Dear Editor:
Mr. Tennaro fails to say that the administration and the police are given broad discretionary powers by the law; that they could: 1) Warn and release the youth, 2) Release and file a report, 3) Release to parents, 4) Refer to an agency then, finally, 5) Refer to Juvenile Court. My son went to Juvenile even though he was a first time offender and an honor student who gives up much of his spare time to play trumpet in the high school band–the same band that plays for many of the Mayor’s functions. Mr. Tennaro says that the FBI is on his side. I have the Supreme Court of the United States on my side, which stated in 1975 that schools had to pursue minimal means before using any negative actions against students; but, of course, he wouldn’t know this. Here are some more facts he left out: Thousands of New Jerseyans own BB guns including many teachers; police do not confiscate your BB gun if you keep it on your property; the Jersey Shore has dozens of BB gun “stands.”
Why hasn’t the swift and vindictive Mr. Tennaro sent a letter to the State Attorney General asking that he subpoena the credit card receipts for every BB gun bought in Pa by a NJ Resident. Or let’s find out who is purchasing BB ‘s and pellets at local New Jersey Sports stores and jail them too. Mr. Tennaro should not respond by saying that those people don’t bring BB guns into schools because my son never brought a BB gun into his school. He is as innocent as anyone else who learns gun responsibility by first owning a BB gun.
As for his denial of an apology, what administrator who enjoys his pay would dare apologize and by so doing provide fodder for a lawsuit? No, Mr. Tennaro, we, the people have grown quite used to not having anyone in government apologize to us. The Japanese-Americans know this, the Diallo family knows this, and now in a little insignificant hamlet of an insignificant county of a racial profiling state, the Jimenez’s also have come to know it.
For someone who has so many Hispanics students, why is it that Mr. Tennaro does not know how to spell a common Hispanic last name like mine especially when it appeared correctly in the newspaper?
Angel Jimenez