Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Safety Bullying topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parent tells North Ridgeville board bullying and alleged injuries have left her children afraid to ride the bus
Summary
Valencia Adams told the board she has documented multiple injuries to her children in recent months and urged the district to increase bus monitors, improve camera access and prioritize anti-bullying education and accountability.
Valencia Adams addressed the North Ridgeville City Board of Education during public comment Tuesday, March 4, saying several incidents over the past six months have left her children "apprehensive and insecure" about attending school.
Adams said her son, Kenneth, who attends ECLC, has had four facial traumas including one nasal bone fracture that continues to cause recurring nosebleeds. She said her daughter, who attends Liberty Elementary, was punched in the stomach at recess and later sustained a bruised bladder, and that another recess incident involved having her head struck and her arm twisted. Adams said her requests to remove a student from her daughter’s class were denied because school officials had no prior discipline record for that student.
"School should be a place where children feel protected," Adams said. She told the board that she was told some incidents could not be reviewed on video "because of the positioning of the campus" and that footage of other reported incidents also was not available. Adams said her children no longer want to ride the bus because of what they have experienced and reported bringing concerns to transportation staff, the superintendent and the assistant superintendent.
Adams urged the district to add bus monitors, to reorganize camera placement so reported incidents can be reviewed regardless of where they occur, and to incorporate bullying prevention consistently into the curriculum. She also suggested asking for volunteers if budgets constrain hiring.
Board President (name not specified in the transcript) and staff acknowledged the comment period; the transcript records Adams’s concerns and the district staff she said she contacted but does not record an immediate formal response or action by the board.
The public comment concluded with Adams saying she seeks "reliability, accountability, and trustworthiness" from the district around student safety and discipline.
