So I found out I'm on my schools "Shooting Watch List"

[Littaly]

Aside from how absurd it is to grade student's "school shooting potential", it just baffles me that they're doing so by looking at what music you listen to and what religion you are of It doesn't feel like they have the slightest idea of what they're doing...

 

[scorptatious]

I guess they are generalizing you because you happen to enjoy Metal. Which is absolutely ridiculous. Haven't these guys ever heard of Christian Metal?

 

[Amondren]

That is just cruel assuming someone is going to shoot up a school just because of how they act in school. honestly what is next?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

The mere existence of that list is grounds for having that school audited.

Care to explain why you feel this way?

Ok. Having worked in schools before, the teacher's overall view of a student isn't just shared in staffrooms, but it affects how teachers behave to their students.
None of the teacher's preferences will be noted, I'm sure, so what we're left with is a potential misconduct rating of a child, performed by a non-professional, based on rumors, suppositions and no hard data.

So it's basically a scandal sheet before the fact.

Secondly, the fact that the school is seriously thinking about the idea of a school shooting will naturally ramp teacher's paranoia level up.

Thirdly, NONE of the categories are denoting what could be a killer. We don't even know if there is a common link.

Forthly, if that information is kept without the child or parent's knowledge, then it could be false/falsified with ease. And if the OP got his, he could get anyones.

Fifthly, the school's security level is already showing in that the OP was made aware of it's existence and was then able to retrieve it.

Sixthly, the school has no right to that information: Whether it's used for a positive or negative effect.

Let's have a little think of what information could be stored in those files:

Potential Risk: Teenage Pregnancy - Which of the girls are virgin, which have slept with others...

Potential Risk: Child Abuse - Which children have unexplained bruises?

Potential Risk: Smoking - Which children have been seen near smokers?

Potential Risk: Homophobic Bullying - Has the child ever hid away from the others in the showers?

Seventhly - and this is perhaps the most important of all - what the hell are they going to do if the OP does flag a "possible" or even "probable" candidate? Get him arrested?

Eighthly - If you're a teacher going into a room full of kids, and you know 5 of the 30 "need to be NICER to" - what exactly is going to be going through your mind at that time? A sixth of my kids will shoot me if I get them upset? That's a REALLY shitty way to run a school.

In most schools I have been in, I could name you the troublemakers after one lesson. Out of 100 students.
If they're having to keep files, then they're incompetent, lazy and fear-mongering. Get OUT while you can.

 

[GazDM]

Atheist = School Shooters. Who knew? Especially since (resorting to wikipedia again)
"in the US, in states with the highest percentages of atheists, the murder rate is lower than average. In the most religious US states, the murder rate is higher than average"

[Edit] I'm starting to bore myself with my constant sensitivity on the subject of atheism

 

[googleboy]

This happened to me in high school as well actually. We were working on a side project (some friends and I) and some stupid girl overheard us and relayed details she heard to an administrator. All she heard was 'Hit with a shotgun' and made a whole big thing about it. We were building a controllable rocket for a physics competition. Some people are just too sensitive about these things.

 

[darthotaku]

that's not that bad, after all, I'm on the "probably gonna rape you" list made by the girls in my school.
OT teachers think every student is goint to shoot them. that's why its almost impossible to fail a grade where I live.

 

[idodo35]

this is histerycal (not ofance) but seriosly? SSP?! and its based on music,religion,grades and hobbies?! thats crazy...
well lets see i am an athaist to who also likes metal my grades are above average and my intrests are geek culture and so is like half the 10th graders in my class! oh man i guess its just a miracle we didnt have a school shooting yet!!! or is it?

 

[Khada]

"the school is in a Protestant/Catholic town" ...this explains literally everything.

 

[Valiant The Gamer]

Eh, I would be on that list to proably.
A atheist in the heart, good in most classes(I do not even study), likes to kill armless people in a game(No russian is srsly fun to play though i understand it is just a game etc.).
I also had in the past some anger issues and slight autist.

But in the Netherlands you cannot get a weapon so easy as in U.S where many adults have legal weapons where there kids can get them

 

[Hive Mind]

Based on rumors, suppositions and no hard data.

