Jones family to sue county, Board of Ed

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Mary Ann D - 2009-07-07 11:21:50

Mary Ann, I think the better analogy would have been if when those calls were made, the 911 operators promised the caller that they had the situation under control and that the caller should not worry. If the school had simply transferred Chris and not done anything additional, I would agree that its responsibility and liability had ended there. To me the distinction here is that this administrator went out of his way to make additional promises to the family; promises that he could not realistically keep. His actions caused harm. His actions placed a responsibility on the school that it wouldn't otherwise have had.

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Scott S. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Not County's fault - 2009-07-07 09:15:41

If the boy's mother was so concerned about her child's safety she would have done something more than whine to the schools. The county can only respond to real violations of the rules, not those that have not occurred. If they could , no student would get pregnant, smoke dope, hook school, drink mommy's liquor, steal mom's psychotropic drugs, drive wrecklessly etc....

It is time that the Mom take responsibility for her inability to respond to what she perceived as the county's inaction to her pleas.

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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Suing the County - 2009-07-07 08:42:25

does anyone remember the case where there were witnesses to a woman being kidnapped. There were two calls made to 911. The calls were bungled and the woman was later found murdered. Anne Arundel County was sued. The Judge,albeit unhappy about it, found the County not at fault. The finding was something like, the police are hired to protect us but are not legal responsible if they don't do it. I'm sure there is someone in the loop that has a clearer memory of the actual finding. Anyway, point is, if the County was found not quilty regarding a 911 call, I can't imagine this will go far.

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Mary Ann D. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Jones Family Tragedy - 2009-07-07 00:58:54

Looking for someone to blame. Anne Arundel County is self-insured. So, we the taxpayers will have to defend this law suit, if it isn't dismissed up front. That child was in his own neighborhood,under the supervision and care of his mother. He was killed on a public street by a thug with a juvenile history. The school system is not responsible for his death.

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Maryellen Brady - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Sean A - 2009-07-06 10:18:18

You've tried nobly, but you are right -- they are unaccountable and only interested in covering their tracks. My bet is that Lorna Leone approved the transfer and didn't follow up. She's one of their leading "under the carpet sweepers", and as for Mosier -- he has websites suing the schools just to get readable data on test scores -- his title is "public information officer", he is paid by taxpayers, but a majority of his energy is spent keeping information away from the public.

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C. Doherty - Harwood, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Suing may be the only option - 2009-07-06 10:02:07

Leave aside the issue of money for the moment - $200K is hardly compensation for the life of a child - anyone that really wants to think that this suit is motivated by money is, in my humble opinion, jaded by the world we live in and too full of cynicism.

----- I know nothing about the suit, but I applaud the move! As many of you know from reading my previous postings, I've sought answers and accountability from Anne Arundel County Public Schools. From Dr. Maxwell to Lorna Leone, to Bob Mosier, they to a person, have declined to disclose anything whatsoever regarding how the school administration reacted to the original complaint or as to how they acted upon the request for transfer. ---- While they have assured me in correspondence that AACPS is conducting an internal review of policies and procedures, they have made it a point to say they will disclose what they want, when they want to -- which, again, in my humble opinion, is hardly the way we should expect a tax-payer funded organization to behave. ---- If a lawsuit is what it takes to force AACPS to expose themselves to the public which it is supposed to serve - I'm all for it! Superintendent Maxwell, and his staff of CYAers, are not accountable to you - nor County Executive Leopold, nor any other elected person in this state. I wish Ms. Adkins the best of luck in her suit - even if she loses, ultimately the public wins by forcing AACPS' hand and making them divulge their inner workings to a public they only pretend to serve.

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Sean A. - , - Karma: Neutral

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The Poor Familly - 2009-07-06 01:10:33

I am honored to have known this family for many years and money has never and will never be an issue. Christophers mother, if you know anything about her is a very giving person. Her children have always been the most important thing in her life and others children as well. She is taking the advise of her attorney and making sure that this doesnt happen to any other child. Arundel High School did not kill her son, but they failed to do their part to protect him. No one, not even the parents of these animals were notified that their children were involved in a gang. It is repulsive that anyone would critisize a woman with a voice, that will help protect us from ever having to go through a tragedy like this. She is extremely courageous at a time when she should be mourning the loss of her son. If She will fight for all of our children until her voice is heard and changes are made.

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J. sue - Bowie, md - Karma: Neutral

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Lawsuit - 2009-07-05 09:20:16

While indeed tragic, the loss of her son...suing will not do a bit of good. There needs to be an outpouring of community support for this family...tougher laws in place in the school, just like life, three strikes and you are out. I hope they will reconsider.

