Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterDec 20, 2024, 07:21 AM ET
Close
Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.
AUSTIN, Texas — When the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was revealed, Cade Klubnik took one look at the screen, rubbed his forehead and laughed. He knew immediately what it meant.
The Austin native would be returning to his hometown to lead No. 12 Clemson against No. 5 Texas on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, TNT/Max), and immediately, Texas high school football fans celebrated the rematch of one of the most hyped quarterback meetings in the state’s rich history.
In January 2021, Klubnik and his Austin Westlake team beat Quinn Ewers and Southlake Carroll 52-34 in the 6A Division II state championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in a matchup of two elite prospects. Both were originally in the same class, ranked as the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks in the state, with Ewers rated No. 1 nationally as well, earning one of the highest grades of all time for a recruit. Ultimately, Ewers would reclassify and skip his senior year of high school, heading to Ohio State before transferring to Texas.
Both played for legendary high school programs: Westlake has won four state championships while Southlake has eight. And both QBs played for Dodges — Todd Dodge and his son Riley — with Todd among the most venerated high school coaches in Texas history, whose influence on football in the state has led to this moment. The “Dodge Bowl,” as it was known, became the first time in history a father coached against his son for a state title in Texas.
“The thing I remember about the game is the first two possessions I went, ‘Damn, I shared too much information with my son through the years,” Todd said. “Because he knows exactly how to attack our defense.’”
In that game, Michael Taaffe caught passes from both quarterbacks. “He was like Travis Hunter for us through the playoffs,” Todd said of the two-way star who caught five passes from Klubnik against Southlake, and intercepted Ewers twice, earning defensive MVP honors. Fortunately for Ewers now, Taaffe is on his side as an All-American safety for the Longhorns.
For two teams that have never met in college football history, the Clemson-Texas game has ties that run deep.
“It feels a little weird watching on tape, watching Cade, knowing that he was my quarterback for a couple of years and now I’m playing against him,” Taaffe said this week. “It’s going to be so fun.”
Taaffe says they texted each other that they loved each other this week. Then he and Klubnik, who he said first played together in third or fourth grade, started getting ready to face off.
“He’s going to do whatever it takes,” Taaffe said. “I don’t assume that there’s going to be a lot of sliding out of Cade come Saturday. There’s probably not going to be a lot of stepping out of bounds, especially if he sees 16 [Taaffe’s number]. He’s going to try to impose his will on me. He’s definitely going to try to lower his shoulder on me and he’s going to tell me about it too. I’m going to be ready for that and … I’m going to be ready to lower my shoulder on him.”
THE FIRST ON-CAMPUS playoff game in FBS history in Texas featuring two of the state’s biggest quarterback prospects is a real conundrum for Brad Thomas, the lead pastor at Austin Ridge Church. High school football is often referred to as a religion in Texas, something Thomas is currently navigating.
Thomas, a South Carolina native and a Clemson grad, went to seminary in Dallas, met his wife Courtney in Texas and stayed. He’s been in Austin for 20 years now. The Klubnik family has been members of his church the entire time, and Ewers has attended since he’s been in Austin. Thomas was introduced to Ewers in the church foyer for the first time by Klubnik.
“This is probably the worst-case scenario for me as a pastor of a church that mainly consists of UT people,” Thomas joked. “If Clemson wins the game, I probably need to find a job. If we lose the game, we probably need to find a job.”
Klubnik, meanwhile, will be playing against six former Westlake players on the Texas roster, acknowledging that it’ll be strange to land at the Austin airport and bus over to a hotel in his hometown as a visitor. He joked this week that he heard from so many people it would’ve been nice to have a flip phone to cut down on the distractions but was excited about the rematch with his old friend.
“Quinn and I go way back,” Klubnik said. “We played each other in seventh grade and 7-on-7 and stuff. And then met my junior year in the state championship game, and it was definitely a very high-profile game.”
The two even hung out in California at the Elite 11 quarterback competition when they were in high school, with both Dodges going to support their stars and the families having dinner together.
“It’s definitely cool for sure,” Ewers said this week. “Me and Cade have a good relationship and he’s a cool dude and it is definitely cool to get to play each other again. It’s come full circle and whatnot.”
Todd Dodge said the two quarterbacks are different, each with his own style.
“They’re probably about as opposite of personalities as you’ll ever get,” he said. “Cade is pretty high-strung and a rah-rah leader kind of guy, getting his team fired up. Quinn’s kind of Cool Hand Luke. Their teams need both of those things.”
Klubnik’s parents went to Texas A&M but said Cade didn’t grow up with the rivalry since it was on hiatus, so any sense of playing Texas is more of hometown excitement than any animosity.
With Texas focused on Ewers, Dodge said the Aggies were the ones who were surprisingly off the radar, simply because Jimbo Fisher didn’t seem interested.
“If anybody missed out on Cade Klubnik in the state of Texas, it was Texas A&M,” Dodge said. “They just didn’t show any interest. Everybody else in the country did, but they didn’t.”
So Texas coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned being surprised when Klubnik seemed focused on Clemson during recruiting.
“Big fan of Cade,” Sarkisian said. “[But] he always had a dream of going to Clemson.”
Thomas, who proudly preached in an orange suit after Clemson won national championship games, hopes he can take a little credit.
“We’ve had about 20 to 25 kids from Austin Ridge go to Clemson in the last, I’d say six years, and many of the athletes, I really feel like I should be [getting] a kickback or something. I’ve been doing subliminal messaging for about 18 years.”
Thomas knows of rivalries. His daughter Lydia graduated from Texas. Courtney graduated from Oklahoma. The Thomas family has a flagpole outside their house with Clemson, Texas and OU flags on it, stacked in order of who’s riding the highest at the moment. He’s hoping Clemson orange will be waving over burnt orange in the hierarchy after this weekend.
“I’m excited to watch these kids play,” Thomas said. “I grew up near Clemson and so that’s just been part of my whole life. I’m totally excited about this game and I’m going to be wearing my Clemson garb surrounded by Horns.”
EVEN THE COACHES have shared experiences with the quarterbacks. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney recalled his only visit to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium this week. It was alongside Sarkisian watching Westlake and Klubnik beat Austin Vandegrift 70-7 in a playoff quarterfinal on campus at Texas.
“The only time I’ve been at a game at this stadium, I actually stood in the end zone with Sark and watched Cade play,” Swinney said.
That was a meaningful game for Todd Dodge, a former Longhorns quarterback, as well.
“It’s actually the first time I’d ever got to coach at the place that I played at,” he said. “Cade had a big game, but I’ll never forget it was the first time Dabo had seen him play in person.”
Todd Dodge became the first Texas high school football player to throw for more than 3,000 yards in 1980 before playing for Texas and becoming a legendary high school coach with his fingerprints all over this matchup.
From 2000 to 2002, he went 19-10 in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth at Southlake before he turned it into a machine. From 2002 to 2006, the Carroll Dragons went 79-1, with only a 16-15 loss to Katy in the 2003 state championship game. He coached stars like Alabama’s Greg McElroy, Missouri’s Chase Daniel and passed along plenty to his son, Riley, who committed to Texas, but followed Todd when he took the job at North Texas and played there.
“He’s a legend,” Cade’s mom, Kim Klubnik, said. “He’s a walking, living legend and his son is too.”
Garrett Riley, Klubnik’s current offensive coordinator, who was the offensive coordinator at SMU at the time of the Westlake-Southlake title game nearby at AT&T Stadium, said he remembers the anticipation around the Ewers-Klubnik heavyweight fight.
“Knowing everybody’s story and how they were brought up and the high schools that they went to, I just have a deep appreciation for their story, really both of them,” he said. “We weren’t really in the mix for ’em at that time. I remember when the two Dodges played each other. I remember watching the game on TV, a lot of anticipation. I was certainly tuned in to watch the father-son battle. And oh, by the way, you got these two highly touted elite quarterbacks leading the charge for both teams.”
Riley, who grew up in West Texas, said the Dodge influence and the Southlake mystique — they all dye their hair blonde for the playoffs as a sign of team unity — was a big part of his coaching upbringing too.
“I remember being in little ol’ Muleshoe, watching Fox Sports Southwest and watching the state championship games on TV and seeing the bleached hair and them throwing the ball all over the yard. It was awesome. Those quarterbacks were always really good, so I remember that vividly.”
So it’ll be a big game for Riley too. And he knows his quarterback is going to be soaking it all in.
“Cade may know 60 percent of the crowd that’s going to be there that night,” Riley said. “It’ll be a pretty special evening for him.”
WHEN THE PAIRING was first announced, Swinney called the game the “Mukuba Bowl.”
Texas safety Andrew Mukuba, an Austin native who played for three years at Clemson before transferring back home, said he and Klubnik were “locker buddies” when they were on the same team.
“The only two guys from Austin, Texas, so we clicked a little bit,” Mukuba said, who added that his former teammates have been “kind of talking crazy,” in text messages.
“It’s good to go through that with them,” Mukuba said. “I was on the same side with them at one point. But it’s going to be exciting now.”
Taaffe said Mukuba’s story can’t be overlooked among the quarterbacks. The big hitter who knocked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton’s helmet off in the SEC championship game is locked in.
“There’s so many storylines about Quinn, about Cade, about myself, but Andrew, I mean those are all his guys,” Taaffe said. “He knows every single one of them because I could be mistaken, but I don’t think Clemson gets people out of the portal. Literally he knows every single guy from that team. … It’s going to be an interesting game for him, but he’s definitely ready. I mean, he’s going the extra mile to be ready for this game and he’s going to do what he does.”
But Taaffe has his own motivations. Most notably, playing against Klubnik.
Taaffe said he and Klubnik forged a bond during COVID-19, with Taaffe even working with his QB to learn the offense.
Taaffe also worked out for two hours for more than 100 straight days with Mukuba and Jahdae Barron, this year’s Thorpe Award winner, all Austin DBs who now star together on the nation’s top-ranked pass defense. Then, he would spend time learning the details of the passing game with Klubnik.
“I had 22 hours of the day left, and me and Cade were throwing the ball, running routes and figuring out every single avenue how to win the state championship,” Taaffe said. “That’s how me and Cade kind of took off. We had nothing to do but become best friends because we were trying to go win a state championship.”
He said he knows Klubnik’s tendencies. But he said Klubnik knows his too.
“He’s going to probably show me one thing that they’ve done on film a hundred times and it’s going to be the opposite,” he said. But he’s not conflicted about what he needs to do.
“I’m a competitor no matter who it is,” Taaffe said. “My job is to take my opponent’s soul. That’s what I try to do, no matter if it’s my best friend or the guy that I hate the most on this planet.”
