A parent urged the Coffee County Board of Education to take immediate action after she said repeated bullying left her son suicidal and unwilling to return to school. The mother, identified in the meeting as Ms. Washington, said school staff eventually moved her son to a different classroom but did not remove the students she said were bullying him.

The issue surfaced during the board’s public comment period. “He begged me to allow him to kill himself, basically,” Ms. Washington said, describing her son as a straight-A student who is active in band and church. She asked the board to enforce the district’s existing zero-tolerance bullying policy, increase adult supervision “in key areas such as the bathrooms, cafeteria, hallways,” and improve communication with parents when harassment occurs.

Board members and administrators responded in the meeting. Dr. Lee, a district official present at the meeting, said the district expects incidents to be reported through school administrators and that the board and district would follow up. Board member Mr. Mobley told the parent he would work with school leaders; other board members said the district has an anti-bullying policy in handbooks and that staff must enforce it.

The parent said the classroom change left her son wondering what was wrong with him and that she first learned of the incident only after a teacher called the day after the confrontation. She asked the board to require stronger staff action when reports are made and to hold administrators accountable if they do not follow district policy.

The board described the established chain-of-command for handling student discipline and said administrators should notify district offices when incidents rise to that level. At the meeting, members did not take formal disciplinary action against any named staff or students; instead, they said staff would investigate and follow district procedures.

The parent also urged a schoolwide assembly on bullying and better supervision in common areas. Board members encouraged parents to use the district’s chain of command—raising concerns with school administrators first—so the district can respond more quickly. The board did not set a public deadline for the follow-up investigation during the meeting.

The public comment portion of the meeting was limited by board policy BCBI to five minutes per speaker and a maximum of 20 minutes overall; Ms. Washington used her time to describe the incidents and ask for district enforcement and improved communication.