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linda k. - barboursville, WV - Karma: Neutral

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Feet to the fire - 2009-07-04 15:22:20

One MUST hold the School system's feet to the fire to get anything done, otherwise they put you on the back burner at best or ignore you at worst. Case in point; my daughter was sexually assaulted in school so she did as we always taught her, FIGHT BACK! So the A.A. School system EXPELLED her for fighting and never assigned her alternative education. After I threatened to call the TV stations to film me carrying a sign in front of the school saying MY DAUGHTER WAS RAPED HERE SO THEY EXPELLED HER the school system sure changed their attitude!

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Emma G. - West River, MD - Karma: Neutral

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taxpayer $$ - 2009-07-03 13:15:38

Fred, the county is self insured; there is no commercial insurance company to make payouts. So, yes, it is our tax dollars.

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Jeffrey O. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Good

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Re: Outrageous - 2009-07-03 12:36:17

Uh...Fred? Where do you think that the money to PAY for liability insurance comes from? The school doesn't crap it's own money. The money is TAX DOLLARS. Let's try to use our heads, hmmm?

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Brad T. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

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A comment or two - 2009-07-03 12:17:10

It bothers me that the solution (for the safety of C Jones) was to move him to another school. Why do yo not try and remove the problem? If there were issues at school, why weren't the kids causing them suspended/expelled or sent to an alternative high school?
I tend to agree that the school is not responsible, but they are indeed culpable. They essentially identified and admitted a threat to the child existed and rather than address it, they pushed it off onto another school. Not too different that the judge who recently gave a crook $20 and told him to go to Baltimore and stay out of Annapolis. In both cases, it did not solve the problem.
So yes, the school is involved. Responsible--no, but definitely involved.
And it is very true that the school is accountable to no one. There is the cozy relationship between Mosier and The Capital and the school will sweep whatever it can under the rug.
I will bring it up again, but a bus driver known to the kids for his wild driving, rear ends another bus stopped at a stop sign. Both buses need to be towed and the school lets him continue on his route without a drug test or any type of questioning!

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John F. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Outrageous - 2009-07-03 10:48:36

Any settlement would not come from public funds..it would come from liability insurance that the School system has. Chris' Mother turned to the school system for help and she didn't get anything but lip service and the advice to move her child to another school! What an outrage..."You move your child but gang members and thugs can stay put!"..

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Fred B. - Arnold, Md - Karma: Good

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venue - 2009-07-03 08:24:13

JJ, Of course SHE could not be the sitting Judge. I was just wondering if it was possible, for any reason, for either party to request a change of venue -- appearance of impropriety, political implications, public outcry, , some other reason... it's just a strategy question really.

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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RE: Change of venue - 2009-07-03 07:03:21

Uh, the judge would NEVER be able to sit for that case...it's a clear conflict of interest. And no, just because his wife is a Circuit Court judge in AA County, that's no reason to move the case. The boy's father allegedly being a Sheriff has no bearing, either.

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JJ Thomas - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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Huh? - 2009-07-02 22:00:55

Breaking promises? The school asking the poice to patrol the family's neighborhood? Call 911 if you have concerns about your safety! As tragic as this event is, the boy was attacked on a PUBLIC street not in a school hallway or on school grounds. This lawsuit will be thrown out after more taxpayer money is wasted. This is just a knee jerk reaction to try to provide some closure in a tragic death. Wait for the thugs' trials to end and then stick it to their parents with a wrongful death suit. And by the way, I am a parent of a 14-year old and I know what my daughter is doing outside of my front door. She's not roaming the streets getting into situations that could get her into trouble. I'm tired of parents blaming everyone but themselves when their child is involved in a situation. It's society's fault, it's the police department's fault, it's the school's fault and on and on. It's never the parent's fault because we can do no wrong. NOT! I'm not going to get "Mom of the Year" because I hold my children responsible for their actions and TAKE ACTION when they do wrong or get out of line.

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M Moody - , - Karma: Neutral

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A Barham - 2009-07-02 19:43:52

Hit THEM in the wallet, you say? You do know that the money that will be paid to these people is TAX MONEY, which means they are hitting all of us in the wallet. The school budget won't be affected one little bit.

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Brad T. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

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SCOTT S. - 2009-07-02 19:41:38

You mean you need the school to actually tell you that they could not protect your child OUTSIDE of the school? Talk about people who do not want to be responsible in life. The boy has barely been dead and lawsuits are being filed. This is ridiculous.

