during the meeting to discuss the new security measures and it only goes to follow - even though his child is not a student at this time, we all know, his child was THE student whose disappearance prompted teh new security measures.

 

[jadejazzkayla]

I hope Kaine and/or Desiree do not get the computer generated absence calls in those 10 days.

I agree. I hope he is home by then so they will not receive those calls.

 

[cluciano63]

I agree. I hope he is home by then so they will not receive those calls.

I don't have any good reason but I've kind of felt for a long time that his birthday was a kind of a deadline...that if indeed, as Desiree believes, Terri is "hiding" Kyron from his parents, that this would be the date that he would either be "returned" or that they might believe this theory a little less. Both parents have seemed to indicate that Terri would not harm Kyron and that as far as they knew, she loved him.But I think if his birthday passes, with no news of Kyron, that Terri does not have the capability of bringing him back.

 

[surrogatemom]

Slight OT but.. my kids are in the PPSD. There was a heavy police presence at the school today. Now this is partly due to making sure people weren't speeding in the school zones, but the cops were walking up and down the sidewalk out front - so it's not as though they were actively radaring drivers. I just found this interesting. I heard another mom ask one cop if they'd be there daily but of course the answer was no (I didn't expect a yes, Portland Police just do not have the resources for that).