TOD AND KIM Klubnik, who retired when Cade went to college and bought an RV to follow Clemson to every game, have made plenty of friends out that way. They’ve spent the week handling recommendations for Austin BBQ or Mexican restaurants. “One thing that’s been really sweet is how kind our Longhorn friends have been to us this week, offering to help get tickets or whatever we need,” Kim said. “They’ve just been really kind and we really, really appreciate our Longhorn friends right now.”
Thomas is excited to see the two quarterbacks play on a giant stage after enduring their share of criticism over the past couple of seasons.
“People were wanting Cade to get in the portal after his sophomore year. They expected Cade to be Trevor Lawrence. Well, he’s not Trevor Lawrence,” Thomas said. “People want Quinn to leave every game. They expect everybody to be Colt McCoy or Vince [Young]. The Texas fans are calling for Arch to play. I’ve watched both of these kids handle this with such grace and such patience and perseverance. So I think this is also an opportunity for these two kids to be on the same field and just be who they are, which is really cool.”
Both Dodges have said Texas’ grueling high school playoff schedule — the only state where teams play up to a 16-game season — and the attention that comes with being a star in their programs have prepared them for this moment.
“I’d be more shocked if they weren’t in these types of games in their college career,” Riley Dodge told Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. “Both battled through adversity and doubters. They both went to work and handled their day-to-day and came out better for it. Playing in big programs under a spotlight set them up for success.”
They’re both extremely close to their quarterbacks and say they are among the finest the state has ever produced.
“Riley and Quinn have a tremendous relationship,” Todd Dodge said. “They keep in touch in the same way I do with Cade. Those two quarterbacks, what a matchup and what great players, I’m so proud of both of them as they lead their teams into the college playoffs.”
Still, like Taaffe, he’s got to watch Klubnik going up against his Longhorns.
“Yeah, there’ll be some mixed emotions going this week,” Todd said. “But the beautiful thing is how much fun it’s going to be.”
Unanswered questions remain about a fatal shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, private school Monday as new details emerge about the upbringing of the teenage girl who allegedly opened fire.
Investigators are working to piece together how and why 15-year-old freshman Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name “Samantha,” allegedly committed the act that left one teacher and a student dead and wounded six others at Abundant Life Christian School, one week before Christmas.
Erin Michelle West, 42, of DeForest, and Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.
Four people remain hospitalized as of Wednesday afternoon, according to hospital officials. Two are in critical condition, while the other two are in stable condition, officials told CNN.
The shooter appears to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital Monday as a result of “firearm related trauma,” the medical examiner’s office said, noting additional testing is underway.
Barnes said Tuesday identifying Rupnow’s motive is a top priority and that it appears to be a “combination of factors,” but declined to provide more information.
Rupnow had been in contact with a 20-year-old man in Carlsbad, California, who authorities say was plotting a mass shooting with the teenager and told her he was planning to attack a government building, the Associated Press reported, citing court documents.
CNN has reached out to Carlsbad police and the FBI for information.
Rupnow’s parents are cooperating with police, Barnes said, as more details about the teen’s home life come to light. Court documents show Rupnow’s parents have been married to each other and divorced from each other twice, with court orders requiring the teen to split time between her mother’s home and her father’s, according to court records obtained by CNN Wednesday.
It’s unclear whether Rupnow’s parents owned or possessed the gun used in the shooting, Barnes told CNN. Police, along with the district attorney’s office, will “want to look at if the parents may have been negligent,” he said.
Rupnow’s parents – Jeff and Mellissa Rupnow – have not responded to CNN’s repeated requests for comment.
Police are also talking to students to determine whether bullying was one of the factors, he said, and investigators are looking through the online presence of the shooter to try to learn new information.
Mackynzie Wilson, a sophomore at the school who had a locker next to Rupnow’s, said she never thought the student she described as shy would be capable of carrying out an act of such violence.
“She was really quiet. She didn’t really have any friends, and she just seemed really lonely,” Wilson told CNN. “It wasn’t like she was trying to fit in. She seemed very content being alone.”
Here’s what we know:
Six victims wounded: Two students with life-threatening injuries remain hospitalized, while four other people with minor injuries were discharged, the Madison Police Department said in a release Wednesday. CNN has reached out to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Madison for an update on the conditions of the two remaining patients.
Police trace weapons: Police said Rupnow used a handgun to carry out the attack. The handgun and a second gun that was not used in the attack were found at the scene of the shooting Monday, Madison police said Wednesday. The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced the origins of the weapons, but police won’t provide further information on the guns “as it could jeopardize our investigation,” the statement said. That will help answer questions like “the origin of that weapon, who purchased it, and how it got from a manufacturer all the way to the hands of a 15-year-old girl,” Barnes said.
Possibility of criminal charges: The mayor of Madison said it is too early to comment on whether the parents of the shooter will face criminal charges. Barnes said previously investigators are looking at “if the parents may have been negligent.” He also said the parents are cooperating and as of Monday night, investigators “have no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time.”
Links to shooting club: Jeff Rupnow had posted a photo on Facebook of his daughter at a shooting range in August. In the photo, the teenager can be seen wearing a black shirt with the name of the band KMFDM, whose song lyrics have also been cited by the students who carried out the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 13 people were killed, CNN has reported. KMFDM issued a statement condemning the 1999 attack and expressed sympathy for the victims, adding that their music was intended to stand against violence, according to Reuters.
Documents not verified: Authorities are aware of writings that have been posted by someone who claimed to be a friend of the shooter, but those documents have not been verified. Barnes asked people not to share the documents online because they “cannot verify its authenticity,” adding detectives are working on figuring out where it came from.
A complicated custody arrangement: Rupnow’s parents shared custody, and a mediation agreement from July 2022 notes the girl was enrolled in therapy and her parents were encouraged to participate, records show. The documents did not detail how long Rupnow was in treatment or the type of therapy. Court orders mandated a complicated schedule requiring the teen to split time between her parents’ homes, which are 30 to 45 minutes apart, multiple times per week, records show.
Erin Michelle West, left, and Rubi Vergara were identified as the victims of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School. – From Abundant Life Christian School/Gunderson Funeral Home
Victims identified as artistic student and caring teacher
The tragic deaths of a teen student and substitute teacher at Abundant Life Christian School shook the tightly connected school community. The school – which many alumni’s children and grandchildren attend – is now grieving the losses.
Students described West, a teacher employed part-time by the school, as a loving person who devoted her time to supporting them.
Angel Brube, a seventh grader at the school, told CNN he knew the teacher well and described her as “always very kind and caring” and “a really good person.”
“She was also very friendly and communicative,” Brube said.
Wilson, the sophomore, said losing her teacher who she had seen just two hours before the shooting “really hurt.” “I just wish I could have gone back and given her a hug,” she told CNN.
“She really loved her kids, and she really, really loved everyone at our school, and she would have done anything for them,” Wilson said.
A few weeks ago, West was substituting in a gym class and told Wilson “how she was so excited to see her daughters grow up and what they were going to be and do with their lives,” Wilson recalled.
Vergara, a freshman at the school, was an animal lover who was passionate about art, reading and playing music, according to her online obituary at Gunderson Funeral Home.
“She was an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band,” her obituary reads. “She shared a special bond with her beloved pets, Ginger (cat) and Coco (dog).”
Her funeral service will be held on Saturday morning in Madison, according to the obituary. Vergara is survived by her parents and brother.
West and Vergara died of “homicidal firearm related trauma,” preliminary autopsy results found. The medical examiner’s office said it will be conducting additional testing.
“They’re integrated into our lives, and they will be forever remembered,” Wilson’s mother Lyndsay O’Connor, an alumnus of the school, told CNN.
Residents and officials call for action
For the faculty and staff at Abundant Life, healing will not happen quickly.
Wilson was in her composition class when she heard five loud bangs – two classrooms away from where the shooting happened. Some students in her class joked about the noises being gunshots. But Wilson soon realized it wasn’t a joke.
“Active shooter, this is not a drill,” the principal announced before another gunshot rang out and students sat on the floor, holding each other and crying.
“I didn’t know if I was going to live or not because you don’t know who (the shooter) is. You don’t know what they’re capable of. I didn’t know if it was someone from our school or not,” Wilson said.
Police arrived a few minutes later, and Wilson left the building with her hands up, crying and shaking, she recalled.
Two days later, Wilson said she’s still in shock but is “just trying to heal and move on” by leaning on the community for support.
Wisconsin State Assemblyperson Jerry O’Connor, whose great-niece and nephew go to Abundant Life, said, “I think it’s going to be a little bit of time as they reflect back on what happened.”
“My nephew could hear bodies hitting the floor. My niece, across the hall, could hear gunshots,” O’Connor told CNN Wednesday.
O’Connor’s brother-in-law is a basketball and golf coach at the school, and another relative is the school’s principal, he said.
“I was sitting in a restaurant in Nashville on Monday morning, and I looked at a news headline and it said, ‘There have been shootings at Abundant Life Christian school,’” O’Connor said. “It’s pretty distressing for anyone that’s associated with that school.”
Hundreds gathered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday night to remember victims.
A Christmas tree decorated for the holiday season twinkled as mourners gathered in freezing temperatures to grieve, holding candles and hugging therapy dogs.
For students like Wilson, it was difficult returning to the school for the vigil because of the “fear and trauma that built up,” she said.
Madison local Justin Myers brought his two young children to the Tuesday vigil, telling CNN he had “told them the truth” about what happened at Abundant Life.
Although his kids do not attend the Christian private school, he said they were ordered to go through a secure protocol at their nearby public school on Monday, what the father of two described as a shooting drill.
“It’s an epidemic, and I’m not a big believer in the thoughts and prayers crap –– I don’t think it works,” he added. “We need action, legislation and laws to make sure that guns don’t get into the hands of people who don’t have them.”
Nicole Hockley, the co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, whose child was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, said in a statement following the shooting at Abundant Life that “we must work together to protect our families and communities from gun violence.”
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan called for more action from Congress to address gun violence.
“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention – it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden said in a statement Monday.
In an interview with CNN, Pocan said: “I’ve sat through so many moments of silence on the floors of Congress that are followed by zero moments of action.”
Supporters hold candles during a vigil Tuesday outside the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison – Morry Gash/AP
Breaking down Wisconsin law
Existing Wisconsin law limiting gun access to children is not sufficient, Dane County Executive Melissa Agard said Tuesday.
“Our laws in Wisconsin are far too lax when it comes to access of guns by children,” Agard said Tuesday.
“We should have background checks. We should have red flag bills, we should be providing adequate support for everyone in our community when it comes to behavioral health,” Agard added. “People should not be waiting when they raise their hand and ask for help.”
Both federal and Wisconsin law generally make it illegal for someone younger than 18 to possess a firearm. State law similarly makes it illegal for any person to intentionally sell, loan or give a dangerous weapon to someone younger than 18 –– but there are exceptions such as allowing minors to possess a firearm for target practice under adult supervision, for use in the armed forces or for hunting.
