Lessons in Wake of Killing

A nightmare for any school district is being caught between battling parents in a custody dispute. When the child in question has disabilities and is in special education classes, the tensions can be even greater. This is an environment where frustrations are high and answers may be complex.

The fragile fabric broke in Orange County Monday evening when a police marksman shot and killed Michael P. Generakos, a 45-year-old Lakewood chemist and troubled father who had held county Board of Education administrators hostage in what might have been an attempt to get police to kill him.

At the heart of this tragedy lies a bitter irony. All of the parties with a direct or indirect role shared a concern for the welfare of a 16-year-old who was deaf and whose eyesight was failing as well. But getting everybody to work in concert when there is family trouble can be beyond the capability of even the most skilled and compassionate educators.

Now, a father whose emotions were laid bare in his repeated contacts with school officials about how the boy should be educated no longer will be there for his son. The others--the boy’s mother, from whom the father was estranged, the school district and the court that ordered an education plan devised for the boy--were trying to promote the teenager’s welfare. The father, left outside the loop after the mother won custody, took out his rage on the educators.

Could this tragedy have been avoided? The district was sufficiently aware of the father’s problems that police had been called to meetings because school officials had come to anticipate his outbursts. Later, he left threatening phone messages at the district office.

With the 20-20 vision of hindsight, some might say now that the district should have obtained a restraining order. However, an unstable person with a grievance is dangerous under any circumstances. Nor will educators find it practical or desirable to turn a quiet place devoted to educational services into a fortress. They should take whatever security measures seem appropriate.

This sad story ought to prompt a review of procedures for handling emotionally charged education cases, in an effort to address problems early on. This case also can serve to heighten awareness in other police departments and school districts of the pressures in play when youngsters have special needs and families are divided.