Here's a little twist that I just learned-
Yesterday I asked asst. principal for a little more detail about what happened with the computer- like how much was the other boy involved (after all, I was hit with the entire bill), and if the boys' stories matched. He said to contacat the arresting officer (school's resource officer) because it is a criminal matter now.
So, today I went there to pay the cost and pick up difficult child's schoolwork for time on suspension. Asst. principal comes in and I asked if I could at least get an itemized list of damages so I'll lnow what I'm paying for (I asked nicely). He returns and leads me to conference room. He showed me photos and difficult child's statement, which matched the story I had heard and other kid's involvement. So, then I asked why difficult child was arrested and other kid not. Asst. principal says he can't give me that detail but will get officer on phone (who had not returned my call) and he can discuss it. Then, before calling officer, asst. princ. talks about difficult child doing much better this year and always being honest about things. So, I say well, everything will change now- he says "why", and I say surely he knows about the suspended sentence and that this will cause detention. He acts like he doesn't know, but I'm sure he does. He says well, in court details will come out and maybe... I say "really, I have been in court with difficult child several times now. There is no real testimony and questioning. What people present to the police, the police charge the hisghest and most they can, then judge just asked difficult child, or his attny, if difficult child did this offense and it is either I did it or didn't (he's always said he did) and there is no explanation of circumstances or anything else. It is guilty, then sentencing. And, detention for kids this age does not turn them around the way we naive parents think it should- the only learning experience they get is how to be serious criminals." He says he is sorry, but did look like this might have been a little more than he expected.
So, he gets officer on phone and officer says difficult child's story gave him probable cause to believe vandalism and that is all he needed to charge him and I could explain other details (like the parts that were accidental- the stories were consistent on that). He says he's looking into if he can charge the other boy. I tried to discourage that a little by saying that I didn't think the other had done more than mine, but, where is that line drawn. So far I guess they think the other boy only took computer apart and put it back together, so it wasn't vandalism and costs no money to repair. (Never mind that the other boy is the one that took both computers apart and didn't have time to put difficult child's back together when his mom started in the house, so difficult child flips and tries to jam pieces back together then hits a chip with a screwdriver trying to make it fit back before the mom walked in the room- so it is all difficult child's fault). Then officer says difficult child finally admitted that he got frustrated and started hitting the computer with screwdriver. Well, either difficult child was raging on this computer or officer is trying to exagerate the incident and difficult child's words to justify the charge. Then officer became a little defensive and said it didn't matter, difficult child caused this damage and he found probable cause and I could just eplain it all to the judge. I came home and asked difficult child what words he used to officer and if he told him the one part being damaged was an accident. He said he did tell them about the accidental portion, but told him the other part was because he poked a screwdriver in there.
I don't know- I guess school could have prepped officer that I wanted to question all this. Several months ago, difficult child was written up at school for vandalism for taking keys off computer and putting them back on- it still worked and cost no money. They say other kid was written up at school for tampering with computer, not vandalism, and that is why he got 2 days instead of 5 days detention and arrest. I'm not trying to get other kid arrested- I don't think mine should have been- not for this. And, I know if it had been mine that started it and other kid had been the one to take things farther, mine would not have gotten a lesser punishment and would have still been arrested for being their, contributing, and not reporting.
at each of the schools and the Officer did not want to press charges. The school tried for expulsion and thanks to the CD Board I quickly learned what a Manifestation Hearing was before attending and he was not expelled but was given a suspension (which was appropriate). A few days later a form letter came in the mail saying I needed to take him to the Department of Juvenile Justice center for a meeting. 
We went to the meeting and the Department of Juvenile Justice
