Latest news with #St.JohntheApostleCatholicSchool
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
North Carolina man pleads guilty to sending threats to Virginia Beach Catholic school
VIRGINIA BEACH — A North Carolina man pleaded guilty Monday to sending a threatening email to a Virginia Beach Catholic school after it suspended a student for failing to immediately report that a classmate had a bullet. Bobby Dale Francisco II, 31, entered a plea to threatening bodily harm in writing and will be sentenced in August, according to prosecutors. The crime is a felony that carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $2,500 fine. Francisco was arrested in September at his home in South Mills, North Carolina. He was later extradited to Virginia and has been held without bond since then. St. John the Apostle Catholic School, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, received the threat several days before Francisco was arrested. The email was sent through the 'contact us' form on the school's website, according to a statement of facts entered in the case. It also included Francisco's name, address and phone number, the statement said. 'Your school is about to become infamous for not taking safety seriously,' the message said. 'What is it better to have a school shooting because kids now know if they report anything they get in trouble? What if it was your kid that was going to die from being shot would that be okay? No? Why isn't having your own flesh and blood killed not good? Why is death better than living? I would not be surprised if yall [sic] had a school shooting that takes place in the near future because kids don't want to get in trouble for reporting something illegal. And to think your [sic] Christians… yall [sic] will be joining me in hell for I am Satan and I will get my revenge on each and every one of you who works for the school. Good luck staying alive.' After receiving the message, St. John's administrators closed the school for two days and hired a private security firm. When contacted by police, Francisco said he didn't remember everything written in the message but admitted sending it, the statement said. He said he never intended to harm anyone and was merely venting his frustration over media reports about the student's suspension. The mother of the 11-year-old boy who was suspended sued the school afterwards. Last month, Virginia Beach District Judge Vivian Henderson ruled in her favor, calling it 'appalling' for the school to punish the boy for 'trying to do the right thing.' Jane Harper,
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
School wrongly suspended student ‘trying to do the right thing,' judge rules
A Virginia Beach Catholic school's decision to suspend a student for not immediately reporting that a classmate had a bullet was 'appalling,' and violated the terms of his family's contract with the school, a judge ruled this week. The decision was issued Monday by District Court Judge Vivian Henderson after she heard testimony from the student's mother, as well as the former principal of St. John the Apostle Catholic School, and the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Richmond, according to a transcript of the hearing. 'The unfortunate victim in this matter was (the boy who reported the incident),' Henderson said in announcing her decision. 'Because to see him punished as the person who was trying to do the right thing is appalling … Especially in an environment where students are forced, younger and younger kids are being forced, to make adult-like decisions, without clear boundaries or parameters.' Rachel Wigand sued St. John's in September after her 11-year-old son was suspended for 1½ days. The lawsuit claimed the school breached its contract with the Wigand family by punishing the boy for something not in the student-parent handbook. The handbook doesn't say anything about needing to immediately report incidents in which a student has ammunition, according to the complaint. The only thing it says must be immediately reported is allegations involving sexual harassment. In an interview with The Virginian-Pilot last year, Wigand said her son waited a couple of hours to come forward because he wanted do it when the other boy wasn't around. She also said her son couldn't understand why he was punished, especially when it was the same disciplinary action received by the student who brought the bullet to school. In her lawsuit, Wigand asked that she be reimbursed for the $4,780 in tuition she paid for her son for the first half of the school year. But on Monday, her attorney Tim Anderson told the judge she was only requesting $81, as well as attorney's fees and other costs. The $81 represents about how much a day and a half of tuition amounted to, Anderson said. 'This wasn't about the money,' the lawyer said. 'It was about much more than that. What we wanted was a clear ruling from the court that this was a suspension and that it was not allowed under the contract.' St. John's officials repeatedly claimed the punishment was not a suspension, Anderson said, and that it was allowed under the rules. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond issued a statement Tuesday in which it said it stood by the school's decision. 'At St. John the Apostle School, we are dedicated to maintaining a safe and focused learning environment for our students,' the statement said. 'While we disagree with the court's decision, we respect the legal process. Our focus continues to be providing enriching and Christ-centered learning experiences for our students, and we are hopeful this conclusion will bring all parties involved an opportunity to move forward.' Wigand applauded the judge's decision Tuesday. While her children still attend St. John's, she's considering sending them elsewhere next year. 'I truly appreciated having an independent third party recognize that the school's decision was wrong,' she said. 'After seven months, it was a weight lifted off my back for just trying to do what was best and right for my child.' Jane Harper,
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia student's suspension for not reporting classmate with bullet sooner is 'appalling,' judge says
