Solon parent says daughter received racial slur and gun threat; asks board for clearer safety and notification protocols

Shama Harris, a parent of a Roxbury student, told the Solon City Board of Education on Feb. 23 that her daughter received a message from another student containing a racial slur and a threat that the student planned to bring a gun to school. Harris said school staff issued "a half of half day suspension" to the accused student and that the student returned the next day.

Harris said school staff later brought her daughter into a meeting with the accused student and the principal without notifying or obtaining consent from Harris or her husband. "As a result, my child now feels blamed, exposed, and unsafe," she said, and she called the sender's message both racial harassment and a violent threat. "No child should be punished directly or indirectly for reporting racism or threats of violence," Harris added, and she asked for "accountability, transparency, and a clear plan to ensure student safety and equity moving forward."

The board did not record an immediate staff response in the public comment segment; the agenda offered a second public-comment opportunity later in the meeting, where no additional speakers raised the incident. The parent requested an explanation of why the message and threat did not trigger stronger safety protocols, why parents were not notified before staff questioned a minor victim, and what concrete steps are being taken to protect the child from retaliation and emotional harm.

The board did not vote on policy changes during the Feb. 23 meeting. The matter was raised during the public-comment period; any administrative follow-up, investigation status, or discipline beyond the brief suspension noted by the parent was not reported in the transcript.