Ssheps.com - About Jeremy's life at school 

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UPDATE November 2004: NEW INFORMATION SENT IN - SEE THE FOLLOWING:

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Comments

"I was a key employee at Richardson High School when Jeremy committed suicide. I was one of the last adults that talked to him besides Faye Barnett. Some of the incidents you have from your research and some small ones (from the article) deviate from the truth. I would be happy to talk with you if you're interested. This was such a tragedy. Jeremy was a good kid with a mountain of problems that he didn't deserve.  If you want to talk e-mail me and then I will give you my address and phone #. Thanks. This is a wonderful site to go with an excellent song of awareness."

Our first meeting was held Monday, December 13, 2004; information from that interview will be posted as soon as possible.  [...]

INFORMATION UPDATE

I've been alluding to an interview being posted here.  My main goal was to get the photo of Jeremy updated.  That went really well and would not have been possible without my contact from RHS. The other addition will be the interview with this former employee of Richardson High School who spoke with Jeremy that day.  I had the opportunity to meet with both this person and a close friend of theirs here at my place.  [...]

From everything I have gathered thus far, Jeremy was a pretty innocent kid.  He had some problems while at his previous school and was sent to a psychiatric hospital.  Sounded like when the insurance money ran out he was suddenly "cured" and was released.  

He went to live with his Dad and his new step mom and transferred to Richardson High School as a result.  A fairly short time after arriving at RHS his locker was searched and some items that were apparently not illegal but considered controversial were found in his locker and he was put in ISS (In School Suspension).  He had also made some statements to several individuals about two faculty members at RHS after arriving that may have gone beyond threatening.  Imagine getting out of a hospital under those conditions and going to a new school, a new start, only to be thrown into ISS shortly after arriving.  You'd be hoping for a fresh start and immediately you are placed in ISS and basically labeled a degenerate to some degree, a screw up at least.  The last thing Jeremy needed was isolation but that in effect is what he got.  And he was placed in there for a period of time longer than many, many students are.  The faculty put him in ISS because of the locker search and I believe the fact he had come out of a psychiatric hospital.  The comments he had made were not revealed to others until after his death. There was also one other reason that I will cover later. It was a convenient way to keep him in school but away from the students.  

Many students stated in the articles below they wish they could have talked to Jeremy before this event, but they couldn't because no one had access to him.  [...]

Also, my trip to Jeremy's old school and the fact I attended Richardson High School made me realize that Jeremy came from a more impoverished area than the one he ended up at.  So I am sure Jeremy felt some insecurity over his new school and being with "the rich kids."  Coming out of a psych hospital to a new school where a lot of kids got new cars for graduation would have left Jeremy very vulnerable.  

[...] And anyone that comes out of a psych hospital, at least in the past and up to the recent past, the stigma of being a "nut case" causes them to doubt themselves and be quite introverted. [...]

Also, in Texas for sure and probably nationwide, back then if you had insurance and saw a mental health doctor, there was a tremendous push to get that person into a hospital environment, and as soon as your insurance ran out you were labeled cured.  It was atrocious.  There were instances of 3 year old children being hospitalized for depression, psychotic or hyperactivity it got so bad in Texas.  What 3 year old isn't hyperactive? [...]

NOTE: Clarification in the article. Lisa Moore states on Monday Jeremy wrote a note to her stating "Later Days." Jeremy took his life on Tuesday.  He didn't miss class the day before, he was assigned to the in the in-school suspension program at school and was supposed to be there when he appeared in Faye Barnett's classroom and Faye knew he was supposed to be in the in-school suspension (ISS) cave and should not have been there in her room that day.  She was telling him he needed a note to even be in her room at all.  I say cave because if you knew how the R.I.S.D. handled ISS students back then, they were put in a room (at Pearce in my case), 10 people maximum when I was there, and it was about the equivalent of a large storage room or closet. [...]   

