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Parent recounts years of bullying at Bermudian Springs, urges board to act
Summary
At a school board meeting, Nicole Nelson and family described years of bullying of their son at Bermudian Springs schools, alleging staff inaction, a 2013 bus assault corroborated by police, and that the family removed the student to cyber school for safety. They urged the board to ensure student protection.
Nicole Nelson told the Bermudian Springs School Board during public comment that her son endured persistent bullying from elementary school through middle school and that district staff repeatedly failed to protect him. "We had talked to Mister Straub to no end…We were in there every day in elementary school," Nelson said, describing threats, teacher comments she called belittling, and a 504 plan that she said was not properly followed.
Nelson said the harassment escalated through middle school and culminated in a 2013 bus incident in which her son returned home with a reddened face after being struck multiple times. She said police met the family at the school the next day, interviewed students and “corroborated his story,” and that the apparent aggressor was removed from the bus. "So that kid, that's the only way that we could get that kid off of the bus," Nelson said, and added the family ultimately chose cyber schooling for their son.
Her son, who spoke during the same public-comment period, described repeated physical and verbal harassment in school — pushing down stairs, belongings strewn through hallways, and locks cut on his locker. "So why do I need the books knocked out of my hands, the push down the stairs every ******* day?" he asked, describing the long-term effect of the treatment.
Nelson named specific staff she said the family approached, including school employees she identified as "Mister Straub" and "Mister Fleming," and said a math teacher (referred to in the comment as "Missus Dietz") once told her son in front of class that he should go to the special room because he "can't take a test with us." She said those incidents signaled to other students that bullying was acceptable.
Board President (chair) thanked the speakers and said the board would not respond during the public-comment portion but would direct any needed follow-up to the superintendent after the meeting. The board then moved on to its agenda.
Why it matters: The family described long-standing safety and discipline concerns they say the district did not resolve, including an incident that required police involvement and a decision to remove the student from in-person instruction. The board heard the account during a public-comment period and did not offer direct response at the meeting.
Next steps: The board indicated that follow-up would be handled by the superintendent’s office if required, and the meeting proceeded to board reorganization.
Direct quotes from the record are used above and attributed to the speakers who made them during public comment.