Someone who intentionally sells, loans or gives a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 can face up to three and a half years in prison, according to Wisconsin law. If the minor uses a dangerous weapon and causes death to themselves or another person, violators can face up to six years in prison.
Wisconsin also has a child access firearm law that makes it illegal to recklessly store a loaded firearm within reach or easy access of a child younger than 14.
Anyone who recklessly stores or leaves a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a child can face up to nine months in prison if that child takes the firearm without permission and if the child uses the gun and “causes bodily harm or death to himself, herself or another.”
Prosecutors in recent years have taken steps to hold parents accountable for providing their children with firearms they would go on to use in school shootings. Two such cases include school shootings at an Oxford, Michigan high school in 2021 and a Winder, Georgia high school in September.
CNN’s Taylor Romine, Sarah Dewberry, Elise Hammond, Holly Yan, Steve Almasy, Jillian Sykes, Caroll Alvarado, Whitney Wild and Taylor Galgano contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
A 15-year-old girl, who police identified as Natalie Rupnow, killed a teacher and fellow student after opening fire on a K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin.
Police responded to reports of an active shooter at Abundant Life Christian School just before 11 a.m. on Monday morning and entered the building immediately upon arrival.
Rupnow – who went by “Samantha” – was pronounced dead when police arrived at the scene of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said.
Six others have been left injured, including two left two in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Her motive remains unclear.
A second-grade student dialled 911 to report the shooting, police said Monday. Authorities found a handgun at the scene. Rupnow’s family is cooperating with police, the chief said.
Joe Biden, who was briefed on the school shooting on Monday, said: “It’s shocking and unconscionable. We need Congress to act. Now… Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries.”
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Tuesday evening as Madison reels from the attack.
Key points
Natalie Rupnow, 15, identified as Madison shooting suspect
Two shooting victims ‘in stable condition’
Three people have died, including the suspected shooter
Second-grader called 911 in Madison shooting
Suspected shooter used a handgun, police say
In pictures: Scenes from the Madison school shooting
17:10 , Mike Bedigan
School Shooting Wisconsin (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
School Shooting Wisconsin (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
(EPA)
(EPA)
Watch: Wisconsin shooting: 15-year-old identified as school shooter who killed student and teacher
16:48 , Mike Bedigan
Natalie Rupnow: What we know about the 15-year-old Wisconsin school shooter
16:28 , Mike Bedigan
A 15-year-old student killed two people, injured six others, and died in a shooting at a private K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin, police said Monday.
The student was later identified as Natalie Rupnow. Here’s what we know about her:
Wisconsin school shooting: What we know as Natalie Rupnow named as killer in Madison
Wisconsin Rep Mark Pocan demands more action from society on gun control following shooting
16:08 , Mike Bedigan
Wisconsin Democratic Representative Mark Pocan has demanded more action from Congress and American society following Monday’s deadly shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Three people, including the teenage shooter, were killed and six others were injured, according to police.
“I’ve sat through so many moments of silence on the floors of Congress that are followed by zero moments of action. This is the over 80th school shooting this year, 480th mass shooting in this country this year alone,” Pocan told CNN.
The Democrat went on to mass shootings as a “uniquely United States’ problem” and said it had to be addressed “much more rapidly than we are.”
Recap: Timeline of Events
15:48 , Mike Bedigan
Here is the a recap of the timeline of events, per the Madison Police Department:
A second grade student called 911 at 10:57 a.m. to report the shooting.
Officers were dispatched to the school at 10:57. A deputy with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office was the first law enforcement on scene at 11:00. Twenty-four seconds later, the first Madison Police Department officer arrived at the scene at 11:01.
Officers entered the building as soon as they arrived on scene, not knowing what they would encounter.
At 11:05, officers inside the school alerted people the shooter was down and a gun was recovered. The Madison Police Department also began setting up its parent and guardian reunification center at 11:05.
The Madison Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at the same time as police. They arrived on scene at 11:05 and began linking up with officers who were inside providing aid to victims.
The first public notice about the shooting was posted on the Madison Police incident report website at 11:13.
Officers began clearing the school building at 11:14, and bomb dogs started searching the facility at 11:23.
The Madison Fire Department began transporting patients at 11:26. Again, we want to stress that EMS arrived on scene at 11:05 and immediately began linking up with officers to enter a scene with many unknowns.
Press briefings occurred at 12:15 p.m., 2:30, 5:30 and 8:30.
The department added that another press briefing will take place at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Star Wars actor shares heartbreaking headline in response to Wisconsin school shooting
15:28 , James Liddell
Star Wars actor Mark Hammil has shared a heartbroken and an evergreen headline after the United States was rocked by another school shooting, which has left three people dead.
A 15-year-old girl, who police identified as Natalie Rupnow, killed a teacher and fellow student after opening fire at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. Rupnow was also pronounced dead at the scene, Department Chief Shon Barnes said.
Six others have been left injured, including two left in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. At the time of writing, Rupnow’s motives remain unclear.
Greg Evans has the story.
Star Wars actor shares heartbreaking headline in response to Wisconsin shooting
Just in: Two shooting victims ‘in stable condition’
15:06 , James Liddell
Two people injured during the deadly shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School on Monday are in stable condition, according to hospital officials.
Four casualties were transported to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, hospital spokesperson Lisa Adams told CNN.
Psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers were on hand to support victims on Monday, the hospital said in a statement.
“Two were released yesterday, two remain in stable condition,” Adams told the news outlet on Tuesday.
Police and ATF work together to trace source of shooter’s weapon
14:50 , James Liddell
Investigators are working alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to track down the origin of the weapon believed to have been used by school shooter, Natalie Rupnow.
“We have asked our partners with the ATF to expedite what’s called an ATF trace form to try and determine the origin of that weapon, who purchased it and how it got from a manufacturer all the way to the hands of a 15-year-old girl,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told CNN.
The police chief said that Americans need to do a “better job” to not allow children to have access to weapons.
“I do not believe that 15-year-olds should have access to weapons that they can bring to school and potentially hurt someone,” he continued.
“We really have to do a better job not only in our communities but in our country with making sure that our young folks don’t have access to weapons and firearms and certainly making sure that we’re paying attention to the mental health of our children.”
Police ‘don’t know’ if slain teacher and student were intentional targets
14:30 , James Liddell
Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes authorities “don’t know” whether the teacher and student killed during Monday’s shooting were singled out by the assailant.
A substitute teacher was also wounded in the attack, police said on Tuesday.
“We don’t know if there would be a reason to target a (substitute) teacher, in this case, who doesn’t have significant ties to the school,” Barnes told CNN.
Wisconsin teen Natalie Rupnow joins a rare subset of school shooters: women
14:10 , James Liddell
Following her attack on the Abundant Life Christian School in Wisconsin, Natalie Rupnow has joined a rare subset of school shooters: women.
The 15-year-old, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday morning, is one of the few female perpetrators of school shootings in recent decades after a teacher and student were gunned down in the attack on the Madison school.
Gunmen commit the overwhelming majority of such attacks and, including the Madison shooting, just nine female students have carried out a school shooting since 1999, according to a Washington Post database.
Josh Marcus and James Liddell have the story.
Wisconsin teen Natalie Rupnow joins a rare subset of school shooters: women
‘Why did they do that? Why?’: Terrified little boy reveals horror of Wisconsin school shooting
13:50 , James Liddell
A terrified little boy has revealed the horror that unfolded inside his Wisconsin school when a teenage student opened fire, killing a teacher and another student before turning the gun on herself.
Officers were called to an active shooting situation at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison just before 11 a.m. Monday morning after a second-grade student called 911, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said.
Police said the shooter, identified as 15-year-old student Natalie Rupnow, had opened fire on staff and students with a handgun, killing a teacher and a student.
James Liddell has the full story.
Terrified little boy reveals horror of Wisconsin school shooting
Timeline: The 30 minutes after second-grade student dialed 911
13:30 , James Liddell
Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes described the key timings of the attack and police response at Abundant Life Christian School in a news conference on Monday:
10:57 a.m: Second-grade student dials 911 to report the shooting
11 a.m: Dane County Sheriff’s Office deputy first officer on scene with the first Madison police officer arriving moments later. Officers entered the school as they arrived.
11:05 a.m: Shooter is down and a gun has been recovered, police said. Fire department personnel arrive and help casualties.
11:14 a.m: School building begins being cleared.
11:23 a.m: Bomb dogs are deployed to clear school.
11:26 a.m: Casualties being treated on school grounds begin being transported to hospitals.
12:15 p.m: First news briefing was held.
Police investigating shooter’s possible manifesto today
13:10 , James Liddell
Madison police are looking into a possible “manifesto” circulating online that may be connected to slain school shooter Natalie Rupnow, Chief Shon Barnes said Tuesday.
“We have been made aware of a manifesto, if you want to call it that, or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend,” he told CNN.
“We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today.”
Girl, 8, describes watching her teacher writhe in pain: ‘My leg, help!’
12:50 , James Liddell
Eight-year-old Nora Gottschalk was also inside the school when Natalie Rupnow allegedly began taking aim at those inside the building.
“I was getting ready for lunch, it was basically lunchtime, and then I just heard shouting,” the little girl told News 3 Now while clutching onto her SpongeBob candy.
“And then there was a teacher… and she was screaming, ‘Ah my leg, help, help!’”
She added: “I was really scared, and I was really sad.”
Another second-grader, Noah, risked his own life by crawling from under the table where all the children were hiding to close the curtain to seemingly block the shooter’s view.
“He risked his life to put the black curtain down,” said Nora, before explaining that Noah is alive and okay.
Eight-year-old Nora Gottschalk was also inside the school when Natalie Rupnow allegedly began (News 3 Now)
‘That strategy probably helped save some lives’: Father praises school’s readiness for shooting
12:30 , Josh Marcus
Father Kellen Lewis believes Abundant Life Christian School prepared students and faculty well for the unwanted, but unfortunately common, threat of a school shooting.
Many of the school’s doors were locked, and students were instructed to move to the corners of classrooms.“They had a strategy, and that strategy probably helped save some lives,” Mr. Lewis told The New York Times.
Watch: Police identify 15-year-old school shooter who killed student and teacher
12:10 , James Liddell
Sixth-grader reveals horror moment gunshots began ringing out
11:50 , James Liddell
Sixth-grader Adler Jean-Charles explained the horror from inside the K-12 school in Madison as gunshots began ringing out.
“We heard them. And some people started crying. And then we just waited until the police came and they escorted us out to the church,” he told ABC 7. “I was scared and [thinking], ‘Why did they do that? Why?’”
He continued: “I was in English and they said it was a lockdown drill, so we went to the side of the building and we went to the church after they came and got us.
