Rye School and RPD Watching for Frat Boy Hazing Antics Against 8th Graders

This went on when i was in middle school and right up to when i was a senior and honestly it is nothing serious and just some fun. I think officials and some parents blow it out of proportion.

NC – Couldn’t disagree MORE. Hazing is a form of bullying. Yes, kids need to learn to cope with bullying, but allowing something like hazing to go on locally because it is “nothing serious” says that there is no understanding about what hazing teaches nor the harm it causes to those involved;
a. It is okay to hurt others if you are older than they are or bigger than they are or if you’re in a group.
b. Violence is an acceptable way of dealing with issues.
c. Fighting back isn’t right / won’t be supported by the authorities.

What is “nothing serious” today (doubtful, frankly) leads to serious situations like the Tulane hazing incident from May of ’08(http://wcbstv.com/local/tulane.pike.hazing.2.725073.html) involving 3 Rye residents. Wonder if they had their formative experiences with this “long standing Rye tradition”.
Do you really want your kids (if you have any) either being the victim or the perpetrator of such stuff?

Bob is totally right on this. Hazing is nothing more than organized bullying condoned by a small group of peers to enforce dominance over a (usually) younger group. Often, it’s mistakenly viewed by the dominators as a way to build morale and get respect amongst the younger group. But respect must be earned, not forced on others. Hazing results in animosity and anger at the perpetrator(s), which can later result in something a lot more serious than getting paddled – which is, by the way, a perverted and sick act.
There are myriad better ways to prove to younger schoolmates that upper classmen are worthy of respect, but that assumes the upper classmen have some character to begin with – and anyone who looks to get their kicks inflicting pain on others has no character.
To any junior or senior who’s looking forward to spanking some younger boy this weekend, I’ll ask a simple question – what exactly gets you so excited about doing this? Ever consider that this puts you in a similar league with pedophiles? You might want to seek some professional help.

@need change – after reading your letter I’m not sure what kind of change your moniker suggests.
That being said, hazing isn’t fun, it’s violent and a little bit perverted if you ask me.
Dr. Edwards letter should have been more strongly worded and not written in the passive tense – “hazing is not tolerated”…
The letter also should not tell 8th grade boys to “keep a low profile”. It’s the boys contemplating something so frankly weird who should be warned to stay home – in no uncertain terms.
They can find “paddling” videos on You Tube I’m sure – if they’re into that kind of thing – but the rest of our kids in Rye should not have to think twice about going about their lives free from the threat of such “fun”.

The 1st thing everyone has to realize that this heinous act is NOT hazing ..this was an abduction and a brutal attack on children and not with a paddle but with a piece of lumber …
Superintendent, Dr. Edward Shine said ” Some have suggested that these alleged acts are part of an annual ‘tradition’ at Rye High School,” said Shine. “Let me be clear: just because a small handful of students choose to believe that this is the case, does not make it a fact.”

…guess what Dr. Edward Shine the hazing at Rye High school has been an on going thing is fact and you as the superintendent should have taken action before this.
What also makes hazing at Rye High School a fact is that the middle school Principal
felt the need to send 8th grade parents this letter

“Dear Parents,
Fear is in the air at Rye Middle School. There is a lot of chatter that June 4 is Freshman Friday, and eighth grade boys are fearful they are going to be attacked by balloons filled with Nair and have their bottoms smacked with paddles. It is hard to tell what is rumor and what is actually going to happen.

For several years, an odious spring tradition has taken place in Rye: junior boys paddle eighth grade boys off school grounds. In recent years we have heard of fewer instances of paddling, but the practice has not been extinguished.

Hazing is not tolerated in this community. The Rye Police Department will be on patrol tomorrow and will be on heightened alert all weekend. If you are the parent of an eighth grade boy, we suggest you encourage your son to keep a low profile this weekend. If the unthinkable should happen and you child should be on the receiving end of a hazing incident, we strongly encourage you to contact the Rye Police and help them identify the perpetrators. Together we can put an end to this dangerous tradition.

Have a safe weekend.

Regards,

Ann Edwards”

Two thumbs up to you Principal Edwards

You also state “Our school district and our educators put a premium on student safety, respect, and dignity, and work diligently each day to inspire these traits in our students,” ..your efforts have failed not only the students of Rye High School but all the incoming students in the community … So please do not insult our intelligence by saying “Let me be clear: just because a small handful of students choose to believe that this is the case, does not make it a fact”

I can only hope that our fine judicial system that our forefathers have fought so bravely to protect will prevail and prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law, then and only then will the students of Rye High School realize these attacks will not be tolerated in our community

The community needs to band together and stop these heinous attacks on our children ..
” A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Abraham Lincoln

Lorraine Castellaneta
(Mother of 3 sons )

The advice to parents to have their 8th grader lay low is troubling on several levels. Nowhere in her letter does Ms. Edwards describe anything she’s done to curb this behavior. Did she communicate with the high school administrators? Did they come up with a plan, like calling an assembly the morning before to talk about this (this is the year the Movie “Bully” is out so it’s not random)? What steps did Ms. Edwards take to curb this abuse to kids for whom she’s responsible? She told them to hide.

Anne,

At least she did that much, what did Dr. Shine , HER BOSS, do besides speak with a crooked tongue after the fact???

Jim: We see things differently. This letter from Edwards is the smoking gun that says the school district knew but didn’t do anything but tell kids to hide. A huge award will likely be won by the victims with Edwards’ letter as Exhibit 1. Should Shine have done something? Absolutely. My understanding of him from people is that he’s a political animal, adept at thriving. He’s about to retire with a 6-figure pension. Other than the 6-figure pension, we should embrace his retirement enthusiastically. At the end of the day, however, I’m thrilled to converse with someone who’s able to use their full, real name.

Anne,

I whole heartedly agree with you.
I happen to like Dr. Edwards and don’t think she deserves the bad rap some people give her, she is a disciplanary and god for bid the brats of Rye get scolded!
When my daughter comes home with a complaint about Dr. Edwards I tell her tough s***, you better respect her and keep walking and then I write Dr. Edwards an email thanking her for keeping my daughter in line. I don’t undermind her authority giving my daughter just cause to disrespect her rules further!

Did Dr. Edwards letter go far enough, probably not, but it’s more than her boss has done about this in the past 10 years. Had Dr. Shine shown a little spine and nipped this in the butt long ago these kids most likely wouldn’t had been led down this path by the juniors before them…most don’t see this or agree with it because they hate hearing the truth!

As I said in the other threads “everyone shares the blame here”….school officials, parents, and especially the kids.

These kids didn’t just let themselves down and their community, they let their families down and embarrassed them to no end!

I don’t really know much about the Pinson’s but I’m sure they are good parents, Jarrid went to school with the other two and I have nothing but respect for their parents.

These 3 boys will get what they deserve from many avenues, they took this too far and got caught and will now pay for all the idiots before them that were never caught & thought this was funny.

They have brought great shame upon themselves, this City, and their families.
Hopefully they will find a positive in this somewhere and rise above!!!