Does Skyline school bear any responsibility?

[RubyRed]

My number one thing ... is the security aspect of it," Kaine said. "There are a lot of people who go up to the wall everyday, and when school starts I don't think that having a lot of new faces, new adults, on the school property - with kids in school - really helps with school security. We have a missing child, and security was part of the issue with him going missing .... From a pure 'trying to walk the talk here' it made sense just to move the wall from that aspect alone. Not because anyone's going up there to do harm ... but just to limit the number of new adults going to the area."



http://www.kval.com/news/local/100800094.html

 

[Calliope]

My number one thing ... is the security aspect of it," Kaine said. "There are a lot of people who go up to the wall everyday, and when school starts I don't think that having a lot of new faces, new adults, on the school property - with kids in school - really helps with school security. We have a missing child, and security was part of the issue with him going missing .... From a pure 'trying to walk the talk here' it made sense just to move the wall from that aspect alone. Not because anyone's going up there to do harm ... but just to limit the number of new adults going to the area."



http://www.kval.com/news/local/100800094.html

rut roh

 

[debs]

It seems like Kaine Horman might indeed be looking into the possibility of culpability of the school. His curious language regarding security, not his wife, being the problem points to that, anyway. IMO.

 

[Annazed]

...[respectfully snipping to address just one line of your post]

It would have created a more limited timeline for LE, though, because we would know when the SCHOOL noticed his absence, and that might have helped identify the time when Kyron left or was taken from the school building.

We do know when they marked him absent (10am).

I think that Terri flat out lied to the teacher. I don't know what school could guard against that. Having to sign him out would have helped, but maybe not by much with a slippery and determined person.

 

[cluciano63]

It keeps coming back to TP...if he was told that Kyron might be in the bathroom or getting a drink of water, then clearly official word had not spread that Kyron was excused for the day. I don't know what to make of that part.

 

[debs]

...[respectfully snipping to address just one line of your post]



We do know when they marked him absent (10am).

I think that Terri flat out lied to the teacher. I don't know what school could guard against that. Having to sign him out would have helped, but maybe not by much with a slippery and determined person.

And again, we aren't privy to:

A) what, if anything Terri might have said to the teacher; or
B) that what was said by Terri regarding the Dr's appointment (IF she said anything about it at all) wasn't misconstrued by the teacher in the confusion of the day, so that when she marked him absent, it was her forgetfulness and not Terri's subterfuge, which was at play, and that later on when questioned by the school and made aware of the legal issues that could open up for the school, simply stuck with the simplest answer which at it's face value exonerates the school, by stating that Terri told her she was taking Kyron to the Dr's appointment.

 

[pittsburghgirl]

We also should not forget that many people who have made innocent and honest mistakes that have terrible consequences are likely to be tempted to justify themselves or put their own behavior in the best light. This might be a somewhat unconscious process for some people ("How could I have screwed up this way...oh, the mother must have made the mistake...I really couldn't make this kind of mistake...it's not my fault") but a wholly deliberate one for others ("How will I explain how I didn't know or report that this kid wasn't in class?" I don't want to lose my job or get sued or be in trouble.") And some people are capable of out and out deception to protect themselves. ("The mother is a suspect anyway and it will just be my (neutral) word against her (suspected kidnapper) word."

That's why LE has to be very, very good at questioning witness. Most people in a missing child situation, we hope, will tell the truth as they know it, but even in run of the mill life experiences, we know from our own lives that people try to put the best face on things they can. So, while we may be dealing with conflicting stories, in the best case, LE should have significant advantage in sorting out these stories, because they can do multiple interviews with one person, ask the same or similar questions to a witness see if details shift and change, and compare control details in one story with details from another.

 

[Emma Peel]

Have to say that yes, the school has a bit of a lax security problem.

But I'm not sure it's Kaine's decision whether the school should be held responsible for the disappearance of Kyron. If the State's going to prosecute his wife, Kaine might have a difficult time blaming Kyron's disappearance on the school's lack of security. I wonder if Desiree might have a better go at such action...

OH ... and that all brings to mind such a rats nest my post shall end abruptly here.

 

[BeanE]

Have to say that yes, the school has a bit of a lax security problem.

But I'm not sure it's Kaine's decision whether the school should be held responsible for the disappearance of Kyron. If the State's going to prosecute his wife, Kaine might have a difficult time blaming Kyron's disappearance on the school's lack of security. I wonder if Desiree might have a better go at such action...

OH ... and that all brings to mind such a rats nest my post shall end abruptly here.

I believe no matter who the state may prosecute for Kyron's disappearance, that Kaine and Desiree have cause for civil action, should either of them choose to pursue it.

But this is not about legal responsibility to me. This is about moral responsibility. If we value our children, we must show it. I expect schools to show they value our children, by proactively ensuring their safety and well-being. This school did not.

They hold a responsibility in Kyron's disappearance. They know that - they put tighter policies and procedures in place immediately following his disappearance, and in direct response to his disappearance. I applaud them for recognizing their responsibility, and putting those measures into place immediately. I hope this was a wake-up call to other schools across the country. I hope parents across the country are checking and questioning the policies and procedures in practice at their local schools.

:cow:

 

[Donjeta]

It keeps coming back to TP...if he was told that Kyron might be in the bathroom or getting a drink of water, then clearly official word had not spread that Kyron was excused for the day. I don't know what to make of that part.