“They gave us some food and then waited for them to transport us to the hospital and get our moms and dads.”
Jean-Charles’ mother, Mireille, fought back tears as she explained the impact on both her son and herself.
“Thank God they were safe,” she said.
“But the trauma. It’s a lot, as I’m sure they lost friends and teachers, which is not OK. I don’t think they will be OK for a long time, and I’m not.”
Biden urges Congress to ‘act now’ – as he calls for ‘commonsense’ gun safety laws to be passed
11:30 , James Liddell
President Joe Biden has called for Congress to act “now” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.
In a statement issued by the White House on Monday, Biden said: “Today, families in Madison, Wisconsin, are grieving the loss of those who were killed and wounded at Abundant Life Christian School. It’s shocking and unconscionable. We need Congress to act. Now.”
The president said the both he and First Lady Jill Biden are lamenting the loss of the shooting victims, while his team has reached out to local officials to offer support.
“Jill and I are praying for all the victims today, including the teacher and teenage student who were killed and those who sustained injuries. We are grateful for the first responders who quickly arrived on the scene, and the FBI is supporting local law enforcement efforts. At my direction, my team has reached out to local officials to offer further support as needed.”
Biden said that Congress must pass “commonsense” gun safety laws which include universal background checks, a “national red flag law,” and a “ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines”.
Female school shooting suspects are extremely rare
11:10 , Josh Marcus
Police have identified 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow as the shooter who killed two people and died on Monday in a shooting at a Madison, Wisconsin, Christian school.
The shooting marks just the ninth time a female student has committed a school shooting since 1999, according to a Washington Post database.
Residents mourn for school shooting victims
10:50 , James Liddell
Worshipers at Blackhawk Church gather to pray for victims and survivors of a shooting at Madison’s Abundant Life Christian School (REUTERS)
Chruchgoers in tears as Madison reels from the horror attack on the K-12 school (REUTERS)
Residents gather to pray for those who lost their lives and sustained injuries during the shooting on Monday (REUTERS)
Police didn’t appear to have past interactions with shooter
10:30 , Josh Marcus
Madison police do not appear to have previously interacted with shooter Natalie Rupnow before Monday’s incident, according to officials.
“To my knowledge, I’m not aware we’ve had any issues with her,” Chief Shon Barnes said during a Monday press conference. “If there were, we certainly would’ve had some type of intervention, but I’m not aware of that.”
He added department intelligence analysts will be looking through records to definitely ascertain whether police had past contact with Rupnow.
Police throw stun grenades into home during investigation
10:10 , James Liddell
Police are said to have detonated stun grenades in a property eight miles away from the Abundant Life Christian School on Monday afternoon as their investigation into the shooting continues, according to neighbors.
Videos show a home in the north of Madison, which has its door removed and windows damaged, decorated with Christmas lights and cordoned off with police tape, WTMJ reported.
It is not clear if it is the home of the suspected school shooter.
Local residents say they saw police throw flash bangs into the property after investigators arrived in the early afternoon on Monday and were going in and out of the residence until night fell. The non-lethal explosive device are used to disorient or distract enemies in close-quarters combat.
“I heard the news this afternoon and thought, well, we’ll just drive by the main drag, and there it was,” one neighbor told the news outlet. “The front door was taken off and nobody was around, and the detectives are in there mopping up the mess.”
Schools resume classes on Tuesday
09:50 , James Liddell
Classes will continue on Tuesday for schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District, according to WISC-TV.
It follows a lift on several district schools being put on secure hold on Monday.
The Madison Metropolitan School District is the second largest school district in Wisconsin and serves over 25,000 students in 52 schools, according to its website.
Police expected to announce new information in Madison shooting on Tuesday afternoon
09:30 , Josh Marcus
Madison, Wisconsin, police are expected to provide a public update on the investigation into a mass shooting on Monday that injured six and left three people dead, including the shooter.
The press conference is slated for 1 p.m. local time.
Key pieces of information about the shooting are not yet public, including the names of the victims.
In pictures: Police swarm the Abundant Life Christian School
09:10 , James Liddell
Police gather at a reunification center after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison (EPA)
The school is still an active crime scene after the suspected shooter, Natalie Rupnow, shot dead a student, a teacher, then allegedly herself (EPA)
Candlelight vigil to be held on Tuesday evening
08:50 , James Liddell
A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Tuesday night as Madison reels from the heinous attack on the Abundant Life Christian School.
The city mayor and education officials expected to attend, according to WMTV.
Police asked the local community to delay holding vigils on Monday at the school, which remains an active crime scene. Law enforcement officials monitored the school overnight.
When a mass shooting becomes a social media rumor
08:30 , Josh Marcus
At multiple times in the hours after the Madison shooting, officials have warned members of the public to disregard the social media rumor mill, an increasing fact of life after high-profile instances of violence in America.
First, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes reminded members of the public of a bit of basic media literacy, telling them to only get their information about the shooting from trusted government and media sources, as online speculation about the incident runs rampant.
“Social media, quite frankly, is something I can’t control,” he said at a press conference.
“If you’re listening to this and you’re at home or thinking about reposting something that did not come from someone in this room, a trusted and respected journalist, please don’t do that,” he added. “It does help erode the trust in this process, and that’s all we have.”
Barnes said such rumors could “fan the flames” at a time when “we need to come together and not be divided by anything.”
Later, as online commentators, particularly those on the right, engaged in unverified speculation the shooter was trasgender, Barnes had a more pointed comment.
“I dont think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she, or he, or they may have wanted to identify,” Barnes said. “I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this. We have people who have yet another school shooting in Madison. That’s where my focus will be for the very near future.”
Catch up: the latest details on the Madison shooting
07:30 , Josh Marcus
Here’s what you need to know:
Wisconsin school shooting: What we know about the shooter who killed at least two
Mother furious after Madison shooting: ‘When are they going to be safe’
06:30 , Josh Marcus
Parents are in fear after a mass shooting hit a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday.
“I don’t know what to say, because we always send prayers. We always send thoughts. When are we going to stop doing that? This is not okay,” Mireille Jean-Charles told The Washington Post on Monday after she reunited with her three sons, who are students at Abundant Life Christian School. “If your kids are at school, they are not okay. If they’re at church, they are not okay. If they are outside, elsewhere, they are not okay. Where are they going to be safe?”
White House speaks with Wisconsin officials after Madison shooting
05:30 , Josh Marcus
The White House has been closely tracking the Madison shooting.
President Biden spoke with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Madison mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway after the shooting, which left three people including the gunman dead, according to officials.
Nancy Pelosi responds to Madison shooting
04:30 , Josh Marcus
‘We still haven’t done enough’: Parkland survivor on Madison shooting
03:30 , Josh Marcus
David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting in Florida, said on Monday that the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, shows “we still haven’t done enough” to stop gun violence against children.
“We have a lot further to go. Obviously Congress needs to do more to fight these things and prevent them in the first place,” he told ABC News on Monday.
“What I think about too at the same time are the shootings we don’t hear about because they were prevented, whet that’s through the red flag law we passed after Parkland.”
Family of teen shooter having ‘long conversation’ with police
03:03 , Josh Marcus
The family of Madison school shooter Natalie Rupnow is cooperating with police, Madison officials said on Monday night.
The 15-year-old’s father was speaking with police Monday evening, Madison police chief Shon Barnes told reporters.
“We have no reason to believe they have committed a crime at this time,” Barnes said of the family.
Madison police ‘don’t know’ if shooter was trans as chief tells public to leave aside ‘personal biases’
02:55 , Josh Marcus
The Madison Police Department has weighed in on fast-moving, unverified online speculation that the shooter in today’s Madison school shooting was transgender.
Chief Shon Barnes said Monday evening he didn’t know if Natalie Rupnow, who died in the shooting, was transgender, but that gender wasn’t immediately important.
“I dont think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she, or he, or they may have wanted to identify,” Barnes said. “I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this. We have people who have yet another school shooting in Madison. That’s where my focus will be for the very near future.”
Second grader called 911 in Madison shooting
02:49 , Josh Marcus
A second grader was the one who called police on Monday morning to alert them about the Madison shooting, police said.
“Let that soak in for a minute, a second grade student called 911 at 10:57am to report a shooting at school,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said on Monday.
The shooting occurred in a study hall room where students of multiple grades were present, police said.
Police identify suspect in Madison shooting
02:39 , Josh Marcus
The Madison police department has identified the shooter who killed two people and died in a school shooting on Monday morning.
The individual is 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who has previously been described by officials as a student at the school.
Police said on Monday that an alleged document circulating online from the shooter had not been verified.
Wisconsin governor responds to Madison shooting
02:27 , Josh Marcus
Madison shooter planned attack in advance: report
02:12 , Josh Marcus
Law enforcement believes the shooter who killed two people and died in a school shooting on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, planned the attack in advance.
The individual had been detailing with personal problems and expressed some of this information in writing, an unnamed law enforce source told CNN.
So far, police have not spoken publicly about a motive, target, or pre-made plan for the attack.
Motive still unclear in Madison shooting
01:55 , Josh Marcus
Police do not know whether the shooting had a specific target or motive.
“Whether they were targeted or not would speak to motivation and we don’t know that answer just yet,” Madison police chief Shon Barnes said on Monday.
Unclear if classes to continue this week at Abundant Life
01:35 , Josh Marcus
School officials are still discussing whether students will return to class at Abundant Life Christian School this week, after a mass shooting on Monday left three dead and six injured.“Whether we will return to classes this week — because this was our last week, we were done on Friday — is still to be determined,” Barbara Wiers, director of elementary and school relations at Abundant Life, told The Associated Press.
ICYMI: What we know about the shooter who killed at least two in Madison
01:15 , Josh Marcus
An unidentified juvenile shooter has killed at least two people and injured six others at a private K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin.
The shooting occurred at Abundant Life Christian School around 11 a.m. The suspected shooter is believed to be a “juvenile” student at the school who died by suicide, Madison Police Department Chief Shon Barnes said on Monday afternoon. Six people were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening.
“I’m asking everyone to send your heartfelt wishes and prayers, and thoughts, yet again, to a community — but this time it’s my community,” Barnes told reporters.
Wisconsin school shooting: What we know about the shooter who killed at least two
Police appear to search Madison home in connection to shooting
00:55 , Josh Marcus
Madison police appear to be searching a house on the north side of the city in connection with today’s shooting.
A WMTV news crew captured footage of officers outside the house, whose door appeared off its hinges on the ground nearby.
“As soon as I went in the house, I heard a loud boom,” a neighbor who gave her name as Maureen told the station.
Motive still unclear in Madison shooting
00:46 , Josh Marcus
Police are still looking for information on what motivated an individual to shoot up a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday.
