it says several students AT the Middle School but does not confirm that they are middle school aged students? are they WFB Students?

I think "several students at the Whitefish Bay Middle School" certainly gives the impression that they are kids attending school there. Particularly when supported by "appropriate student disciplinary action is occurring."

Actually it is a quite valid question. Administrators tend to play on careful wording and it could of very well been High School students at the MS., Thank you, Jeff for answering the question.

now your headliner reads

Updated: Four Students Brought BB Guns to Whitefish Bay High School

Police confiscated the guns from the three 12-year-olds and the 13-year-olds involved. District officials determined it was safe to hold regular classes today.

Is it at the Middle School or the HIgh School?

What is the purpose. Were they after someone?

I'm guessing at this point the details of the statements given to police are probably not available.

They were not after anyone. They were horsing around and meant no true harm. Kids being silly and playing completely the wrong way especially in these times and now have consequences to deal with. I know a couple of them personally as my child goes to Middle School there. I hope they learn from this terrible use of judgement.

Let me get this straight Mil RL SA kids being silly? Love it. I have children the same age and that is not their idea of being silly. These kids are probably the bullies of the school. Where was Mom and Dad? Skiing in switzerland, Spa weekend?

umm - Smart Cookie - these are middle schoolers - at 3:45 - in WFB - their Moms aren't going to follow them around. If you don't know them you shouldn't speculate that they are bullies.

Gee Bay Bill , is Bay your first or last name? My middle schoolers come home, have a snack and go off to their sporting events. They do not come home load up on weapons, which we do not own, and go back to school. Uuuum seems like the normal thing to do, not.

Harry and Cookie - I'd bet you don't live in the Bay - our kids walk to/from school and are not on buses or driven by parents everywhere. They are free, thank goodness, to walk to friend's homes, sporting practices (really? every night your kids do this? - how over scheduled!) or Winkies or the library. With freedom sometimes kids screw up but without freedom kids are too sheltered. For the MOST part kids are doing just fine here with the limited freedom they are given. For goodness sake this was less than an hour after school was dismissed. My own husband used to roam around ravines in the northshore setting off firecrackers. Would you NOT let Ralphie have a Red Rider BB gun for XMAS??

I think people from outside Bay should just calm down until we get the facts. I don't know these kids or their families (at least I have not heard their names yet) but I suggest your not judging until things are known.

Hey Jeff -
The juvenile delinquent posting under the screen names "Adolph Oliver Bush" and "Harry Ballsanya" - undoubtedly the same idiot - is having a laugh on the Patch and on the other commentators. You may want to check an "urban dictionary" or just say the screen names out loud quickly - they're both crude little jokes.

We should pray for these families and hope good comes out of this.

In the wake of Sandy Hook the administration should expel the kids. A zero tolerance policy is the most appropriate stance in this instance. We need to return to consequences for bad choices versus all the mollycoddling that is done these days.

@wfb51, yes I do live in the bay. Don't forget the establishments like Brueggers, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. WFB children also walk to the above mentioned and camp out and make a visit to these local places not pleasing at all, with their limited freedom of course. I do not consider any of my children over programmed but if you consider a child with the passion for swimming who swims everyday over programmed, guilty as charged. I feel so sad for kids these days. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Bob - it was meant for context and to highlight the national sensitivity to the firearms at school issue. You go on to mock my comments. Your rant is typical of the 21st century tolerance which simply encourages and reinforces bad behavior. The district does have a zero tolerance policy as they should. Let's see how it ends.

Thanks WFB resident for the common sense add-on.

Why did you reject my comment.

what comment? I agreed

It was a technical issue I was having - thought the Patch had rejected my rebuttal to tolerant Bob. Thanks again!

Bob -

Obviously not so plain and simple. If it were there wouldn't be such a big deal being made about the situation.

I was just thinking and if I remember correctly some Seniors pulled a prank one year by letting chickens loose in the school. I am fairly certain that they received a ticket for animal cruelty and half the community was up in arms. I also recall students leaving school to protest in support of teachers. If they weren't excused by their parents, they suffered a consequence. I really don't understand how anyone can think this is excusable. I really don't. Loaded, unloaded, pellet gun vs a real gun. I just don't get the excuses. Rules are rules, policy is policy. The district needs to stand behind the policy or what is the point of employing them to do the job?

Wisconsin state law prohibits firearms within 1,000 feet of a school.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/14/gun-show-spooner-elementary-school_n_2473941.html

WEAPONS
Policy: It is the goal of the School District of Whitefish Bay to provide a safe and healthy environment for all persons on its premises or attending any of its activities or functions. To aid in reaching that goal, the District shall strictly enforce a policy that no person age 20 or less shall possess, use, or threaten use of a weapon, or a look-alike weapon on school premises, on school sponsored vehicles, or at any school-related event; and that no person age 21 or more shall use or threaten use of a weapon, or a look-alike weapon, on school premises, on school sponsored vehicles, or at any school-related event.
Definition: A weapon is defined as a firearm (loaded or unloaded), knife, razor, chemical irritant including pepper spray, martial arts device, explosive device, metal knuckle or any other object which, by the manner in which it is used, is capable of inflicting bodily harm. A look-alike weapon is defined as a toy gun, non-working replica of a weapon, cap gun, starter pistol, or any other object which could reasonably be mistaken for an actual weapon regardless of whether it is manufactured for that purpose.

Well these kids will learn after there mistakes they did not mean to hurt anyone clearly but they all hang out at the same place if they wanted to do something Those kids would have been done it but this is going to far over BB guns

4. Possessing a dangerous weapon (as defined in §939.22(10), Wis. Stats.) while on school property or under school supervision.

