Portsmouth parent alleges school failed injured child, requests independent review

Melissa Gibbs, a Portsmouth parent, told the school board on Dec. 18 that her son was stabbed with a pencil at Churchill Middle School and that school staff failed to provide timely medical attention.

"My son was stabbed with the pencil at Churchill Middle School," Gibbs said during public comment, describing wounds above his eye, several to his back and a cut on his hand that was bleeding. She said he waited outside the main office for nearly two hours before medical staff called him to the back.

Gibbs said administrators focused on discipline instead of care: she told the board that Dr. Smalls, who she identified as the administrator in charge of discipline at Churchill Middle School, issued her son a 10-day suspension without taking his statement or obtaining the teacher's account. "There was no investigation, no due process, no fairness," she said, and noted the other student involved received a five-day suspension.

Gibbs said she was not initially allowed to view video footage of the incident and that only after repeated requests was a viewing scheduled, after the suspension period. She asked the board to conduct a formal, in-depth review and specifically requested that certain administrators she named not be included in that review.

She also raised concerns about an administrator's public social-media content. "This account has minor followers, including my 12 year old daughter," Gibbs said, describing videos she termed "entirely inappropriate for a school administrator," and asked the board to investigate judgment and boundaries for staff who work with children.

The clerk had reminded speakers that the board typically does not respond publicly during the meeting and that personnel or student names raised in public comment can raise confidentiality issues. No formal response or action was taken during the meeting; Gibbs said she would be available to speak with board members after the meeting.

The allegations involve student safety, discipline procedures, access to evidence, and concerns about an administrator's conduct on social media. The board has not announced an investigation or next steps on the record during the Dec. 18 meeting.