Parents and students press Greenville County Schools on bullying and special education; superintendent outlines external review

Multiple parents and students used the public-comment period at the Dec. 10 Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees meeting to raise concerns about bullying, inconsistent discipline and alleged lapses in special-education services. Superintendent Dr. Anthony Royster outlined a multi-step external review and outreach plan the district will begin after the new year.

Miriam Mazer told trustees she came after reading recent news about litigation and said follow-up conversations with other parents uncovered “quite a few other parents” reporting bullying, drinking and other unresolved student misconduct. “I’ve gone through the student behavior code. It’s pretty solid. So my big question is, why isn’t this being implemented?” Mazer said.

Michelle Jorgensen, a Greenville County resident, said bullying is “a widespread problem” and urged stronger administrative commitment and support for teachers who want to intervene. “We also need to think about this as our moral responsibility. These are children,” she said.

Parent Reid Bush described his family’s experience with special education, saying his son’s Individualized Education Program was not followed and that “the school failed to comply with federal IDEA laws on multiple occasions,” a claim he said is reflected in state findings. Bush urged creation of a special-education advisory council, saying such councils in other states provided constructive forums where parents and staff could collaborate.

Student speakers from the Future Teacher Academy also addressed the board: Charlotte Barnett promoted the academy’s volunteer work and its impact on early education students; Jordan Gentry described struggling with mental health during high school and said those experiences motivate a desire to become an educator who prioritizes student well-being; Catherine Schumacher, a PEP leader, praised program leaders and urged trustees’ support for the program.

Responding to the wave of comments on special education, Superintendent Dr. Royster said the district has issued a request for proposals for an external review; six firms responded and that pool will be evaluated. He described a planned process that begins with a districtwide survey of parents of students with disabilities, followed by geographically distributed in-person forums and at least one virtual forum. The district will then select parents representing each of the 13 federal disability categories to participate in summits; the external reviewer will fold community input into recommendations to administration and then to the board.

Dr. Royster said the timeline depends on vendor selection but he expects to complete the selection and conclude the review process in the spring. “You should see further information and dates around those next steps following the first of the year,” he told trustees.

The board did not take formal action on the public comments at the meeting; Dr. Royster said staff would follow up as appropriate and that the planned review is intended to gather family experience and produce actionable recommendations.