WEST BATH, Maine — A Freeport Middle School teacher charged with terrorizing for a remark he made about bringing a gun into the school pleaded no contest on Monday.
One parent told The Portland Press Herald that David Mason was frustrated with his seventh-grade class in February and told them he wanted to take them to the roof and shoot them with an M-16. Under the plea agreement, the charge will be dismissed if Mason stays out of trouble for the next 60 days.
Defense lawyer John Richardson said Monday that his client made a “dumb remark” and said it’s unfortunate that an utterance put his 30-year career in jeopardy.
Richardson said that Mason will work during the upcoming academic year writing curriculum. After that, he may retire.
After an outburst like that, seems like it IS time for him to retire.
Try dealing with these kids sometime.
Yeah hes overdue to leave. Besides you’re supposed to execute entire classes next to a gravel pit, so you can just push the dirt back in. Not on the roof. SO inefficient…
LOL. I can’t believe that your comment has lasted an hour on here.
Total overreaction by everyone. Terrorizing? Please.
To first graders, maybe. To middle schoolers, heck no!
We are all accountable for what we say. I would expect a teacher to use more self-control despite his frustration. It is one thing to have these thoughts when kids are acting up, but he used very poor judgement in voicing them.
Are yoy kidding me???? May retire??? Pathetic. He should have nothing to do with the school…AND…hold on Mason,, the civil suits are on the way !!!!! You need to GO !!!
With comments like that it is a wonder they can get anyone to teach. 30 Years a dedicated teacher and you want to throw him to the wolves. :(
Let’s try this again, last comment disappeared moderator apparently didn’t like what I said.
Sadly this is today’s thinking ………………………… If you say something that even offends one person then you find yourself in trouble.
Back in the good old common sense days if a student told their parents a teacher had made a comment like this, the parents would have asked what did the class do to p*ss off the teacher.
YOU…are such an idiot….many teachers TEACH!!!!! every day and feel no need to threaten kids…….he is an insult to real TEACHERS !!!!…get a life….
Somebody needs a valium
Plain to see that you are no teacher. Unless you replace threats with insults.
YES
What a complete waste of taxpayer’s money. This should never have gone anywhere. No teacher deserves to be harassed this way. Unfortunately both the parents and administrators are to blame for this.
Parents instead of wasting your time and energy and everyone’s money over a ridiculous charge such as this please demand your kids learn something.
A thirty year career and this teacher never had other concerning episodes before? If this is the case, a full medical work-up would be in order to determine if a disease condition may be compromising his common sense. No normally functioning teacher would utter those words in light of the many school shootings and other random and not so random shootings reported in our society. That said, if he is not suffering from a medical condition that has robbed him of his discretion, he should not be allowed to stay in the school in any capacity. Saying you would like to destroy your students with an m-16 is not an acceptable way to express frustration to young kids. If it had been a student who made that threat, likely he or she would no longer be allowed to attend that school.