Re: Sixteen Year Old Boy Brings Mercury To Scjool



J

Jan

Guest
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=1460770

When a hazardous chemical contaminated parts of a coast school, some young
people decided not to look the other way. Bay St. Louis police chief Frank
McNeil says an anonymous tip from students led to the arrest of a 16-year-old
Bay High student. The 16-year-old is accused of bringing Mercury to school on
Thursday. McNeil says he is still not sure where the student got the substance.


Danielle Thomas talked to adults and teenagers to get both generations'
perspectives on what's going on.

Blair and Brittany Strong say the Bay High student arrested on Friday isn't
mean spirited. The girls know the person accused of bringing Mercury to their
school and don't believe he meant to hurt anyone.

"I was somewhat not surprised because there are other people at our school that
don't really think before they do things," said Blair.

James Russell agrees that kids don't always think about the consequences of
their actions, but as a parent of two daughters he is worried about hazardous
substances making their way into schools.

"Kids do, do pranks," said Russell. "I mean it's nature. We all do pranks. I
just find that pranks are getting out of hand now days."

For one day, Bay High was shut down last week as Hazmat teams tested for
Mercury. Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency found traces
of mercury at another high school and an elementary school in Hancock County.
Authorities believe each was a case of a young person getting hold of the
substance.

Russell said he was "rather surprised about it. To find that our students were
able to have access to something like that in schools, surprised me."

Bay High junior Brittany Strong had a different opinion.

"A lot of kids can get a hold of whatever they want to get a hold of. If it was
guns or anything I'm sure that they could get a hold of it if they wanted to.
I'm not surprised at all that they got a hold of it," she said.

A student tip also led to the discovery of Mercury at Hancock High. School
officials called the Department of Environmental Quality after a student told
the principal that another student brought mercury to school.
 
"Jan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=1460770
>
> When a hazardous chemical contaminated parts of a coast school, some young
> people decided not to look the other way. Bay St. Louis police chief Frank
> McNeil says an anonymous tip from students led to the arrest of a

16-year-old
> Bay High student. The 16-year-old is accused of bringing Mercury to school

on
> Thursday. McNeil says he is still not sure where the student got the

substance.
>
>
> Danielle Thomas talked to adults and teenagers to get both generations'
> perspectives on what's going on.
>
> Blair and Brittany Strong say the Bay High student arrested on Friday

isn't
> mean spirited. The girls know the person accused of bringing Mercury to

their
> school and don't believe he meant to hurt anyone.
>
> "I was somewhat not surprised because there are other people at our school

that
> don't really think before they do things," said Blair.
>
> James Russell agrees that kids don't always think about the consequences

of
> their actions, but as a parent of two daughters he is worried about

hazardous
> substances making their way into schools.
>
> "Kids do, do pranks," said Russell. "I mean it's nature. We all do pranks.

I
> just find that pranks are getting out of hand now days."
>
> For one day, Bay High was shut down last week as Hazmat teams tested for
> Mercury. Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency found

traces
> of mercury at another high school and an elementary school in Hancock

County.
> Authorities believe each was a case of a young person getting hold of the
> substance.
>
> Russell said he was "rather surprised about it. To find that our students

were
> able to have access to something like that in schools, surprised me."
>
> Bay High junior Brittany Strong had a different opinion.
>
> "A lot of kids can get a hold of whatever they want to get a hold of. If

it was
> guns or anything I'm sure that they could get a hold of it if they wanted

to.
> I'm not surprised at all that they got a hold of it," she said.
>
> A student tip also led to the discovery of Mercury at Hancock High. School
> officials called the Department of Environmental Quality after a student

told
> the principal that another student brought mercury to school.


Maybe the kids wanted to actually study its properties.

I recal lthat when I was in school in the 1950's I wrote away and recevied a
neat orange box entitled "Asbestos--The Magic Mineral".

It contained asbestos powder, wrap, and some of the raw material .

I brought it to school, and we studied it in science class.

When I was on the school board, I also brought it to school during debate on
a $3.4M bond issue on asbestos removal.

Of course, I had it in a zip lock bag.