Parents and advocates press Hillsborough board for discipline transparency after Barrington incident

Dozens of community members used the public‑comment period at the June 2 Hillsborough County School Board meeting to demand clearer discipline data, restorative steps and stronger accountability after an incident at Barrington Middle School that prompted district action.

Several speakers described the episode as part of a broader pattern. Daryl Hych apologized for a prior numerical error in earlier testimony and said closer research showed 129,424 days of school missed by Black and Latino students between 2023 and 2025; Jeanette Horn Smith and other commenters urged a zero‑tolerance policy for racism and asked the district to publicly display discipline data disaggregated by race for the just‑completed school year. Commenters also asked the district to communicate any action taken by state licensure authorities once those reviews are completed.

Speakers asked the board to ensure bullying, discrimination and staff misconduct complaints are investigated thoroughly and promptly, and to make training and implementation of any revised student code of conduct a priority over the summer so administrators are ready in the fall. Several callers asked for clearer access to video evidence that may pertain to disciplinary cases and for transparent timelines for investigations.

Board members acknowledged the public’s concerns and indicated staff would follow up; Vice‑Chair Nadia Combs said staff would attempt to provide responses to commenters and keep the board informed about follow‑up actions.

Next steps: Staff indicated they would follow up with commenters and provide requested disclosures where permitted by applicable law and privacy rules. The board retained oversight of any forthcoming policy revisions and said further work on the student code of conduct will continue.