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Parents tell Lebanon board they are leaving district, allege bullying and lack of support; board member calls comments "inaccurate and false"
Summary
Two parents told the board June 16 their family is leaving Lebanon City Schools and accused district leadership and other families of bullying and retaliation; later a board member publicly disputed those statements, calling them inaccurate.
Two parents spoke during the hearing-of-the-public portion of the June 16 Lebanon City School Board meeting, telling the board they are removing their children from district schools and alleging years of mistreatment and inadequate administrative response.
Jennifer Langdon, who identified herself as the parent of five children who attended the district, described months of conflict tied to her volunteer experience as a color guard coach and alleged that some parents and employees spread false accusations about her. She said the situation escalated to the point that her older children did not feel safe continuing in extracurricular activities and that her family will not attend district schools next year. "I believe, mister Sievers, that you are a bully," she told the board during her five minutes of allotted public comment.
Her husband, William Langdon, also addressed the board and described repeated grievances, saying parental access to information had been restricted and recounting an incident involving his 14-year-old son. "...you guys just crumble that poor lady over there and my kids," he said, describing the family's decision to leave.
Board member Lane later addressed the crowd during board comments and said he was present for the meetings the Langdons referenced. He characterized the public statements as inaccurate and urged anyone with questions to contact him: "I can reassure you the things that were said by our 2 speakers were inaccurate and false," he said.
The board did not take any formal action in response to the public comments during the meeting. The superintendent and other administrators were not recorded making a formal response during the public comment period; the board entered executive session later for a separate personnel matter and said no action would be taken after that session.
Why it matters: Public allegations of bullying and administrative mishandling of complaints can affect student and family trust in the district; the board member's public dispute of the claims signals contested accounts that may prompt further inquiry or follow-up outside the meeting.
No findings or investigations were announced at the meeting; the transcript records the parents' allegations and a board member's rebuttal.
