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Parents tell board harassment response left daughter anxious; ask for clearer notification and mental‑health procedures
Summary
Multiple parents detailed a case of alleged student‑on‑student harassment and said they were denied the ability to accompany their child to class; they asked the district to adopt clearer immediate‑response and parental notification procedures citing Wyoming statutes.
Two parents told the board May 20 that the district’s response to repeated student‑on‑student harassment left their child anxious, and they asked trustees to adopt clearer procedures for immediate response and parental notification.
Kelsey Hibbs described her daughter’s escalating anxiety after repeated incidents and said therapy and teacher reports confirmed the child’s distress. "Emotional safety directly affects learning," Hibbs told trustees. She said staff validated her daughter's feelings but the family’s proposed resolutions were not adopted and the only option offered was a full school transfer; Hibbs said they kept the child home for nine consecutive absences to protect her mental health.
Hibbs and Christopher Smith, another parent, cited Wyoming statutes when describing what they considered failures in the district’s response. Hibbs referenced "Wyoming statute 21 3 1 35" and asked the board to adopt a clear policy for immediate response and mental‑health consultation when students show distress. Smith cited the Safe School Climate Act (referenced in the transcript as "21 4 3 14") and a parental‑rights statute (transcript reference "4 14 2 2 0 6") while saying the family was denied reasonable involvement despite following visitor policy.
Both parents said district staff initially acknowledged the child’s distress but later failed to provide a workable plan; Smith said the family followed district visitor rules yet was denied permission to accompany their daughter to class during a period of acute distress. The parents asked the board to ensure the district follows legal notification requirements and to develop an immediate response protocol that integrates mental‑health consultation and parental communication.
Superintendent Dr. Libby and trustees acknowledged the public comments and flagged the matter for follow‑up; no formal action was taken during the meeting and trustees said personnel and privacy considerations may require portions of such matters to be handled in closed session when appropriate. The parents asked for policy changes and clearer communication so other families will not face similar delays in support.
