WRAJ Exclusive: Reactions to the Plot
July 15th, 2007 by anthonyz |
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As a ‘plot’ of a deadly shooting at a high school effected us so close to home and throughout the nation, we’ve decided to share the views of what some students and alumni told us at WRAJ in the last 24 hours. In this blog post, we have not shared names.
Most of the staff team here at WRAJ Internet Radio have attended Connetquot High School in Bohemia within the past 5 years. As you may recall from last year, we received media attention after two alumni from the school hacked into the social networking website Myspace.com which had national attention. And once again, Connetquot is in the national news again, this time a student plotting to destroy it with everyone inside.
You can read an article about what happened on WNBC’s website by clicking here. (The link will expire within the next 2 weeks from July 14)
Most students who attended the school in the past year were not surprised by the spoiled plot. There were many bomb threats, especially around the anniversary of the Colombine massacre back in April.
“When I was student at the school, there weren’t any bomb threats or scares,” another staff member added. “After graduation, I spotted something so bad that might hurt the student body, a security loop hole. Sometimes when I arrive at the school, a security guard in the front of the school did not stop the vehicles to inspect where they were going during school hours. And a few times when I walked into the main entrance, there were no security guards to ask where I was going or even stopping me.”
“The security is lack at the school, but its not the point of what exactly happened earlier this month,” said a staff member of the station. “I was in the transition of the school as it became a 9-12 grade school from grades 10-12, which took place in the 2004-2005 school year.” Before 2004, there were around 1,600 students, after the grade changes, over 2,300 students attend the school, according to the school’s former principal in 2004. “And what is worst is that students are not getting the help they need.” One of his many problems he told us involved his friend. “My friend received no support when she needed help from her teacher when other kids were picking on her; they even stole something of hers in front of a teacher and the teacher/school still did not do anything. The administration of the school said to the student that they couldn’t do anything about it, its out of our hands. This is just… sad, the school could not do anything to get her belongings back, and this coming out from the people who are suppose to help students to be safe and learn.”
“The student(s) involved with the plot most likely did not receive support from the teachers and staff,” a friend of ours who attended the school has said to us. “If the school was not under-staffed, this might have never happened.”
A member of the community told us that there is no communication of the school, which has becoming a big rumor in the community since early this year. The Superindent of the school district established of creating a ‘Rumors’ section of the district’s poor designed, confusing website, to keep rumors off the streets. But the rumors section of the site is still keeping rumors in the district. “This district needs to be restructured, the staff, the board, and the teachers,” said a parent contacting WRAJ.
Overall, most of the staff team were not surprise of the plot. “I saw this coming ever since I left the school,” said WRAJ General Manager Anthony Zaragoza, a graduate of the school in 2005. “I see the school safety going down and there is not that much for me to do,” said a faculty member contacting the station back in January 2007.
