Parents: Mentally-challenged daughter threatened after homecoming nomination

[Sherman A1]

PACIFIC, Mo. (KMOV) -- The parents of a mentally-challenged teen say their daughter was threatened after she was nominated homecoming queen at Pacific High School.
According to the 15-year-old girl’s parents, Rickie and Tonya Tanner, they became suspicious after their daughter came home and told them she had been elected to the school’s homecoming court. The parents said their daughter has the mentality of a 10-year-old.
They looked into the nomination and discovered students had been threatening on social media to throw eggs at the girl if she attended the school’s homecoming parade this Saturday.
They told News 4 school officials did not react to the incident until they went public with the story on Facebook.
The district Superintendent Randy George says he is now investigating.
“There’s procedures on the process we follow if we get a bullying report, we did not get that report, I was notified about something about it on the internet and that’s the reason we started looking into it,” he said.
The Tanners said they are keeping their daughter home and would like to see the homecoming parade cancelled. Their daughter had not yet made plans to return to school.
“If a whole group of people is capable of this type of plot and plan and they executed it enough to get her nominated, that tells me this whole environment is tainted, that these kids are in and there needs to be a message sent to the kids and they need to learn a life lesson, this just isn’t for my kid,” said Tonya Tanner.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Parents-Students-threatened-mentally-challenged-daughter-after-being-elected-Pacific-HS-homecoming-queen-171035161.html

[a geek named Bob]

1. so messed up

okay... i have to go bake cookies for this young lady.

[Teamster Jeff]

2. This story just makes me sad as hell

[Downwinder]

3. Let me cheer you up with another story.

http://www.kmov.com/news/mom-news/Students-choice-of-homecoming-queen-stirs-hearts-170994501.html

Missouri teen with Down syndrome crowned homecoming queen

[Teamster Jeff]

5. +++

[Demoiselle]

4. I don't quite understand...

...The parents seem convinced that the nomination itself was a plot cooked up by those who wanted to humiliate the girl.
Isn't it possible that the nomination was the honorable wish of a large number of people and the threats the work of an utterly nasty minority?
It's a terrible story either way.

[Sherman A1]

6. A follow up news story on the issue

Superintendent: Pacific students disciplined after threatening mentally-challenged girl

PACIFIC, Mo. (KMOV) – Several Pacific High School students accused of threatening a mentally-challenged teen after she was nominated homecoming queen have been disciplined, Meramec School District Superintendent Randy George said Wednesday.

While George would not say how many students were punished or for how long, he said the students were subject to 10 days out-of-school suspension based on the district’s student handbook.
He said they would not be able to attend any homecoming festivities this weekend.

http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Superintendant-Mentally-challenged-daughter-threatened-after-homecoming-nomination-171387361.html