Madison police chief Shon Barnes told reporters on Monday it remained unclear if the victims of the shooting were targeted.
“Whether they were targeted or not would speak to motivation and we don’t know that answer just yet,” Barnes said at an evening news conference.
Impact of shooting will be ‘etched’ on students and community
00:35 , Josh Marcus
Local leaders are reeling after today’s shooting in Madison.
Here’s what police chief Shon Barnes said on Monday evening.
This is a day that will be certainly be etched in the collective memories of everyone in Madison, and just another example of what can happen in our country. We have to do better. We have to collaborate with each other…We have to use our resources when we see things that may being going wrong or someone who may be going off the beaten path. That’s the charge really to our country now, and we have to do a better job of taking care of each other. All children have been reunited with their parents. The children are now the latest group of survivors of a school shooting.”
Suspected shooter didn’t ‘breach’ school: police
00:20 , Josh Marcus
The gunman who opened fired and killed two people at a Wisconsin Christian school on Monday does not appear to have broken into the building, according to police.
“We believe the shooter was at school,” Chief Shon Barnes of the Madison Police Deparment told reporters on Monday. “We have no information that there was some kind of breach at the school.”
Madison shooting update: student reunification complete, two released from hospital
00:10 , Josh Marcus
Students from Abundant Life Christian School have finished reunifying with their parents after today’s mass shooting, while staff reunification remains ongoing, according to Madison Police Department chief Shon Barnes.
Two of the six people hospitalized in the shooting have since been released, he said.
Police chief warns public about unverified rumors on Madison shooting
00:05 , Josh Marcus
Madison Police Department Shon Barnes is warning members of the public to only get their information about today’s shooting from trusted government and media sources, as online speculation about the incident runs rampant.
“Social media, quite frankly, is something I can’t control,” he said.
“If you’re listening to this and you’re at home or thinking about reposting something that did not come from someone in this room, a trusted and respected journalist, please don’t do that,” he added. “It does help erode the trust in this process, and that’s all we have.”
Barnes said such rumors could “fan the flames” at a time when “we need to come together and not be divided by anything.”
WATCH: Madison police chief addresses public
Monday 16 December 2024 23:48 , Josh Marcus
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes is addressing the public with the latest information about today’s shooting.
“I cannot at this time formally tell you the age or gender or name of the shooter,” Barnes said, despite unconfirmed media reports the suspected shooter was a female student at the school. “We do not want to compromise any part of the investigation.”
Watch his full remarks here, via WMTV.
‘Not a drill… we heard popping…’
Monday 16 December 2024 23:45 , Io Dodds
A Wisconsin father has described how he first heard about the shooting from his 14-year-old daughter 31 minutes before being informed by the school.
Rob Nelson, whose daughter Olive is in the ninth grade at Abundant Life Christian School, told The Washington Post that she texted him at 10:58am local time to say: “Not a drill… we heard popping.”
Oliva then described sitting in a corner of her classroom while the shooting went on outside, hearing shouts for an ambulance, and seeing police officers swarm the premises.
Nelson then received a text message from the school at 11:29am informing him of an “active shooter incident”, with a follow-up text instructing him to go to a medical clinic to be connected with his children.
“We’ve been packed into a small room in the basement here for the last several hours, basically with no information,” he said.
Madison school did not have school resource officer: police
Monday 16 December 2024 23:44 , Josh Marcus
Abundant Life Christian School did not have a school police officer or metal detectors on-site at the time of Monday’s shooting, according to local police.
“I’m not aware that the school has metal detectors, nor should schools have metal detectors,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters on Monday. “It’s a school, it’s a safe space.”
As The Independent has reported, school resource officers are a frequent topic of discussion after school shootings, but research hasn’t shown that they’re effective at stopping mass gun violence incidents.
Police didn’t stop shootings in Parkland or Uvalde. Biden is giving them $300m anyway
Vigil planned at Wisconsin Capitol after shooting
Monday 16 December 2024 23:30 , Josh Marcus
A vigil is planned tomorrow for the victims of Monday’s school shooting in Madison.
The event will take place at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
“We are actively planning ways to provide support, including safe spaces for youth to process their feelings, sharing mental health resources, and collaborating with community partners to address community needs,” Michael Johnson of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County wrote on Facebook.
‘It’s just a shame’: Milwaukee Bucks coach on Madison shooting
Monday 16 December 2024 23:15 , Josh Marcus
Doc Rivers, head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team, is the latest community leader to weigh in on the Madison shooting.
“It’s just a shame that this keeps happening, that kids can’t go to school safe and it seems like we don’t do anything about it,” Rivers told reporters on Monday. “I’m not going to get up on the podium and give a long speech, except for it’s just bad, and we’re thinking about ‘em.”
Madison shooting is 83rd of 2024, setting record for last two decades
Monday 16 December 2024 23:00 , Josh Marcus
The shooting on Monday in Madison, Wisconsin, is the 83rd school shooting this year.
2024 has been the year with the most school shootings since 2008, according a CNN database.
Community reacts to Madison shooting
Monday 16 December 2024 22:41 , Josh Marcus
Community members are in shock in Madison, Wisconsin, after a shooting at a Christian school left three people dead, included the suspected shooter, and six people injured.
“I didn’t want to believe it. First I thought it was an accident,” Gary Herrmann, who lives nearby, told WMTV. “And then when I heard shooter, that’s when it really hit me.”
“Your world stops for a minute. Nothing else matters,” Bethany Highman, whose daughter goes to Abundant Life Christian School, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re just waiting, praying.”
Shooting is Madison’s second in seven months
Monday 16 December 2024 22:26 , Josh Marcus
The incident today in Madison is the area’s second major mass shooting in seven months.
This summer, 12 people were wounded in a shooting at a rooftop party.
Police update number of people injured in Madison rooftop shooting to 12
What to know about the Abundant Life Christian School shooting
Monday 16 December 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman
Authorities in Madison, Wisconsin are reporting at least five dead and multiple injured at a K-12 private school.
The shooting occurred at the Abundant Life Christian School around 11 a.m. Monday. The shooter, who is believed to have been a student at the school, is among the dead, according to Madison police. Police said the school has been cleared and there is no further threat.
A nearby high school, a middle school, and an elementary school were locked down in the midst of the Abundant Life shooting.
Chief Shon Barnes of the Madison PD called it a “sad, sad day.”
Read the full story.
Two in critical condition, two dead after shooting at Wisconsin Christian school
Suspected shooter used a handgun, police say
Monday 16 December 2024 21:15 , Kelly Rissman
Someone from the school called 911 to report an active shooter, Chief Barnes said.
A handgun was recovered from the scene, he said.
It’s unclear how many students attend the school but each age group is separated by floor, the police chief said.
Dozens of school shootings that have resulted in injuries or death in 2024 alone, according to analysis
Monday 16 December 2024 21:00 , Kelly Rissman
This year alone, there have been 38 school shootings that resulted in injuries or deaths, according to an Education Week analysis.
There have been 220 of these shootings since 2018, the outlet found.
According to K-12 shooting database, which tracks gun-related incidents on school grounds, there have been 323 incidents this year alone.
A student and a teacher were killed along with the teenage suspected shooter: police
Monday 16 December 2024 20:41 , Kelly Rissman
The suspected shooter was a teenage student who attended Abundant Life Christian School, Chief Barnes said.
Three people were killed in the tragedy in total: the alleged shooter, another teenage student and a teacher.
Two students are in critical condition at the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Four students are also suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.
Wisconsin Congressman calls for Congress to pass gun safety measures after ALCS shooting
Monday 16 December 2024 20:30 , Kelly Rissman
Democratic Rep Mark Pocan, whose district includes Madison, sent his condolences to those impacted by the Abundant Life Christian School shooting and called for Congress to take action to improve gun safety measures.
“Thoughts and prayers without action means more school shootings, more dead kids,” he wrote on X. “More ACTION is needed by our elected officials. And more BACKBONE to stand up to gun manufacturers. This is uniquely a United States problem that doesn’t have to happen.”
Schools should be safe spaces without the threat of gun violence, police chief says
Monday 16 December 2024 20:25 , Kelly Rissman
When a reporter asked Chief Barnes whether Abundant Life Christian School had metal detectors, he pushed back: “I’m not aware that the school had metal detectors, nor should schools have metal detectors.”
He added: “It’s a school. It’s a safe space.”
‘I pray with my kids every morning that this won’t happen’
Monday 16 December 2024 20:15 , Kelly Rissman
One mother whose children attend Abundant Life Christian School told Fox11 that she and her kids pray every morning that there won’t be a school shooting — and then oen happened.
“I pray with my kids every morning that this won’t happen,” she told the outlet.
“It’s the world that we live in. But God is good, God is gracious,” she said. Her children are safe.
Three people are deceased — including the alleged shooter — and multiple others are injured after a juvenile is believed to have opened fire at their own school.
The identity of the suspected shooter has not been made public and it’s not immediately clear how many of the victims are children.
WATCH: Police say two killed, shooter dead at Wisconsin Christian school
O firmă de avocatură din Wisconsin acuză districtul școlar Green Bay că a încălcat drepturile civile ale unui elev, după ce un părinte a susținut că fiului ei i-a fost interzis accesul la resurse din cauza rasei sale.
Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty a trimis o scrisoare pe 9 decembrie superintendentului școlilor din Green Bay, Vicki Bayer și districtului, în numele lui Colbey Decker, care a susținut că districtul i-a refuzat fiului ei o intervenție de lectură individuală din cauza rasei sale. Fiul lui Decker este alb.
Plângerea provine din planul de succes al elevilor King Elementary, care afirmă în strategia sa de alfabetizare că se concentrează pe „munca intenționată de educare a elevilor noștri concentrați, acordând prioritate resurselor suplimentare pentru studenții din Primele Națiuni, negri și hispanici”.
„Această politică, deși pretinde să abordeze disparitățile, discriminează studenții din alte rase care au la fel de nevoie de sprijin”, se spune în scrisoare. „Politica districtului nu reușește să trateze studenții ca pe niște indivizi și nu ține cont de nevoile lor unice”.
WILL cere districtului să anuleze planul, să adopte o abordare daltonică a alocării resurselor și să ofere sprijin imediat și adecvat pentru citire fiului lui Decker. A cerut ca o modificare să fie făcută până pe 16 decembrie; dacă nu se face nicio modificare, va lua în considerare „toate căile legale”.
„Dacă trebuie să trecem printr-un proces pentru a aduna mai multe detalii și a dovedi discriminarea conform politicii acestei școli, vom face”, a spus consilierul educațional WILL, Cory Brewer.