Listed under school board policy for expulsion

http://www.wfbschools.com/district/doboardpolicies.cfm#d96832

Nicely done WFB Resident. It is always nice to quote facts.

I think the people making a comparing this in any manner to Sandy Hook should look at some facts (and with the Aurora shootings)...those individuals were mentally ill. They were misfits with no friends. It is a bit of a stretch to say this is similar or could lead to that.

That said, I do feel that there should be a punishment in keeping with the times we live in. Enforcement of the rules is important - although I'd like to know what was going on - could be as innocent as their making a home movie or playing some sort of cops 'n robbers game - I don't know!

I still maintain that we live in a wonderful community - I for one enjoy seeing kids at Starbucks and Bueggers et al. I also feel that Bay is a wonderful place to grow up and most parents use an appropriate amount of supervision. Remember: it can happen that today's helicopter parented kid become tomorrow's homesick, binge drinking, black out drunk college freshman.

Balance is the key to everything!

Here's the actual policy related to weapons:

*********************

Violations: (a) Persons age 20 or less: A Whitefish Bay school student who violates this policy (no person shall possess, use, or threaten use of a weapon, or a look-alike weapon, on school premises, on school sponsored vehicles, or at any school-related event) shall be subject to school disciplinary action, including suspension and/or expulsion, in accordance with state and federal laws and Board policies. Disciplinary measures taken will be the responsibility of the building principal. Circumstances involving a policy violation, including the age of the student, will be taken into consideration when disciplinary action is being determined.
Weapons will be confiscated by the District. A weapon taken from a Whitefish Bay school student will be reported to the student's parents/guardians. The building principal may also report confiscation of a weapon to the police. A violator age 20 or less who is not a student in Whitefish Bay Schools will be subject to appropriate response by the District which may include referral to law enforcement officials.

************************

Expulsion is an option, not mandatory. Given that we're talking about 12/13 year olds with unloaded BB/pellet guns, outside the school after hours, you still think expulsion is the correct call on this, "Tax Payer"?

It was unloaded no big deal

Bobby

I think the more that is learned about this incident the more folks will see that expulsion is the correct remedy. So my answer is "yes".

A Village Board meeting would not be the appropriate place. They have no governing rights over the schools

A Village Board meeting would not be the appropriate place. They have no governing rights over the School District.

My child has been the recipient of various "sticky positions" and I'm not sure who you think you are to "demand" anything of me or anyone else on this board. I am a resident of WFB and at recent check, you are not listed as a homeowner. I have cited facts. I'm sorry if they and my opinion make you uncomfortable. Since no one here is required to have any full name with their terms and conditions you are the last person who has any rights to demand anything as you don't own me or this website. How about if we demand names of these children, their parents and their reasoning for doing what they have done? Why don't you demand that?

Bob -

Are you a serial Patch poster? Is this forum kind of your "blog" so to speak? Just curious. You seem to be engaged on this site an awful lot.

There are many opinions on here and it doesn't appear that most of you have all the facts (mostly because they are confidential and not something that should be general knowledge). And I think Bob just likes to argue for the sake of arguing. These are kids.... who made a terrible choice beyond that, I don't think anyone knows more details. Leave this for the school district and the police....they do have all the details and are in the position to hand down the right consequences.

So, say they don't get expelled...and everyone talks about it at school, the kids then are seen as "not so tough" anymore bec their silly little weapons were unloaded...and they are then feeling bullied, in a sense, and this happens again, but with bullets.
Rules are rules. Weapons are weapons. It's seen as a threat and can scare the other students, and if it's just a slap on the wrist they get, then maybe others won't be scared to do the same, and the situation repeats itself.
Don't follow rules, deal with consequences. Every student will learn from this.
And a pellet gun, as wimpy a gun as some may see it as, with a bullet, can do serious damage.

I vote expulsion. I know it's not up to me. It's my opinion.

Mom of 4, in WFB, with child in same grade & classes as students involved, who grew up in Riverwest, and at one point had a pellet gun held to my head, and luckily not shot.

After all that's been said and done, where again were the parents.....tisk, tisk, tisk.
Hi Bay Bill!

The reason for the differences of opinion? Mary Gavigan DID NOT communicate the facts to the Whitefish Bay community, students, and family. The school board needs to have the superintendent improve on her performance to communicate clearly and effective. There are too many questions unanswered.. Watch out Mary, it might be review time.

I believe the kids were just innocently playing around, showing off their toys. However, they had guns on school premises -- even though they were BB/pellet and unloaded, they violated rules regarding weapons on school grounds. It's very sad they are in this position rather innocently, but they are in this position. It will be a true test of the school district's autonomy to see if the rules are enforced. This community is chummy and inbred, which is very nice and traditional a fosters a safe environment but also breeds "exceptions to the rule". We'll see ....

This wasnt just 'innocent' and there is more to the story than you are reading. They weren't just showing their 'toys'. I'm not saying these are bad kids but it isn't as innocent as some of you seem to believe. The details are known to both the school and police.

time to stop kicking this dead horse. Move along. Move along.

This has only just begun -- names and details haven't even been released yet. This is the calm before the storm.

Bob McBride,

smh, its so very sad. I wish people werent this way, but they are. Its easy to comment and judge, but not so easy to reveal their kids, or their own "sticky mistakes". Go sit in court in WFB, and see how many times WFB kids get off..... While I agree that kids should be kept out of harms way, but please consider ALL the dangers that are harmful, and way worse than a pellet gun. smh WFB is not all what its cracked up to be....