A Virginia Beach, Virginia, judge said it was "appalling" that a school suspended a 6th grader for waiting too long to report that another student had brought a bullet to class. The judge ruled Monday in favor of the child's mother, Rachel Wigand, after she sued St. John the Apostle Catholic School for breaching its contract when administrators suspended her son in September for a day and a half. The child, who was identified in the lawsuit as A.W., received the same suspension as the student who allegedly brought the bullet to class. "A suspension on a child's academic record is permanent. When you're enrolling children in subsequent educational places, they ask you that question: has your kid ever been suspended? What happened to her child was so absurd," said attorney Tim Anderson, who represented Wigand. "It wasn't fair that the mom was going to have to answer that question, yes, for the remainder of this child's academic career," he said. The child was in class, preparing to take a standardized test, when another student pulled out a bullet and showed it to him. Anderson previously told NBC News said the child took the test, which lasted about an hour and a half, went to another class, and then told the principal. It was about two hours between the child seeing the bullet and him alerting the principal, Anderson said. School administrators called the police, and officers found the bullet in the student's bag, according to Anderson. Judge Vivian Henderson said to see the child punished for trying to do the right thing was "appalling, for a lack of a better word, for this court." "Especially in an environment where ... younger and younger kids are being forced to make adult-like decisions without clear boundaries or parameters," Henderson said in a recording of Monday's hearing provided to NBC News by Anderson. She said "the unfortunate victim in this matter" was Wigand's son. An attorney for the school had said in closing arguments that it is written in the school's handbook and in the tuition contract that St. John the Apostle has the right to impose "a more or less severe form of discipline." The attorney also argued that it is stressed in school that safety incidents need to be reported immediately. The attorney said the decision to send Wigand's son home "was clearly harping back on that lesson and trying to impose a lesson of 'Hey, this is why it's important.'" Anderson said the school could have put the child in detention or imposed another type of in-school disciplinary action. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond said while it disagrees with the court's decision, it respects the legal process. "Our focus continues to be providing enriching and Christ-centered learning experiences for our students, and we are hopeful this conclusion will bring all parties involved an opportunity to move forward," a spokesperson said in a statement. Wigand previously told NBC News that her son had wanted to stay anonymous when reporting the incident, but the school took that away when he was suspended. Anderson said Tuesday the child has been bullied since the incident, and Wigand plans on enrolling him and her other children in a new school. This article was originally published on
NBC News
08-04-2025
- NBC News
Virginia student's suspension for not reporting classmate with bullet sooner is 'appalling,' judge says
A Virginia Beach, Virginia, judge said it was "appalling" that a school suspended a 6th grader for waiting too long to report that another student had brought a bullet to class. The judge ruled Monday in favor of the child's mother, Rachel Wigand, after she sued St. John the Apostle Catholic School for breaching its contract when administrators suspended her son in September for a day and a half. The child, who was identified in the lawsuit as A.W., received the same suspension as the student who allegedly brought the bullet to class. "A suspension on a child's academic record is permanent. When you're enrolling children in subsequent educational places, they ask you that question: has your kid ever been suspended? What happened to her child was so absurd," said attorney Tim Anderson, who represented Wigand. "It wasn't fair that the mom was going to have to answer that question, yes, for the remainder of this child's academic career," he said. The child was in class, preparing to take a standardized test, when another student pulled out a bullet and showed it to him. Anderson previously told NBC News said the child took the test, which lasted about an hour and a half, went to another class, and then told the principal. It was about two hours between the child seeing the bullet and him alerting the principal, Anderson said. School administrators called the police, and officers found the bullet in the student's bag, according to Anderson. Judge Vivian Henderson said to see the child punished for trying to do the right thing was "appalling, for a lack of a better word, for this court." "Especially in an environment where ... younger and younger kids are being forced to make adult-like decisions without clear boundaries or parameters," Henderson said in a recording of Monday's hearing provided to NBC News by Anderson. She said "the unfortunate victim in this matter" was Wigand's son. An attorney for the school had said in closing arguments that it is written in the school's handbook and in the tuition contract that St. John the Apostle has the right to impose "a more or less severe form of discipline." The attorney also argued that it is stressed in school that safety incidents need to be reported immediately. The attorney said the decision to send Wigand's son home "was clearly harping back on that lesson and trying to impose a lesson of 'Hey, this is why it's important.'" Anderson said the school could have put the child in detention or imposed another type of in-school disciplinary action. The Catholic Diocese of Richmond said while it disagrees with the court's decision, it respects the legal process. "Our focus continues to be providing enriching and Christ-centered learning experiences for our students, and we are hopeful this conclusion will bring all parties involved an opportunity to move forward," a spokesperson said in a statement. Wigand previously told NBC News that her son had wanted to stay anonymous when reporting the incident, but the school took that away when he was suspended. Anderson said Tuesday the child has been bullied since the incident, and Wigand plans on enrolling him and her other children in a new school.