Politica districtuală privind obiectivele de lectură afirmă că obiectivul programului districtual de lectură este de a „oferi instruire eficientă în citire și alfabetizare pentru toți elevii, inclusiv oferirea de asistență în timp utilă și adecvată pentru învățare oricărui elev care poate întâmpina dificultăți cu citirea și abilitățile de alfabetizare asociate”.
Cu toate acestea, stabilește și obiective de performanță prioritare, care sunt „stabilite pe baza datelor care arată că districtul satisface nevoile unor grupuri de studenți mai bine decât altele”.
„Districtul a primit scrisoarea de la WILL ieri și investigăm acuzațiile. Cu toate acestea, putem afirma fără echivoc că Districtul nu are o politică care să includă limbajul inclus în scrisoare. Toate politicile Districtului trebuie să fie aprobate de Consiliul Educației. și nu există un astfel de limbaj de politică”, a spus districtul într-un comunicat.
Decker a contactat WILL după ce fiul ei, care suferă de dislexie, a fost plasat pe o listă de așteptare pentru intervenția de lectură în aprilie, după ce a făcut cereri oficiale de intervenție individuală, potrivit unui comunicat de presă WILL. În toamnă, fiul ei a fost plasat într-un program de intervenție în grup mic, după ajutorul unui profesor de la clasă. Întârzierea sprijinului i-a afectat progresul la școală, se arată în scrisoare.
Decker susține că ar fi fost tratat mai favorabil dacă ar fi fost membru al unuia dintre grupurile prioritare ale lui King și că i s-a refuzat accesul la aceste resurse deoarece este alb.
WILL a spus că politica încalcă Titlul VI, care interzice discriminarea pe bază de rasă, culoare sau origine națională. Acesta susține că districtul l-a exclus pe fiul lui Decker de la accesul egal la resursele educaționale și afirmă că politica presupune că anumite grupuri rasiale au nevoie de ajutor din cauza rasei lor.
„Fiul clientului nostru nici măcar nu este pe un teren egal pentru a obține serviciile de care are nevoie”, a spus Brewer.
Conform raportului lui King, elevii albi ai școlii au performanțe statistice mai mari decât populația medie de elevi. Aproximativ 30% dintre studenții albi de la King au obținut un punctaj competenți sau avansati la examenul de avans pentru Artele limbii engleze, comparativ cu 16,7% dintre toți studenții. Majoritatea grupurilor minoritare au avut prea puțini studenți pentru a furniza date.
Contactați reporterul educațional al Green Bay Nadia Scharf la nscharf@gannett.com sau pe X la @nadiaascharf.
Acest articol a apărut inițial pe Green Bay Press-Gazette: școala Green Bay acuzată de încălcarea drepturilor civile
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Utilizarea telefonului mobil ar putea fi mai restrânsă în școlile din Kansas în viitor; Consiliul pentru Educație de Stat din Kansas urmează să se pronunțe asupra noilor orientări marți, 10 decembrie.
Un liceu din comitatul Shawnee a pus deja în aplicare o nouă politică. KSNT 27 News a vorbit cu elevii de la liceul Seaman și cu un părinte despre noua politică a școlii privind telefoanele mobile, care a fost implementată în august 2024. Dar este un amestec de opinii.
Politica de telefon a liceului Seaman era aproape deloc. Înainte de acest an, elevii au putut să-și scoată telefoanele în cea mai mare parte a zilei de școală. În acest an școlar, districtul a implementat o politică nouă, mai strictă. Elevilor le este interzis să-și scoată telefoanele în orice moment în timpul orelor de școală, cu excepția celor între ore și prânz.
Conform manualului elev-părinte de 345 USD din districtul școlar Seaman, este o politică de toleranță zero.
Nașterea Domnului aduce spiritul sărbătorilor la viață
„Eu, ca senior, am un loc de muncă”, a spus seniorul Thomas Osborne. „Am un șef căruia îi trimit mesaje în mijlocul zilei. Am membri ai familiei mele. Oamenii depind de mine.”
De asemenea, el a împărtășit cum se pare că politica nu este întotdeauna aplicată.
„Nu cred că a fost un succes”, a spus Osborne. „Oamenii încă mai au telefoanele scoase, oamenii încă le duc la toalete, de genul profesorilor, încep să nu le pese la fel de mult.”
KSNT 27 News a vorbit cu Brooke McKinley, părintele a doi elevi ai liceului Seaman. Un junior și un student al doilea. Ea a spus că noua politică a scos la iveală tot ce este mai bun în copiii ei.
„Ne place pentru că simțim că copiii se simt în mod constant presați să-și verifice rețelele sociale și să fie în norma situațiilor lor sociale”, a spus McKinley. „Așadar, când sunt în clasă, știu că nimeni nu e pe telefoane, nimeni nu le trimite mesaje. Nimeni nu este pe nici un fel de social media. Vă voi spune că a făcut o diferență în notele copiilor noștri. Când trebuie să se concentreze, trebuie să se concentreze.”
Când a fost întrebată cum a simțit politica de toleranță zero în caz de urgență, răspunsul ei a fost simplu.
„Asta nu mă îngrijorează deloc”, a spus McKinley. „Dacă trebuie să-i iau, eu unul, să știu că își vor verifica telefonul în timpul liber sau în timpul prânzului și pot răspunde sau două, pot suna școala și îi pot contacta dacă am nevoie.”
Armata Salvării are nevoie de ajutor să sune în acest an pubele roșii pentru ibric
Senior Kayleigh Neill simte ca și cum politica ar avea o prezență puternică.
„La început, cred că a avut intenții bune”, a spus Neill. „Așa cum am observat că prima săptămână m-a motivat într-adevăr să-mi placă să-mi fac treaba și să nu amân și să-mi încurc cu ea.”
Dar acum că au trecut patru luni, ea simte că s-a stins.
„Orele suplimentare au devenit o bătaie de cap pentru toată lumea”, a spus Neill.
KSNT 27 News a contactat Districtul școlar Seaman cu 345 USD, dar a refuzat să comenteze.
Marți, 10 decembrie, Consiliul Educației din Kansas își va face publice opiniile pe telefoanele mobile. Votul consiliului de administrație nu va fi o cerință pentru toate școlile, ci doar o sugestie. Districtele școlare individuale vor avea în cele din urmă ultimul cuvânt.
Pentru mai multe știri locale, faceți clic aici. Fiți la curent cu cele mai recente știri din nord-estul Kansasului, descărcând aplicația noastră mobilă și înregistrându-vă pentru alertele noastre de știri prin e-mail. Înscrieți-vă la aplicația noastră Storm Track Weather făcând clic aici.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. Toate drepturile rezervate. Acest material nu poate fi publicat, difuzat, rescris sau redistribuit.
Pentru cele mai recente știri, vreme, sport și videoclipuri în flux, accesați KSNT 27 News.
Un student a murit luni după ce s-a confruntat cu o urgență medicală la La Quinta Middle School, a raportat pentru prima dată KESQ.
Cal Fire a răspuns la un raport privind o urgență medicală care a implicat un minor la ora 10:11 în blocul 78-000 din Avenue 50 din La Quinta.
La ora 10:23, adjuncții de la Departamentul Sheriff al județului Riverside au fost trimiși să asiste pompierii Riverside County, dar studentul fusese deja transportat cu o ambulanță terestră la un spital din apropiere înainte de sosirea lor.
Detaliile despre identitatea elevului sau cauza morții nu au fost făcute publice imediat. Districtul școlar unificat Desert Sands nu a confirmat încă decesul, dar a trimis următoarea declarație scrisă prin intermediul unui purtător de cuvânt:
„Ne pasă profund de studenții noștri și de familiile lor și ne angajăm să respectăm intimitatea familiei în această perioadă incredibil de dificilă”, se arată în declarație. „Pe măsură ce apar detalii suplimentare și cu acordul familiei, vom împărtăși orice informații pe care doresc să le comunice.”
Consiliere și sprijin emoțional au fost oferite luni pentru a ajuta studenții și personalul să facă față și vor rămâne disponibile în zilele următoare.
Luni a marcat prima zi de întoarcere la școală după vacanța de Ziua Recunoștinței.
Jennifer Cortez acoperă educația în Coachella Valley. Contactați-o la jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
Acest articol a apărut inițial pe Palm Springs Desert Sun: studentul de la La Quinta Middle ar fi murit în urma unei urgențe medicale
Among the many questions plaguing teachers today, most recently, I can’t stop coming across one: What is going on with the boys?
In a viral TikTok, which has over one million views and over 11,000 comments, Austin (@awillmakeit), a high school world history teacher from the south, urges that the behavior he sees from adolescent boys in his classroom has become increasingly troubling, and in the current climate without pushback or consequences, it’s only going to get worse.
“As a high school teacher, this last week has really shown me that we are failing our boys pretty hard,” he began in his video.
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
“As the last line of defense before these kids get into adulthood, I really do feel like a part of our job is making sure that these kids are socialized and that they are respectful of just being in public when they graduate,” he continued. “But what we’re seeing is 18 to 25-year-old men who are completely unsocialized, who are lonely, who are honestly, incredibly crass.”
Austin explained that his students make blatantly unfunny jokes where the “punchline” is just rape, death, murder, racism, or harm.
Person discussing how men in teaching can improve, with text overlay regarding a session on high school boys. Posters seen in the background
Person in a room discussing teaching improvement for high school boys, gesturing with hands. Posters visible in the background
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
“Like, that’s the punchline,” he said. “That’s the purpose of the joke, is that, ‘Isn’t this a funny joke because it’s racist, because it’s about rape? Because it’s this crazy thing that we’re not allowed to talk about?”
Austin asked, “And where’s that starting? Where do they get in their head that this is something that they are OK to do out in public just openly?” before panning to his classroom. “Here. This is where it happens.”
Austin explained that in the classroom, boys aren’t facing enough resistance for their extremely crude jokes and behavior, which only allows the behavior to continue. “What I’m noticing is that these kids aren’t facing pushback,” he said. “They’re not facing pushback when they make seriously unfunny jokes. And when I say unfunny, I’m trying not to be subjective about it.”
“I’m really trying to point out that, like the joke is rape, the joke is death. Like, it’s not a joke. It’s it’s at the expense of somebody [else] who, as a teenage boy, you don’t experience it. You aren’t afraid of it. You’re not a girl walking home alone at 10 p.m. in the dark wondering if you’re gonna even make it home.”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
Austin said they’ll make these jokes in the classroom, in hallways, and even with teachers nearby. But when he, as a teacher, pushes back against it, they get defensive or angrier.
He said, “When I, as a teacher, say something to them and go, ‘Hey, what the hell are you doing? Like, why, what’s happening in your brain right now?’ They don’t have an answer. They don’t even seem to recognize why I’m even questioning them.”
One recent incident, which Austin described as his “breaking point” that led him to make his now-viral video, occurred when a student openly made a rape joke in his presence while walking through the hallway.
