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Parents and residents raise safety and bullying concerns; superintendent outlines ICE, FERPA protocol
Summary
Residents used the Henry County School Board’s public-comment period on Feb. 11 to press for stronger anti-bullying enforcement and clearer communication about discipline and bus safety; the superintendent also outlined the division’s protocol for responding to ICE or other law-enforcement requests while respecting FERPA.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period of the Feb. 11 Henry County School Board meeting to press the board on school safety, student bullying and communication with families. In response to broader community concerns, Superintendent Blake Lewis described a division protocol for handling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests and reiterated the division’s commitment to FERPA protections and to training school staff on the process.
Speakers at the podium described both positive and negative experiences with the district. Sherry Moran Vestal, a public speaker who said she plans to run for the Blackberry District school board seat in November, emphasized teacher retention and improved communication between staff and administration as priorities. Ray Runnels (introduced as Ray Roberts in the meeting transcript) applauded the district’s safety investments such as School Resource Officers (SROs), and praised athletics and CTE program expansion.
Other speakers raised more urgent safety complaints. Mimi Miles, a Ridgewood District parent, said her child and other students at Laurel Park Middle School described daily fighting, bullying and a lack of effective removal of disruptive students. Miles cited online reviews and said she had discussed the concerns with school administrators; she told the board that current policies required incidents to be “chronic” (more than once) before certain removals occur. Several speakers called for clearer discipline procedures, more enforcement on buses and better communication from administration to parents.
During superintendent’s reports, Dr. Blake Lewis told the board the division had received questions about potential ICE activity at schools in the wake of federal changes. Lewis said the division will cooperate with any law-enforcement officer who presents a valid warrant or court order and will continue to follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which limits schools’ ability to share student information without parental consent except when legally required. Lewis said the division has established a protocol naming each school principal as the designated point of contact to work with law enforcement and that training on the protocol will be provided to administrators and their designees. Lewis said the division will share resources and encourage families to contact schools if they have questions.
Board members and staff reiterated that student safety remains a top priority. Several board members noted the wide role SROs play — on campus during the day and at school events in the evenings — and said additional law-enforcement presence and layered security measures are part of the division’s strategy. The board did not adopt new discipline policy language at the meeting; members said concerns raised by parents will inform future discussions and follow-ups with staff.
