Parent says Russell County discipline policy punishes students who defend themselves, urges changes

Angela Street, a Russell County parent, told the Russell County School Board that the district's discipline and anti-bullying policies need clearer language to protect students who act in self-defense.

Street recounted multiple incidents dating back to her son's second-grade year and said that administrators and staff sometimes misapplied discipline. "I know there has to be a policy because we don't want kids thinking it's okay to fight. However, there needs to be something in there that allows for a child that gets attacked, unprovoked, that they do not get punished whenever they have to fight back to defend themselves," she said.

The parent said her son was suspended twice after being attacked and that school-level responses did not include a fuller investigation of bullying claims. She described a ninth-grade bus incident that led to court involvement, anger management, juvenile probation and five hours of community service for her son, whom she said had been bullied for over a year. "Tell me that's fair," Street said. "Tell me this anti bullying policy is working because it's not."

Street also alleged staff bullying and said a former assistant principal pressured her son for academic performance when he was in second grade. She asked the board to address instances where staff behavior contributes to students' difficulties and to ensure students feel safe reporting bullying without fear of repercussions. She said the district's current practice can leave students afraid to speak up.

Street urged adding more surveillance coverage to the Career and Technical Education shop area, saying the existing cameras did not capture a planned attack on her son. "With my son with this last attack that he had, the cameras didn't pick it up. I do have video because this was ... a planned attack," she said, adding that peers attempted to lure her son away from cameras.

Board members acknowledged Street's remarks during the public-comment period. The chair and other board members encouraged her to pursue unresolved issues with school administrators and to return to the board if a resolution is not reached. The board asked staff to review whether the district's fighting policy explicitly addresses self-defense; one board member said they would "look at that and make sure I don't I'll make it right off. It does. Absolutely." That statement indicates staff review was promised but no formal policy change was adopted at the meeting.

Why it matters: Street framed her comments around student safety, disciplinary fairness and staff conduct. The issues she raised, including alleged staff bullying and gaps in camera coverage, implicate how the district investigates incidents and applies discipline across multiple years and schools.

What the board did and did not do: The board heard the public comment and directed staff to follow up informally; no formal policy amendments or votes on discipline or camera installation were taken at the meeting.

Next steps noted at the meeting: Board members encouraged the parent to escalate outstanding concerns through administrators and return to the board if unresolved. Staff said they would review whether the department's fighting policy explicitly covers self-defense.

Source excerpts from the meeting transcript are cited in provenance.