Anyhow, this and a lot of information will follow as soon as possible. I appreciate this person coming forward. It helps add a human dimension to Jeremy's story beyond a song and a newspaper article.

Waterfall's comment: 

WARNING: The following post deals with Jeremy's last day. I hate to post such contents, but they shed a light on the kind of person he really was. I took out the explicit info about the crime scene.

The Interview - Interview with RHS Employee Regarding Jeremy

Interview with RHS Staff Person

She knew Jeremy pretty well. 

He started Richardson Independent School District (RISD) after leaving a mental hospital.  Not sure why Jeremy was at the mental hospital.  Jeremy became very close to the kids at the mental hospital.  She became close to Jeremy during the time he was there.

Another time when Jeremy was sick he wanted to call someone who was not on his list of people to call.  His sister was on the phone list.  He asked to call someone else one time.  

After Jeremy left the mental hospital he moved in with his Dad and new step-girlfriend, quite a bit younger than the Dad.  Not a lot of communication between Jeremy's parents and the school.  A couple of weeks before Jeremy committed suicide, they searched Jeremy's locker and found some controversial religious items in it.  Jeremy had threatened two teachers, Faye Barnett  and Carol M.  Carol had taken over for a teacher who became ill.  Very attractive blonde-headed woman.

On the actual day Jeremy took his life, he went to the office and got a pass to get back into school.  He immediately went out to the commons area and made a phone call.  She saw Jeremy on the phone after getting his pass.  He should have been in In School Suspension (ISS).  He was supposed to stay in ISS for the rest of the semester, for either the threats, the contents of his locker, or both.  

"I went over to him and said, "Jeremy, you have really been doing well, let’s not start the year off wrong. Head up to ISS and get in class."  He was so sweet, he was really, really happy for some reason.  I felt like I could approach him that day, although there were days when I didn't feel like I could approach him.  Jeremy reached up and hugged me, which was very unusual.  I thought I would talk to him later if I could.  I meant to talk to the ISS supervisors and let them know Jeremy had hugged me. I went on to the teachers lounge and left Jeremy." 

He went to ISS and gave a note to Lisa.  A little while later a student named Eris came into the office with an emergency pass.  He was not in her room but was passing by and heard the gunshot.  He looked into the room and Mrs. Barnett was frozen.  The student ran to the desk, got the emergency pass, lined up the students and Mrs. Barnett, and took them to the auditorium.  He took control of the situation and brought the emergency pass to the office of Jerry Bishop, the principal.  Mr. Bishop came running out and said  “I need the nurse and all principals to come with me.”  There was another principal’s office on the way and they stopped and got him too.  Mrs. Barnett was still in her room, frozen.  Mr. Bishop became hysterical, screaming to the nurse "you can't let him die." Jeremy was gone already; there was nothing that could be done.  She slapped Mr. Bishop to get him to calm down.  

The gun was close to Jeremy so Mike  –  an officer who had been in the office when the commotion started – kicked the gun away.  One unidentified principal went into Jeremy's pockets and got his ID out.  Jeremy had gotten the gun out of his Dad's new girlfriend’s nightstand.  

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Faye was very concerned with the kids.  She was an awesome teacher and loved to teach.  All the kids loved her.  Very outgoing with lots of friends. 

They took Jeremy out the side door by the music department.  Crisis intervention and public relations were told not to talk to the media and not to even discuss that this had happened.  Someone told this person to go out in the hall and put her at the front door and she was told not to let any reporters in.  She stopped one man who was a reporter with a camera and he said he was told he could come in.  She had to physically stop the man from going in. The fire chief came in next with the paramedics.  She told the fire chief how to get to the room in question.   The reporter mixed in with the paramedics and tried to get in again.  He was stopped again.  

About 30 minutes into everything parents began coming in.  The kids were held in their classrooms for two periods after this happened.  The classroom has been remodeled.   Faye was moved from that classroom immediately.  The next year they asked teachers who would teach in that classroom again, and Maggie W.  agreed to take the classroom.  She had no problem with what happened, but none of the kids who had been there that day were required to return to the classroom again.

