http://missoulian.com/news/state-an...cle_104ab888-f90a-534a-9f16-b19960fda4f8.html
A judge has issued a restraining order barring Twin Bridges School from requiring or allowing a student who brought a loaded gun to Harrison School to attend classes on-campus at Twin Bridges, where he is enrolled.
Spencer Ore was 15 when he took a loaded .357 Magnum revolver and an unloaded .22-caliber pistol to Harrison School in 2013. He enrolled in Twin Bridges in mid-November and is supposed to take classes electronically. An Associated Press story released Tuesday said he failed the classes via computer and the family hopes to get in-home tutoring.
A group of parents applied for a temporary restraining order on Jan. 20 to bar Ore from taking classes on campus, citing safety concerns for their children. Judge Loren Tucker issued the order on Feb. 9.
“We are very relieved and thankful the judge saw that our fear for the safety of our children was sincere,” said an email statement from Denise Bausch, a parent and representative of the Twin Bridges Parents Group. “We will continue to be proactive in our school with the safety and training we need.”
According to the lawsuit, both parties agreed that the school is working to balance the interests of safety with the education of Ore and that the risks concerned parents say their children would face should Ore attend classes on campus are "extreme."
Both sides also agreed that Ore wouldn’t be harmed by continuing to take classes off-campus. However, the school raised the possibility that the ruling could cause problems if they were compelled to educate Ore on-campus in “some other forum.”
Twin Bridges Superintendent Chad Johnson was unavailable for comment Monday; school was out for Presidents Day.
The Twin Bridges Parents Group was formed in response to Ore’s enrollment. It had 87 supporters in January, but the restraining order notes that only those with children attending Twin Bridges School had legal standing in the matter, not taxpayers or community members. Both parties agreed to dismiss any plaintiff without standing.
The group retained a lawyer who sent a Dec. 19 letter to school and Madison County officials. The letter outlines the group’s concerns and threatens legal action if those concerns aren’t addressed. Ultimately, the letter says, parents could pull their students out of school.
The letter listed seven main objections, most of which revolve around safety concerns or challenge the legitimacy of Ore’s residency.
Ore served seven months in a detention facility after bringing the guns to Harrison. He was in trouble again for further threats – this time posted on Facebook – against the school. He later spent time in a residential treatment center.
The order said the development of Ore’s individualized education plan is ongoing and when it will be completed is unknown. The process is used to develop a plan intended to help students with disabilities reach educational goals.
“Should Spencer Ore’s IEP dictate that he will be educated off the campus of Twin Bridges School, there will be no controversy between parties,” the ruling said.
