Late Thursday afternoon, parents of graduating eighth grade students of Folsom Middle School were notified that a planned field trip for graduates to Sunsplash water and golf park in Roseville had been cancelled due to the “unruly behavior” of several students earlier in the day. On Friday, the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and Principal Terri Daniels responded with further details of the incident and their reasoning for the decision to cancel the event.
“I am sorry to share that the 8th grade students have lost the privilege of attending the Sunsplash trip on Monday. This class has had many discipline issues this year. It is with a heavy heart that the students deserving of the trip will miss out, but the behavior that the adults on campus have had to tolerate this year came to a point today during 8th grade lunch time that was beyond acceptable,” Daniels said in a notice that was sent to parents Thursday announcing the cancellation. “As the leader of the school I cannot, nor will not, condone such disrespectful behavior toward any adult on campus. Students who are ready to go to high school need to realize that this type of poor behavior does come with consequences.”
Over the last 24-hours, many parents have taken to social media regarding the incident. While some were supportive of Daniel’s decision, many were not. Many were left wanting to know details of what occurred at the school that forced the decision to cancel the fieldtrip for all students. Friday morning, the Folsom Cordova Unified School District issued a follow up notice, which included more details from Daniels as to what led up to the decision, one that she and the school district has upheld, despite the outcry from many parents and students citing that the, “decision was not made casually or without consideration of all students affected.”
“On Thursday during 8th grade lunch, the majority of 8th-grade students engaged in a widespread disruption in the lunchroom that included throwing food at both students and adults, verbal attacks on adults, yelling obscenities, and complete disregard for the supervising adults who were making every effort to quiet and calm the situation. The level of escalation became overwhelmingly concerning,” reads Daniels statement “As administration and adults stepped in to curtail the escalating situation, the students became increasingly aggressive in their level of disrespectful behavior and disregard for the adults in charge. Without the assurance of containing appropriate behavior on campus, we could not feel confident of safe and appropriate student behavior off campus. Nor was the behavior that took place indicative of students who have earned the privilege of a celebratory trip.”
Daniels continued, stating that the district is confident that “most of the 8th grade student body, was involved with the Thursday incident. She also expressed that she understands why many were disappointed that the action effected the entire class, including those not involved but that she felt there was no other choice due to the amount of students allegedly involved.
“While we know most of the 8th-grade student body engaged in inappropriate behavior on Thursday, we also know some students did not participate in the disruption,” Daniels added. “Unfortunately, because of the widespread behavior of the majority of the 8th-grade class, I felt there was no choice but to cancel the trip on Monday, and the whole class must bear the consequences. Again, I want to acknowledge those who did not participate in the incident, unfortunately, however, the majority of the class did participate.”
According to Daniels and the district, refund checks for those that had pre-paid for the filed trip will be administered, but it will take some time for the district to process those refunds back to parents.
“I truly hope that the outcome of this situation will be a reminder of the importance of civility, safety, and respect that all adults and students deserve. I would also encourage all parents to talk to their students about appropriate behavior while on campus or out in our community,” Daniels added. “School trips, dances, and participation in promotions are celebratory for students and staff. We look forward to these activities. However they are not guaranteed, and I implore all to maintain respectful behavior so these may safely continue.”
Friday afternoon Folsom Cordova Unified School District released an additional statement that was issued from the entire faculty and staff of Folsom Middle School on the incident and the disciplinary action. That state ment is as follows:
“We care about all of our students and dedicate our life’s work so they may gain knowledge, thrive, and be prepared for the next steps along their educational journey. It is our greatest joy at the end of each school year to see how our students have grown and matured, learned, and achieved, which is why the events that took place on Thursday, May 16 during the 8th grade lunch period were so distressing.
Hundreds of out-of-control 8th graders berated the supervising adults, throwing food at them, and yelling profanities. This is unacceptable for both the staff and the students who were not behaving poorly and had to endure the mayhem around them.
The decision to cancel Sunsplash is very disappointing for the students who behaved well all year long, including on Thursday, because the majority of their peers acted so inappropriately. It is logistically impossible to staff and allocate a trip for a few while maintaining class and supervision on campus for the majority.
For the students who behaved appropriately, we commend you. It takes courage to do the right thing, and the courage to do the right thing will make this world a better place.
Next week is Promotion for our 8th grade class. We all want this to be a joyous and celebratory event. We ask students to conduct themselves in a manner deserving of this dignified and exciting milestone. We ask parents and guardians to reinforce good behavior so as not to sully this event that means so much to so many.
We remain proud of our school and the quality of education our students receive and encourage all to model kindness and respect for our youth.” – Sincerely, Folsom Middle School Faculty and Staff.
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