I wonder if the adults saw his coat and thought he didn't leave yet, he must still be here if he didn't take his coat, and the appointment was later in the day, then thought he must already have left when he didn't resurface. Do we know what time of day the appointment was supposed to be?

 

[liz b.]

As a parent of two Skyline students, it pains me to see these kinds of accusations, especially from those who have no knowledge of the school and its procedures. Skyline does have sign in and sign out procedures and they are very safety conscious. Terri took advantage of what was to be a very hectic day and did her evil deed. She took advantage of a situation and manipulated the situation to make it seem like the school's fault.

I have no problem with sending my kids back to Skyline this fall as this was a family tragedy, and certainly not a school tragedy.:banghead:

Lukne,
Thanks for posting. So, it is true that Skyline Elwementary has no security cameras of any kind ?

All JMO

 

[tlcya]

I think it depends on what is finally determined to have happened to Kyron and who perpetrated that act as to whether and if so how much liability the school has in this matter.

 

[gliving]

I wonder if the adults saw his coat and thought he didn't leave yet, he must still be here if he didn't take his coat, and the appointment was later in the day, then thought he must already have left when he didn't resurface. Do we know what time of day the appointment was supposed to be?

BBM

Not that I know of. Here is a MSM article with references to the Dr.'s appt:
www.katu.com/news/local/98981009.html

The issue of the doctor appointment is among several questions KATU News has submitted to Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton. He is expected to answer those questions, in writing, sometime in the next couple of days.
Jul 21, 2010

 

[BringKyronHome]

As a parent of two Skyline students, it pains me to see these kinds of accusations, especially from those who have no knowledge of the school and its procedures. Skyline does have sign in and sign out procedures and they are very safety conscious. Terri took advantage of what was to be a very hectic day and did her evil deed. She took advantage of a situation and manipulated the situation to make it seem like the school's fault.

I have no problem with sending my kids back to Skyline this fall as this was a family tragedy, and certainly not a school tragedy.:banghead:

With all due respect, we don't know anything that Terri may have done that may have involved manipulating procedures.

All we know is that on this very hectic day there was no sign in.

This means that we don't know who was there (or who wasn't there).

There are no cameras in place.

This means we can't verify WHO took him, or how he left that building.

Without looking at this specific incident...this is a VERY risky situation.

Whether it contributed to Kyron's fate or not, we don't know.

But what we do know is that if LE could verify all people there that day, or had some knowledge about how he left the premises, here 2 months out, things may be very different.

We don't know that the policies contributed to the 'evil deed' we only know that the policies are not aiding with resolving this mystery.

Bottom line, malls have cameras and no sign-ins, and kids get lured and snatched from them.

These things don't stop, they may deter, some evil-doers, their purpose is more to provide answers. Answers that LE could use, but don't have.

In addition to that...having a child absent without an excuse seems to be something to look into.

Absences get reported to the front office. Attendence sheets get turned in there. At what point do they get matched up, or do they? If so, what do they do with that infomation? This is where I see their responsibilty. Because at 10 or shortly after, LE could have begun their investigation.

We don't know what happened yet, and we may never know if THAT could have saved Kyron.

No matter what, the school is responsible for the safety of their pupils during school hours and while on school grounds.

 

[liz b.]

Lukne,
Thanks for posting. So, it is true that Skyline Elwementary has no security cameras of any kind ?

All JMO

When I re-read my post,it sounded quite accusatory... That was not my aim at all. I just want to be sure that my assumptions are accurate. I do not remember where I first read that Skyline has no security cameras. And I wanted to ask someone in the Skyline community.....

 

[matou]

Would anyone know if Skyline Elementary has vending machines? For chips, etc? If the school does then I wonder if the same people service or deal with vending machines outside of the school board? I wonder if these machines were being loaded that morning?

 

[Kimster]

Can one of you who has been to the school confirm (1) that the windows of this classroom are on the front (Skyline Blvd) side of the school overlooking the playground and the access road, (2) whether you'd be able to see a truck parked on the access road from those windows, and (3) that the stairway pictured right outside this classroom leads down to the exit doors on the soccer field side of the building?

1) Not being able to go inside makes it difficult to know for sure. There are some windows in the front of the school, but not many. Many of them appear to have the view obstructed by the bushes. Most of the classroom windows seem to be on the north and south side of the school

2) You can't see any vehicle parked on the access road from the school windows

3) There are two or three stairways from the soccer field side coming down from the school. (Can't remember if there is a third stairway, but I know for sure there are two). I don't know exactly where Kyron's classroom was and neither did Freefallzzzz. We discussed how we wish we did when we were there.

 

[BringKyronHome]

Based on this picture and caption, it implies that Kyron's class number is 213.

Can anyone confirm this is infact his room? Not based on the pic, but on some source that would know?

One comment puts his room on the other side of the school, where the exit leads to the back parking lot.

The room in this picture (as mentioned above) leads to the soccer field.

What is Kyron's class#?

 

[Kimster]

http://s876.photobucket.com/albums/...ust%202010/?action=view&current=100_1479.jpg&

Here is where the exit leads to the back of the school. Did they mean the back, or the south side where the buses load? :waitasec: The back isn't really a parking lot, unless they are allowing cars to park back there? I wish I could have seen the school when it was in session.

 

[SurfieTX]

From the handbook:

2/3 Team
2/3 Mrs. Karen Hanson . . . . . . . . . . . 215
2/3 Ms. Kristina Porter. . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
2/3 Mrs. Melissa Ritter. . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
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