A game of assassin in which students are given “assignments” to pretend to “kill” intended victims has raised concerns for Concord school administrators in light of the focus on school mass shootings and gun violence across the country.
The game, which has been popular among high school seniors for the last two decades, encourages students to stalk their “victims” with water guns and shoot them.
“The school does not condone this behavior nor do we permit students to carry facsimiles of guns or any type on school property,” wrote Concord High School Principal Michael Reardon in an email to parents.
Some students have taken the game too far, he continued, which has put them in dangerous scenarios that almost ended in tragedy.
In one reported incident, two students hiding on private property were approached by someone carrying a shotgun while another student fell asleep behind his intended victim’s parked car and was almost run over.
“As anyone who follows the news is aware, there have been a spate of tragic killings recently set off by individuals innocently turning into the wrong driveway or knocking on the door of the wrong house,” Reardon said. “How much more likely is this type of senseless violence when individuals are carrying facsimiles of weapons?”
He urged parents to have candid discussions with their children about the game and the inherent dangers it could bring.
“We are not seeing anything unusual but on the other hand, the kids are under increasing amounts of pressure because of the stuff that is going on in our society as a whole,” Reardon said in an interview with the Monitor. “To put that into succinct form, we’re not seeing a lot of difference in our day-to-day school life, statistics are not jumping off the board but by the same token, we are certainly aware that times are changing and a big part of our job now is making sure kids have a sense of well-being when they’re in this building.”
Beyond the game of assassin, the school district has recently addressed other potential student threats.
In the last month, Concord School District administrators both at the middle school and high school reported threat-related incidents to police involving students.
On April 7, Rundlett Middle School administration sent an email to parents notifying them that a student brought an airsoft gun to school while two days later, Reardon notified parents of a perceived social media threat made by a high school student.
Early Thursday morning, a juvenile was arrested and charged under juvenile laws with multiple counts of burglary and theft, to include theft of a firearm after burglarizing multiple homes in the Fosterville section of the city, according to the Concord Police Department.
The individual, whose exact age was not released by police, was arraigned in Concord District Court on Thursday. Because the alleged perpetrator is a juvenile, police were not giving more details about the incident, which remains under investigation
Concord police have investigated sporadic incidents, some of which turned out to be rumors, others more serious.
“This is not a normal thing but it happens occasionally, mostly with BB guns and airsoft guns,” said Concord Police Det. Mark McGonagle, adding that he has not noticed an increase or decrease in perceived threats or firearm-related incidents coming from the Concord School District.