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Brad T. - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

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furthermore - 2009-07-02 11:55:38

Don't we pay for a police officer in this School. Why didn't he do anything ? One would think that the Mom would communicate with the Sheriff ( the boys Dad) and he would have a fraternal-type relationship with all cops and take care of his son. It is difficult for me to decide if there is any ONE party to blame for this crime without more detailed information.

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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re: School as everything - 2009-07-02 11:02:24

No, but the school should not have been making promises they couldn't (or didn't intend to) keep. The administrator should have said "we can transfer him so he won't be threatened at school, but we can't protect him out of school." Not giving the parents assurances that the school would handle it. That's what the lawsuit's about. If the administrator hadn't made those comments, the school would have no liability here. As much as I hate to see taxpayer dollars wasted on a lawsuit (even trial costs, let alone any award), I understand the parents' frustration. I doubt they really care about the money, they're just trying to make a point. Just fire the administrator, the principal, and any other staff members who were involved...show the school system takes this seriously.

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Scott S. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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School as everything - 2009-07-02 09:20:19

I am befuddled. Was the school supposed to supply a full time body guard for the deceased ? Is the school system responsible for the fact that the neighborhood is in decline ? I do not get it. If I were a parent, and a sherrif, I don't think I would be so naive as to rely on the school system to protect my child from the dangers of his social circle.

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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What is truly going on - 2009-07-02 09:10:06

I truly think the Jones Family is more interested in making sure this does not happen to another child and less about how much money they can get from their son's death. I am sure they would rather have no money and have their son back. And as far as the fundraising goes, what you are seeing is a commuity stepping up to help one of their own. The Jones Family is not standing on a street corner expecting handouts. These are local companies and communities within Crofton that are wanting to help this family. They want to give something back while also saying We will not allow this to happen in our town, to our people. It is a true shame that people are attacking this family during their time of tragedy. I hope those who are criticizing never have to go through half of what this family has gone through. But if you do I hope you too have a community that will stand by your side.

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J. A - , - Karma: Neutral

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its not about money - its incompete - 2009-07-02 08:58:11

with a $200,000 cap on these types of cases, this isn't about money. its about exposing what was known, what was promised by school officials and administrators, and what wasn't done. Is there some law that says a school principal can't have a conversation with their local police about community problems that make their way into a school? Is there a law that prevents an administrator from reporting a dangerous situation to authorities? Of course not.

What happened is, there was a dangerous situation which resulted in loss of life, and these unnamed administrators were in a position to take action, yet the only action they took was the transfer and their attempts to sweep yet another problem under the rug.

This is what happens when a bureaucracy is accountable to no one. The Capital wouldn't be reporting on this story anymore if there wasn't a lawsuit. There hasn't been one Capital news story (versus editorials and columnists) that has followed up credibly with questions of what did these administrators know, what action did they promise and what actions did they or did they not take to help Christopher. Maybe the lack of reporting is because the school system's spokesperson is a former employee of the Capital (which has been commmented on this board previously).

Either way, when you have a bureaucracy that is accountable to no one, this is what you get.

Hey, Capital, NAME the administrators that were involved in this case. There's no confidentiality law about that. Or, has Bob Mosier requested his old pal the editor not report this?

Surely, Ms. Adkins has told you names, as she has been vocal in her grief about what she tried to do to help her son. $5 says you name the administrator, and other stories of administrative incompetency will come out of the woodwork. Unfortunately, though, those stories probably didn't end in a death that possibly could have been prevented.

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Chris Doherty - Harwood, MD - Karma: Excellent

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MONEY - 2009-07-01 21:26:54

That is what this is about......I feel bad that this young man lost his life, but he knowingly associated with gang members. The school board is not responsible for the bad behavior (on his part) that led to his death. The ones responsible for the crime are in jail and will be punished. However, they don't have money so naturally the blame is shifted elsewhere.

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Brad Truitt - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Corporal Reinhart - 2009-07-01 21:23:27

DIRK, the father is a sheriff's deputy in PG County, not Anne Arundel.

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Hit them in the wallet, to change t - 2009-07-01 20:03:38

Anyone who says the Jones family is out for money would be mistaken. The family met with Arundel High administrators about their son and was told by administration that the school would get the police involved and that they would identify the bullies. Arundel high administration did neither. Maybe if Arundel high administration had taken action, instead of whispering (transfer the student)he might be with us today. We all know that sometime you have to hit the wallet in order for things to change. Poor judgement and leadership at Arundel high.

