Lebanon student tells board he transferred after parents were barred from volunteering; superintendent offers review

A Lebanon City Schools junior told the board during public comment on Oct. 20 that he transferred out of the district because he felt unsafe after an incident in May 2024 and that his parents were later barred from volunteering.

“My name is Alex Langdon… In May 2024, I was walking out of the high school after a band parent meeting when two parents approached me. They began yelling at me because they thought I called their daughter a derogatory name,” Langdon said. He said the parents continued to confront him in the parking lot and that, afterward, the school informed his family they could not volunteer for the entire school year. Langdon said he felt unsupported and left the district after attending Lebanon schools since kindergarten.

Board response

Superintendent Isaac Sievers acknowledged Langdon’s comments and said the district handles bullying and disciplinary matters at the building level. “When issues of bullying or things are addressed, those are handled at the building level … that is not a matter for the board,” Sievers said, and added that he would “review what conversations and we can pull those records” and follow up with staff and the family. He also noted that the staff member he referenced, Mr. Reynolds, is no longer with the district.

Parent and public reaction

A speaker identified in the transcript as a parent said the family repeatedly sought meetings and that the complaint had been closed in August. The parent said the family pursued board meetings because they could not get answers elsewhere and stressed the emotional impact on the student and siblings.

What the board did

The board did not debate the incident in public session. The presiding officer said the board would not hold an open debate during the meeting but offered to set up a meeting and asked district staff to follow up. No formal action was taken at the meeting regarding Langdon’s complaint.

Ending

Sievers told Langdon he would follow up with the family and that building-level records would be reviewed. The public-comment exchange concluded with the superintendent offering to discuss the matter privately and the board acknowledging the statement.