Columbia Middle assistant handled incident right

Editor:

Recently there was a situation at Columbia Middle School that made the news in print, television and radio. A student lost control and somewhat terrorized the school for about a half-hour. I was quite pleased that the issue ended with no one getting hurt.

Assistant Principal Tom White did exactly what I would expect -- allow the student time to regain control, and follow along to make sure that other students and faculty are kept out of harm's way. The student in question is no "kid"; we are talking about a 6-foot-plus, 230-or-so pound, 14-year-old who ultimately had a baseball bat in his possession. White herded students who were in the gym to the locker room for protection, and sought shelter for himself after he was threatened. Capt. Johnny Whittle, along with some deputies, arrived and got the situation under control.

I've met White on several different occasions, since my wife is a teacher there. I have found him to be a sincere and caring administrator. He did the right thing by protecting students and waiting for law enforcement, instead of trying to be the big shot. Good job, everyone!

Rip Jones

Martinez