Forney resident says district mishandles bullying, calls for policy changes and greater transparency
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Summary
Clarissa Raybond, a Forney resident, told the Forney ISD Board that students are repeatedly subjected to on-campus violence and alleged the district has used technology problems and FERPA to block parents from viewing video evidence.
Clarissa Raybond, a resident who addressed the Forney ISD Board of Trustees during the public-comment period, told trustees that students are being "failed by the very system entrusted with their safety, dignity and education." Raybond said incidents of students being kicked, shoved, slapped and having their hair pulled have occurred repeatedly and sometimes in full view of cameras, teachers and other students.
Raybond said the district’s response has frequently been to "downplay, delay and deflect," including citing technology problems and FERPA as reasons parents cannot view video evidence. "When those excuses no longer hold, the district conveniently sends requests to the attorney general’s office," she said, asserting the purpose of such requests is to "prolong the process and prevent parents from effectively advocating for their children."
The resident criticized the district’s use of discipline labels, saying students who act in self-defense are being categorized under the district policy as engaging in "mutual combat." "Calling a child's desperate act of self defense mutual combat is not justice," she said. "When the aggressor and the victim receive identical or harsher punishments, we're not teaching accountability. We're teaching hopelessness."
Raybond also raised concerns about the district’s application of Texas House Bill 6, saying the law’s language is being used selectively and can result in "discipline students harshly, especially those with disabilities without due regard for the context of their behavior or their IEP and 504 protections under federal law." She urged trustees to recognize that obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act remain in force regardless of state statute interpretations.
Her formal requests to the board included: a public reaffirmation of the district’s commitment to protecting students from bullying and violence; an end to using FERPA or technology problems as routine shields to withhold parent-requested evidence; revision of the mutual-combat policy to better protect victims who acted in self-defense; mandatory disability-rights training for all staff and substitutes; and transparent timelines for responding to parent complaints and footage requests.
The board did not take action during the public-comment period. No district staff presented an official response during the meeting.