I'm going to have to disagree with most everything you said there, especially the part of the quote I've left in, which came off very hyperbolic and unnecessary. You're assuming the OP's teachers have no grounds for anything in the report, which, I might add, we have only the OP's word to vouch for its content and its existence. Say it does exist and say the OP is telling the truth word for word (which I doubt), the report would suggest they demonstrated a lack of empathy and show a tendency towards the 'darker' aspects of life. Hardly proof of anything beyond being a human being with a possible social disorder (or more likely a run of the mill teenager) and an interest in a popular culture. And no one is claiming the OP is on the verge of going loco and shooting up the school. All it is doing is outlining characteristics that might be of concern. If I had a student that demonstrated a lack of empathy to an obvious enough degree I felt it necessary to make a note of it, I'd be somewhat... weary as well. We must remember, the OP sneaked into an office and rummaged through private documents. That combined with said document's content, which the OP themselves conveyed to us... I see no problem here. All I see are teachers keeping notes of troubled kids. And they seem to be right, lol -- it takes a certain character to skulk about and go through a teacher's private documents.

All in all I'd say you're taking this way too seriously. Obviously that's not a stab at you -- I don't even know you -- I just find the drama in this thread to be way over the top.

Eh. My two cents for all its worth.

EDIT: I really don't like to mention it, especially if it can come off as some sort of excuse or scapegoat, but I think this case might warrant me mentioning that I have autism. I dunno. I stand by everything I said, but I admit, as in the past, there is a chance my unique view of the world is causing me to miss or fail to comprehend an issue.

 

[William MacKay]

i dont understand why being a goth would make you want to shoot up a school. what next, they hand out army pamphlets to people who play Call of Duty? you should contact a lawyer to check whether or not they can have this file. this could have you on police watch-lists, stop you going to certain places/schools and you might be banned from buying guns (even for protection). if a rumour can fuck up someone's social life, think about what would happen if the government is calling goths and metal-heads 'likely to shoot up the school'?

 

[v3n0mat3]

I should've been on something like that 10 times over then.

I was in JROTC (militaristic, you know)
I have an interest in Medical science (if not a school shooter, then a serial killer)
I am Christian (religion doesn't really matter, I suppose. As if there aren't any zealous killers out there)
I wore black clothes often (I just look good in them)

So all of these things should've put me on a "shooter watch list" all throughout my high school years. If I saw something like that, I'd just laugh it off. Though I would say things like "that was a riot/blast/!" or do the "finger guns" often.

 

[biggles1]

So I was called into the office of my high school today to talk to my guidance counselor about college stuff (I'm a senior) and she had all my files and stuff on her desk. There was one folder she never looked at though during the meeting. I asked her about it and she said it wasn't important.

The bell rang and we both got up to leave. I went back to her office once she had left and picked up the folder.

Let's see. You both got up an left the office, but you presumably mumbled an excuse that you forgot something or some such, and found the files still lying on the desk.

I'm a little suspicious. Your Guidance Councillor heard the bell and like Fred Flintstone yelled Yabba-Dabba-Doo and flew right out the door leaving everything out in the open?

I'm finding it alittle hard to believe.

maybe they both left for lunch, and he/she came back during lunch when they were out of the office?

Again...lunchtime....Yabba-Dabba-Doo and out the door she flew leaving everything on her desk?

I kinda doubt it. I'm calling it troll.

Its her office, why wouldn't she leave her stuff there? I know teachers who do it all the time.

 

[ArtanisCreed]

find a hot teacher an say u think that unless she has sex with u u might fall apart.
????
Profit!

 

[GWarface]

snip.

Dude, i would contact Alex Jones about this.. This is the kinda stuff he has been trying to tell people about for years..

infowars.com
prisonplanet.com

 

[370999]

I don't know you OP so you could be giving of very bad signals. I also don't quite get where people thinking the school is saying atheism equals lack of empathy, it seemed to have a comma which would imply an addition to me. It would be like if they said "Christian, frequently talks about attacking abortion clinics" or "Muslim, said he felt 9/11 was justified". Same thing with the fact they thinkg you have an interest in "Death", I don't know if you reguarly write essays about mass killings.

That said though it is inexcusable that they would ever have this written done or be in a climate of avodiing possible school shooting. Root of all evil covered it better then I can.

 

[Grickit]

You like science, and you don't believe in their fairy tales. Of course you're evil and want to kill them all!

I wonder how many schools do this?

 

[major28]

what you should have done was left a note on her folder that said "dont come in wednesday" then on wednesday leave after second period and evert one would freak out