“I just stopped, and I go, ‘What’s funny about that? What’s funny about it, bud? What’s funny about rape? What’s so ‘ha ha’ about rape? What’s so freaking hilarious about your friend being raped?’” Austin said the boy then stared at him, gave him some attitude, and flipped him off.
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
To combat the problem, Austin said boys need more pushback and possibly even a little public shaming to know that this behavior is not OK. Austin explained, “These kids need to be shamed. And I know that’s not something that we really talk about, but the idea of public shaming has always been a thing that humans have done to make sure that social stuff works.” Perhaps you can think of it like when Tim Walz started calling conservatives “weird” for policing women’s bodies.
Austin continued, “Right now, we’re not shaming these boys. We’re not shaming them; they don’t experience shame. They feel like they can do and say whatever they want.”
“They can show up to class 20 minutes late. They can flick a teacher off. They can curse at you, and they feel this way. They feel emboldened, and right now, especially, they feel like no consequences are coming their way. That’s where we need to change.”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
In the last part of his video, Austin reiterated that his message is really for other male teachers out there who have the opportunity to set an example for this generation of boys. “It is our responsibility to show them what being a man looks like, what being a man actually pertains to,” he urged.
Austin added, “It’s not making crass jokes; it’s not making girls feel bad; it’s not laughing at people when they’re down. It’s being helpful. It’s building people up. It’s about being supportive. It’s about being a rock when somebody needs it. None of these boys are prepared for that. None of these boys are living a life right now where that’s where they’re going.”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
“It’s us. It’s you and me, bud. Like, me and you,” he continued. “We have to be the ones to be in their face and go, ‘You’re being a bad person right now. You are choosing to be a bad person right now, and I don’t know why you’re choosing that.”
A person wearing glasses and a patterned shirt gestures while talking about the role of men in teaching and improving education for high school boys
Person speaking in classroom, text reads:
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
“I don’t know what about your life right now put you in a position where you feel like you could just be a jerk, where you can just make jokes at the expense of others. But it’s not funny, it’s not good, it’s not right. Stop doing that.’”
In his final plea, Austin explained that he’s worried about the future of the generation of boys growing up if something doesn’t change. “I just feel like the next couple years are gonna be very long and very hard, but I’m not a fan of the back end of Gen Z, and we’re about to start getting the start of Gen A, and we have to fix it,” he said.
“We have to fix it. We have to make sure these boys understand that running through the hallways and shouting, ‘Your body, my choice,’ is not OK. It’s not right. It’s not funny. I don’t know who you’re doing this for. There are no cameras here. You’re not going to blow up on TikTok. You’re just making women feel unsafe. Is that what you wanna be doing? Is that the life you wanna live? Is that the person you wanna be?”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
“I don’t think they do,” Austin remarked. “I don’t think that’s who they wanna be, so let’s remind them of that. Let’s actually take the effort to remind them of who they want to be in life, and then hold a mirror up to them and say, ‘Is that who you’re being?’ I don’t think so, bud.”
Since sharing his video, Austin has received an overwhelming amount of support from teachers, women, and parents. One male teacher even said Austin’s video makes him want to do better.
Unfortunately, a concerning number of teachers also chimed in with their own similar experiences happening in their schools and classrooms. One person mentioned that a male English teacher in their school avoids teaching stories with female protagonists, claiming “the boys can’t empathize.” Austin challenged this notion, arguing that it is the teacher’s responsibility to bridge that gap so that harmful ideologies — like that men and women cannot inherently understand each other — are not perpetuated.
In his school, Austin told BuzzFeed that teachers are “giving up in droves,” partly because of the bad behavior. He said that multiple teachers have left at his school, and haven’t been replaced, compounding the issue with overflowing classrooms. Even worse, though, he said, is its impact on the women in the school.
“I don’t think I can go a day anymore without one of my female colleagues crying openly in the hallway over the vitriol that has been sent their way,” he told BuzzFeed. “If you could access the behavior logs that administration keeps, you would see exactly how pervasive this issue has become.”
Andrey Zhuravlev / Getty Images
These experiences and the discussions he’s seen with other teachers online on “#TeacherTok” prompted Austin to speak out.
“My initial motivation was to just reach the teacher side of TikTok with a simple message to male teachers that we have to be the example for those boys who are currently lost,” he said. “I have seen way too many great teachers up and quit because of the abuse they experience on a daily basis, as someone in the room where it is all happening, I feel like its my duty to speak up and speak out for those who can’t.”
TikTok
Austin’s not the only one who’s spoken out about the growing, visible divide between men and women, especially in our current political sphere. Earlier this year, researchers found that a global ideological divide is forming, where young women are more progressive and young men are more conservative.
That shift became even more apparent in the US post-election — early exit poll data from swing states showed that 19-29 year-old men favored Trump 49-47%, while 18-29 year-old women favored Harris by 24 points, marking the largest gender gap within any age group, and for the first time showing that Gen Z might not be as progressive as many thought.
On Substack, Alice Evans, one of the leading researchers on the topic from Stanford University, wrote that social media bubbles have created “echo chambers of righteous resentment, channeling frustrations and zero-sum mentalities against [women] and foreigners.” Others have also argued that this pervasive “Gen Z bro media diet” is partly to blame for the disconnect between young men and women (if you recall, the top podcasts in the world are dominated mainly by right-leaning bro hosts or apolitical content).
“Young men are seeing the strides women have made in the last several generations — out-earning men in college degrees and nearly tripling the share of women who earn as much or more than their husbands since the’ mid-70s — and feeling left behind and demonized by the left,” Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at Vox, wrote. She argued that algorithms further reward the content (it’s shocking and provocative); thus, men get further funneled into the “brosphere,” where the voices for toxic masculinity and bad behavior — the same that Austin witnesses in class — thrive.
Spotify
“Over the past two decades, as social progressivism has shined a light on movements like #MeToo, what we are seeing now is the backlash and the pendulum swing,” Austin said.
“There is a concerted effort by profit-motivated men to target young boys in online circles and convince them that ‘being a man’ means not caring or having feelings about anything, focusing only on themselves, and treating women like garbage.”
There’s been a lot of talk about the “male loneliness epidemic” (according to The New York Times, today’s young men are “lonelier than ever”), and many say these online brospheres are part of the problem.
The Independent laid it out as part of a larger, vicious cycle: early on, boys might be taught to be emotionally detached — to not cry, or show emotion – causing them to withdraw and feel lonely. They go looking for connection online (maybe on a “how to get a date” search), only to wind up on content that further reinforces the very stereotypes that hurt their connection and scapegoats women as the problem (think: Andrew Tate, who once argued that rape victims must “bear responsibility” for their attacks).
Piers Morgan Uncensored / Via youtube.com
“These men tell these boys daily that they are the only ones who understand them, that they are the only ones who get what they are going through, and the lonely 14-year-olds are eating that up,” Austin told BuzzFeed. “They have cornered the market on online spaces dominated by boys.”
Austin also emphasized that parents play a role by allowing their children “unfettered access to online spaces” without fully considering the potential consequences. “Would you let your child — your 12-year-old, your 13-year-old, your 14-year-old — go to a rated R movie with zero supervision?” Austin asked in another viral clip. “That’s what you’re doing every time you allow them to go on YouTube, to go on TikTok, with zero supervision.”
“Twelve-year-olds are interacting with grown men on a daily basis — grown men that their parents otherwise wouldn’t be allowing their kids around — because their parents have handed them a pocket-sized encyclopedia of the world with zero restrictions,” Austin told BuzzFeed. “People are essentially letting their elementary-aged children into NC-17 theaters with no supervision and expecting them to come out fine. Then they take everything they have learned and act out in class, emulating the reality they have been exposed to.”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
Despite all this discussion, I imagined plenty of people might look at Austin’s video and say, “Well, boy will be boys! This is nothing new.” In response to this kind of reaction, Austin said, “I think ‘boys will be boys’ has been an excuse that society has used for way too long to describe the lack of parenting boys.” He pointed to the comments on his video, where many argued that this kind of rhetoric only normalizes bad behavior, especially its impact on women.
“These boys need accountability; they cannot learn that anything they do will simply be excused away by the fact that they are boys. It is not inherent to boyhood to be racist, to be sexist, to be cruel, and crass, and I resent everyone who makes the argument that 14-year-olds making rape jokes in the face of young girls is ‘normal’ for them.”
@awillmakeit / Via tiktok.com
For parents and teachers wondering how they can better show up for their boys, Austin argued that it takes a concerted counter-effort to the voices that dominate their online space.
“We need to be the counter-example to what they are seeing online. We need to show them, through our actions, that they are not alone, and that there are versions of men that exist in the real world that are not misogynistic and un-empathetic,” he told BuzzFeed. “We need to show them that the ‘manosphere’ does not have a monopoly on the definition of what it means to be a ‘man,’ nor is there one correct way.”
Matt Cardy / Getty Images
As a final remark, he told BuzzFeed, “I do not believe these boys are broken, I do not believe they are beyond reproach, but they are lost and it will help all of us to recognize that. Too many are giving up on them right now because the battle feels lost, but these boys are still growing and learning, and I do absolutely believe that the vast majority of them want to be good. We just have to be vigilant in reminding them what that looks like.”
For me, personally, I can only hope more male figures are like Austin — and if not, I hope they heed his advice and also want to do better, as the teacher earlier said. More than ever, I think more than one concept of “being a man” is needed right now, and I can only hope videos like this are helping to expose this.
But let me know what you think — are you also facing a similar issue with young boys? Maybe you’re a parent, teacher, student, or mere observer with some thoughts — let us know in the comments.
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.
Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a ProPublica analysis found.
In North Carolina alone, we identified 39 of these likely “segregation academies” that are still operating and that have received voucher money. Of these, 20 schools reported student bodies that were at least 85% white in a 2021-22 federal survey of private schools, the most recent data available.
Those 20 academies, all founded in the 1960s and 1970s, brought in more than $20 million from the state in the past three years alone. None reflected the demographics of their communities. Few even came close.
Northeast Academy, a small Christian school in rural Northampton County on the Virginia border, is among them. As of the 2021-22 survey, the school’s enrollment was 99% white in a county that runs about 40% white.
Every year since North Carolina launched its state-funded private school voucher program in 2014, the academy has received more and more money. Last school year, it received about $438,500 from the program, almost half of its total reported tuition. Northeast is on track to beat that total this school year.
Vouchers play a similar role at Lawrence Academy, an hour’s drive south. It has never reported Black enrollment higher than 3% in a county whose population hovers around 60% Black. A small school with less than 300 students, it received $518,240 in vouchers last school year to help pay for 86 of those students.
Farther south, Pungo Christian Academy has received voucher money every year since 2015 and, as of the last survey, had become slightly more white than when the voucher program began. It last reported a student body that was 98% white in a county that was 65% white.
