Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bullying Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lebanon resident alleges ongoing bullying; superintendent says district will change how incidents are reported
Summary
A resident told the Lebanon Board of Education he and other families have experienced repeated bullying that was not reflected in the district's published report; Superintendent Isaac Severs said the district will immediately review how bullying is coded and reported after consulting legal counsel and board policy.
A Lebanon resident told the Lebanon Board of Education on Nov. 18 that multiple bullying incidents involving his children and others have been covered up and that district staff and a lead investigator had inappropriately contacted students and their families.
"I've had multiple instances," resident Vaughn Gonzales said during public comment, alleging that a principal discouraged students from speaking up and that the district's lead investigator had reached out to members of his travel softball team. Gonzales also questioned why Lebanon police were present at the meeting and said he has contacted State Rep. Adam Mathews about the matter.
Board presiding officer Ervin closed Gonzales's comment at five minutes and clarified that board members — not the superintendent — had requested police presence that night.
Superintendent Isaac Severs addressed the board later in the meeting, saying the district has followed guidance from 2012 that limited its published bullying report to incidents that resulted in suspension or expulsion. After recent family concerns and a review with legal counsel and board policy, Severs said the district will "begin making some changes to that bullying report" and to how incidents are coded in the student information system so reports better reflect occurrences.
Severs emphasized that previous reporting followed guidance in place when the policy was created and that he was not responsible for the 2012 decision; he said the district will act differently going forward. "We reviewed our board policy. We reviewed the state law, and we're gonna begin making some changes to that bullying report," Severs said.
The superintendent said the district will review coding for incidents (for example, whether an event is entered as "bullying," "abuse of others," or "unwanted contact") and will update what is published on the district website. He framed the change as responsive to families' concerns and consistent with legal counsel's advice.
The board did not take formal action during the meeting; Severs said changes would begin immediately and invited families to follow up with district staff.
Next steps: Severs said staff will work with legal counsel and adjust district reporting and system coding; the board did not schedule a formal vote on a new reporting policy during the Nov. 18 meeting.