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A. Barham - crownsville, MD - Karma: Neutral

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An answer to your question!! - 2009-07-01 19:03:49

Jamie H. asks for someone to explain why the school is responsible! It states it clearly in the article..."The administrator said school officials would get police and the county's gang task force involved and would notify the parents of the students threatening Christopher. The schools also would request extra county police to patrol the family's neighborhood. Adkins said the administrator also quietly advised her to move her son to a different school. Adkins did so, almost immediately transferring Christopher from Arundel to South River High School. But the promises were forgotten, she said." Seems pretty cut and dry to me. They didn't do what they said they would. I hope they get every penny they deserve. The school system, as well as most of the other Government run institutions in AA County are a joke and a waste of money.

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Fred B. - Arnold, Md - Karma: Good

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Unreal - 2009-07-01 17:04:17

Why not sue the police for not patrolling or neighborhood watch for not "watching out", or the pool since he was coming from there, etc... come on now, let the boy rest in peace for God sake. What about other kids that die from gang violence or families that die from gang violence. How are these fundraisers helping those families? It's not. You don't see these people holding 5 thousand fund raisers,you see protests and peace vigils, people fighting for a cause, not holding fundraisers to give money to the family because they are "strapped" it's sick.

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L. Adams - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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change of venue ? - 2009-07-01 16:58:18

I am sorry to repeat my comment but , given that Jaklitsch the attorney and Jacklitsch the Judge are Married ( she is a Judge in the Circuit Court, can a change of venue be requested ? Plus, is it true that the boy's real dad is a sheriff for anne arundel county ? Anyone know anything about the boy's bio-father ?

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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Their Child's Advocate - 2009-07-01 16:44:11

Years ago, I warned a county school about a dangerous practice. Although they stopped it for that day, they resumed the practice without parental consent or knowledge. This resulted in an injured child being sent to the hospital in an ambulance.. Ironically & tragically, my child! I chose not to file a lawsuit ...but.. my child is still alive. Instead, an accurate incident report and assurance the practice would stop, was sufficient closure. Others may handle the same incident differently. We should not judge other parents, especially those who have lost their child forever. It's a personal, parental decision. Unless we've experienced the unfathomable loss of a child, ....we should not judge a parent who has. As their child's advocate in life and death, acknowledgement that more could have been done to prevent this tragedy, may be necessary.

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C. Mac - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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It's Not About the Money - 2009-07-01 15:23:41

The parents are obviously devastated by what happened and feel the school didn't do enough to protect their son. It wasn't until they requested a transfer that anything was done to rectify the situation. I hardly think money is the driving force behind this suit.

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Jay M. - Arnold, MD - Karma: Neutral

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lawyer fees - 2009-07-01 14:46:23

Richard Jaklitsch, the attorney representing Christopher's family. I hope he took the case in gradus and not for the usual 25%.

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David Hartman - arnold, MD - Karma: Neutral

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Law suit - 2009-07-01 14:27:14

School Board guilty? of stupitity...
If you want to sue someone, how about sueing the teen who did the crime.

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David H. - arnold, MD - Karma: Neutral

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For the Love of Money - 2009-07-01 14:22:40

For the love of M-O-N-E-Y

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Jamie H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Terrible

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SUE the School??? - 2009-07-01 14:19:42

Is it my mis-understanding........OR did this happen only a few feet from their home.
How is the school, Board of Education RESPONSIBLE for what goes on in their neighborhood? Somebody please explain this.
Can you also sue the schools for other accidents that happen to kids in the neighborhood. This is SAD........Why is the family making this sad situation ALL ABOUT MONEY.

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Jamie H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Terrible

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about - 2009-07-01 14:12:56

I hardly think that a $200K maximum makes up for the loss of one's child. This is not about money. It's about getting the school system to take these matters seriously in the future. In general I don't think the school can be held responsible for events that occur off school property, but it sounds like in this case the school administrator made certain promises and then failed to follow through. For one thing, schools have no authority to promise increased police patrols in a residential neighborhood. For another, if a school administrator actually tells a parent that their child's life is in danger, he better call the police to the school immediately.

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Scott S. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

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shocker - 2009-07-01 13:26:33

sueing the school...hmmm, it's all about money.

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L. Adams - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Neutral

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ops - 2009-07-01 12:22:23

I wrote "here is the fat that Judges" ....fat=fact

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible

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change of venue ? - 2009-07-01 12:20:28

I am not a lawyer or anything, but can this case be heard outside of this county ? Richard Jacklitsch is the husband of Judge Jacklitsch of the Circuit Court, even though she can't hear the case it would seem to be improper for him to represent chris's mom. And then , rumour has it that the dead boy's dad is a sherrif... it's just all seems to be a bit hard for justice to be blind given the circumstances and the public outcry. And then there is the fat that Judges are elected, and people donate money for the elections.

Anyway, any of you lawyers,is a change of venue possible ?

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Corporal Reinhart - , - Karma: Terrible