Who this might have affected – for two to three days counseling was offered for the students who were in the classroom or affected by the tragedy. 

After Jeremy's death a group called PALS  was started to pair new students with existing students to help the new student with  the transition to the new school.

The officer's name was Mike.  He was a very nice man.  The students liked him.  He was stationed at Richardson as the in-school officer.  He was transferred out of the school after the incident with Jeremy because he kicked the gun out of the way.  He was afraid that Jeremy might have picked the gun back up. A new officer was assigned to the school.

Eris was the one who led everyone from the class and notified the office about what happened.  He was a hero on a day when few heroes could be found.

The Dad came into the school and was very nice.  The principal brought the Dad into the office and not much was heard after that.

The press was horrible at RISD.  A guy from the London Mirror was begging employees for an interview in the parking lot.

Jeremy was in special education.  He attended regular classes but was overseen by special education.  There was a lot of frustration over what happened to Jeremy and the fact that he was in such a good mood.  They felt they should have known something was wrong because Jeremy was so overly happy that day.  Lisa, the girl who got the note from Jeremy in ISS, turned in the note after the matter.  She thought that Jeremy had a little crush on Lisa.

Jeremy would hang out in the back of the school and smoke.  He had gotten caught and he got put in ISS initially for smoking.  Then his time in ISS was extended because of the locker search and the threats. 

Jeremy's locker was searched either through a tip or from Jeremy being overheard by an adult. 

In the locker, something used when they sacrifice animals.  A tree limb or animal bone with animal feathers on it.  

The discovery about Jeremy's locker.  Jeremy had been in a courtroom when he made the threats about the two RISD teachers.  Jeremy was removed from the classrooms and he was placed in ISS.  The two teachers whose lives had been threatened were not told of the threats.  Carol, the other teacher besides Faye, was livid once she found out about the threats and having not been told.

Jeremy was at RISD for a matter of months before dying.  He missed class pictures because he had not been there long enough.

Jeremy was at RISD for about three months.  He was put into ISS almost immediately.  He had been in ISS for three weeks to a month before he took his life.  He was not supposed to be in Faye's class that day and she  told Jeremy that he needed a pass to even be in her class at all, not that he was late; he needed a pass to even be present in her class. 

Jeremy was in ISS for about a month prior to his suicide.  He was skipping a bunch while he was in ISS.  Jeremy basically was a very disturbed young child who should have either remained in the hospital or went to a private school with counseling. 

ISS at J.J. Pearce was a small room, little larger than a large closet.  At RISD it was a normal classroom.  Very monotonous.  Most kids were in there for very short-term stays.  Unlike Jeremy. 

Jeremy, coming from a hospital environment, was treated as a problem child from the time he came in.  Jeremy could flip from one mood to another in seconds.  Most adults thought Jeremy was the nicest kid in the world.

"I think Jeremy was very confused.  It was felt Jeremy should have been in a private school. 

Jeremy should have been sent to a counselor but he wasn't.  He was just put in ISS."

Jeremy was always nice.  He was a very angry child.  On different days his anger came out.  He was very confused.  It is not known whether he was on drugs or not.  Jeremy had been treated at Timberlawn Mental Health, it is believed.  Those records are sealed and unavailable. 

"Jeremy looks so angelic in his photo.  He was a sweet kid.  He was lovingly sweet.  It was strange to see Jeremy when he was angry because you knew him otherwise as such a sweet kid.  It is not known whether Jeremy received aftercare after being released from the mental hospital.  Usually when your insurance ran out you were just released for good."

Jeremy was on the phone with kids from the Timberlawn hospital when he was in the commons area.  He apparently was bragging about what he was going to do to the kids at the hospital.  He was still in touch with the kids at the hospital.

Jeremy had the gun hidden and went to get it instead of going to the office as Faye had told him to.

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