Segregation academies that remain vastly white continue to play an integral role in perpetuating school segregation — and, as a result, racial separation in the surrounding communities. We found these academies benefiting from public money in Southern states beyond North Carolina. But because North Carolina collects and releases more complete data than many other states, it offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-style programs.
Called Opportunity Scholarships, North Carolina’s voucher program launched in 2014. At first, it was only for low-income families and had barely more than 1,200 participants. Then last fall, state lawmakers expanded eligibility to students of all income levels and those already attending private school, a move that sparked furious debate over the future of public education.
“We are ensuring that every child has the chance to thrive,” Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham argued. But Democratic Rep. Julie von Haefen pointed to vouchers’ “legacy of white supremacy” and called the expansion “a gross injustice to the children of North Carolina.”
So many students flocked to the program that the state now has a waitlist of about 54,000 children. Paying for all of them to receive vouchers — at a cost of $248 million — would more than double the current number of participants in the program. Republicans in the General Assembly, along with three Democrats, passed a bill in September to do just that.
Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed the measure. But the GOP supermajority is expected to override it before the year’s end, perhaps as early as Nov. 19.
Opportunity Scholarships don’t always live up to their name for Black children. Private schools don’t have to admit all comers. Nor do they have to provide busing or free meals. Due to income disparities, Black parents also are less likely to be able to afford the difference between a voucher that pays at most $7,468 a year and an annual tuition bill that can top $10,000 or even $20,000.
And unlike urban areas that have a range of private schools, including some with diverse student bodies, segregation academies are the only private schools available in some rural counties across the South.
Josh Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State, studies these barriers and sees where vouchers fall short for some: “Eligibility does not mean access.”
Rural roads and cotton fields surround Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, North Carolina. The school, which opened in majority-Black Bertie County in 1968, has never reported Black enrollment higher than 3%. The area is part of the region’s Black Belt, where rich soils fueled cotton plantations.
Credit:
Greg Kahn, special to ProPublica
Of the 20 vastly white segregation academies we identified that received voucher money in North Carolina, nine were at least 30 percentage points more white than the counties in which they operate, based on 2021-22 federal survey and census data.
Otis Smallwood, superintendent of the Bertie County Schools in rural northeastern North Carolina, witnesses this kind of gulf in the district he leads. So many white children in the area attend Lawrence Academy and other schools that his district’s enrollment runs roughly 22 percentage points more Black than the county overall.
He said he tries not to be political. But he feels the brunt of an intensifying Republican narrative against public schools, which still educate most of North Carolina’s children. “It’s been chipping, chipping, chipping, trying to paint this picture that public schools are not performing well,” Smallwood said. “It’s getting more and more and more extreme.”
When a ProPublica reporter told him that Lawrence Academy received $518,240 last school year in vouchers, he was dismayed: “That’s half a million dollars I think could be put to better benefit in public schools.”
If lawmakers override the governor’s veto to fund the waitlist, Smallwood’s district could suffer most. In a recent report, the Office of State Budget and Management projected Bertie County could lose more of its state funding than any other district — 1.6% next year.
Bertie County Schools Superintendent Otis Smallwood worries that vouchers will drain resources from public schools, including the ones he oversees.
Credit:
Greg Kahn, special to ProPublica
Across the once legally segregated South, the volume of public money flowing through voucher-style programs is set to balloon in coming years. Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina all have passed new or expanded programs since 2023. (South Carolina’s state Supreme Court rejected its tuition grants in September, but GOP lawmakers are expected to try again with a revamped court.)
Voucher critics contend these programs will continue to worsen school segregation by helping wealthier white kids attend private schools; supporters argue they help more Black families afford tuition. But many of the states have made it hard to discern if either is happening by failing to require that the most basic demographic data be shared with the public — or even gathered.
This doesn’t surprise Cowen, who wrote the new book “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.” He said Southern legislatures in particular don’t want to know what the data would show because the results, framed by a legacy of racism, could generate negative headlines and lawsuit fodder.
States know how to collect vast troves of education data. North Carolina in particular is lauded among global researchers for “the robustness and the richness of the data system for public schools,” Cowen said.
North Carolina and Alabama are among the states that have gathered demographic information about voucher recipients but won’t tell the public the race of students who use them to attend a given school. In North Carolina, a spokesperson said doing so could reveal information about specific students, making that data not a public record under the Opportunity Scholarship statue.
For its $120 million tax credit program, Georgia does not collect racial demographic information or per-school spending. ProPublica was able to identify 20 segregation academies that signed up to take part, but it’s unclear how many are receiving that money or what the racial breakdown is of the students who use it.
“Why should we not be allowed to know where the money is going? It’s a deliberate choice by those who pass these laws,” said Jessica Levin, director of Public Funds Public Schools, a national anti-voucher campaign led by the nonprofit Education Law Center. “There is a lack of transparency and accountability.”
Advocacy groups that support widespread voucher use have resisted some rules that foster greater transparency out of concern that they might deter regulation-averse private schools from participating. Mike Long, president of the nonprofit Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, is among those trying to rally as much private school buy-in for vouchers as possible.
“Their fear is that if they accept it, these are tax dollars, and therefore they would have to submit to government regulation,” Long said. “We’ve lobbied this legislature, and I think they understand it very well, that you can’t tie regulation to this.”
Pungo Christian Academy opened in 1968 in the small town of Belhaven. It last reported a student body that was 98% white in a county that was 65% white.
Credit:
Greg Kahn, special to ProPublica
The share of Black students who have received vouchers in North Carolina has dropped significantly since the program’s launch. In 2014, more than half the recipients were Black. This school year, the figure is 17%.
That share is unlikely to increase if lawmakers fund all 54,000 students on the waiting list. Because lower-income families were prioritized for vouchers, the applicants who remain on the list are mostly in higher income tiers — and those families are more likely to be white.
More Black parents don’t apply for vouchers because they don’t know about them, said Kwan Graham, who oversees parent liaisons for Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina.
Graham, who is Black, said parents haven’t voiced to her concerns that, “I’m Black, they don’t want me” at their local private schools. But she’s also not naive. Private schools can largely select — and reject — who they want.
The nonprofit Public Schools First NC has tallied admissions policies that private schools receiving vouchers use to reject applicants based on things like sexuality, religion and disability. Many also require in-person interviews or tours. Rather than overtly rejecting students based on race, which the voucher program prohibits, schools might say something like, “Come visit the school and see if you’re the ‘right fit,’” said Heather Koons, the nonprofit’s communications and research director.
Northeast Academy, Lawrence Academy and Pungo Christian all include nondiscrimination statements on their websites.
Back when segregation academies opened, some white leaders proudly declared their goal of preserving segregation. Others shrouded their racist motivations. Some white parents complained about federal government overreach and what they deemed social agendas and indoctrination in public schools. Even as violent backlash against integration erupted across the region, many white parents framed their decisions as quests for quality education, morality and Christian education, newspaper coverage and school advertisements from the time show.
Early on, Southern lawmakers found a way to use taxpayer money to give these academies a boost: They created school voucher programs that went chiefly to white students.
Courts ruled against or restricted the practice in the 1960s. But it didn’t really end.
“If you look at the history of the segregation movement, they wanted vouchers to prop up segregation academies,” said Bryan Mann, a University of Kansas professor who studies school segregation. “And now they’re getting vouchers in some of these areas to prop up these schools.”
More recently, Lawrence and Northeast academies both grew their enrollments while receiving voucher money even as the rural counties where they operate have lost population. Over three decades of responding to the federal private schools survey, both academies have reported enrolling almost no nonwhite children. And Pungo Christian has raised its average tuition by almost 50% over the past three school years. During that time, the small school has received almost $500,000 in vouchers.
None of the three academies’ headmasters responded to ProPublica’s request to discuss its findings or to lists of questions. And none have ever reported more than 3% Black enrollment despite operating in counties with substantial — even majority — Black populations.
Cotton farming and other agriculture remains an important part of the economy in Northampton County, a rural expanse in northeastern North Carolina that has lost population in recent years. Despite that decline, Northeast Academy has seen its enrollment grow and has received more voucher funding each year.
Credit:
Greg Kahn, special to ProPublica
One of the Democrats who helped Republicans expand North Carolina’s voucher program was Shelly Willingham, a Black representative whose district includes Bertie County, home of Lawrence Academy. He said he doesn’t love vouchers, but the bills have included funding for issues he does support.
He also said he encourages his constituents to take advantage of the vouchers. If there were any effort to make it more difficult for Black students to attend those schools, “then I would have a big problem,” Willingham said. “I don’t see that.”
Another Democrat who voted with Republicans was state Rep. Michael Wray, a white businessman and former House minority whip — who graduated from Northeast Academy.
Wray, whose voting record on vouchers over the years has been mixed, did not respond to multiple ProPublica requests to discuss his views. In 2013, he voted against the budget bill that established the Opportunity Scholarships. And in a recent Q&A with the local Daily Herald newspaper, when asked if he supports taxpayer money funding private schools, he responded: “I believe that when you siphon funds away from our public school budgets, it undermines the success of our schools overall.”
Democrat Rodney Pierce, a public middle school teacher, recently won a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Credit:
Greg Kahn, special to ProPublica
Rodney Pierce, a Black 46-year-old father and public school teacher, saw the voucher expansion in the state budget bill Wray voted for and felt history haunt him. Pierce had only one white student in his classes last year at Gaston STEM Leadership Academy. But about 30 miles across the rural county, white children filled Northeast Academy.
Pierce taught history, with a deep interest in civil rights. He’d studied the voucher programs that white supremacists crafted to help white families flee to segregation academies.
“This stuff was in the works back in the 1960s,” Pierce said.
He was so outraged that he challenged Wray, a 10-term incumbent, for his state House seat. Pierce won the Democratic primary earlier this year by just 34 votes. He faced no opponent in November, so come next year he will cut the House’s support of vouchers by one vote.
“Particularly in the Black community, we care about our public schools,” he said.
Many Black families also have little to no relationship with their local private schools, especially those that opened specifically for white children and are still filled with them. The only times Pierce had set foot on Northeast Academy’s campus was when he covered a few sporting events there for the local newspaper.
People there were nice to him, he said, but he felt anxious: “You’re in an academy you know was started by people who didn’t want their children to go to school with Black children.”
His own three kids attend public schools. Even with vouchers, he said, he wouldn’t send them to a school founded as a segregation academy, much less one that still fosters segregation. He finds it insulting to force taxpayers, including the Black residents he will soon represent — about half of the people in his district — to pay to send other people’s children to these schools.
Help ProPublica Report on Education
ProPublica is building a network of educators, students, parents and other experts to help guide our reporting about education. Take a few minutes to join our source network and share what you know.
