Ranger The first time it happened, 6-year-old Jarrett Sneed cried so hard on the way home from school that his father, Daniel Sneed, had to pull the car over just to comfort him.
“Please, daddy,” his son cried, “help me.” Daniel was deeply distressed. His son, a child normally reluctant to show his feelings, eventually told him a fellow kindergarten student karate-chopped him in his throat during class.
The injury was serious, but the emotional damage was perhaps more severe. Daniel and his wife, Rebecca Sneed, contacted Jarrett’s classroom teacher at Ranger Elementary School.
“We told her what happened,” Rebecca said, “but it didn’t do any good.”
Their son continued to go to school, but it was an emotional struggle. Several days after the classroom karate chop, both Sneeds were in the pickup line, in view of their child playing in the waiting area. They watched in horror as a child knocked Jarrett down and verbally attacked him.
They felt helpless. Rebecca wanted to leave the car and run over to her son.
“There were two teachers watching it,” she said. “I told my husband, I’m getting out and going over there, but he told me I better not.”
“There were two teachers right there,” Daniel repeated, “but they didn’t do anything. There is a lack of supervision, don’t know what’s wrong with that place.”
That night, the Sneeds texted the teacher. When they didn’t hear back, they called her.
“She said that she didn’t see what happened on the playground,” Daniel said, “How could she not? That same little boy was chopping my son in the throat, shoved him down. They all sat there like it was nothing.”
Following the rules
The Sneeds followed the school’s policy by informing the classroom teacher.
“Through texts, we informed her,” Rebecca said. “She really didn’t respond.”
Because their son continued to show fear when going to school, and because they witnessed the bullying firsthand, the Sneeds made an appointment with Ranger’s interim principal, Ron Ledford.
According to Cherokee County Schools vice superintendent Kim Gibson, Ledford is a retired educator who holds the necessary credentials to act as principal.
“While we were waiting to see him, another couple sat in the waiting area with them. The wife was crying,” Rebecca said. “The husband told us that his son was being bullied, and if we planned on getting anything done it would be a miracle.”
The Sneeds said the secretary was hesitant to let them speak with the interim principal, but Rebecca was having none of it.
“I told her, ‘I’m not leaving until I talk to somebody back there,’ ” she said.
Ledford agreed to see them, but the meeting didn’t go well.
“He kept going around the subject. The principal didn’t want to talk about bullying. He talked around it, just ran his mouth.” They were astonished at his suggested solution. “He told us, ‘Your son needs to learn to handle it,’ ” Daniel said. “He told us, ‘Bullying can help him develop coping skills.’ ”
They left that meeting feeling angry and hopeless. The Sneeds didn’t know how to protect their child while he was under the care and protection of Cherokee County Schools.
“The teacher sent a us a video of Jarrett in the classroom, texting that Jarrett was having a great day.” Daniel said. “But in the video, he is actually being bullied. You call that a great day?”
Central Office response
When asked about the bulling incidents, Gibson replied, “We take every accusation serious. As far me knowing the Sneed situation, I’m unaware. This is something that Central Office wasn’t aware of.”
She said the bullying policy is clear. When a student or parent suspects a bullying incident, they are to go to the classroom teacher first. Once the teacher investigates, he or she is to report their findings to the principal.
If the parents are unsatisfied with the results, the principal is then meant to open a formal investigation. At that time, Central Office would be informed.
“We are 100 percent open to speaking with parents if they feel the issue is unresolved,” Gibson said.
She restated the school’s intent to make every child feel safe at school.
“Our goal that every child is safe and feels safe in school,” Gibson said. “Any situation that a child doesn’t, we want to address that and make those needs are met.”
However, at Ranger no formal investigation was opened. Central Office was never made aware of the child’s ongoing bullying.
“We would not know about a situation like that if the principal did not share the incidents,” Gibson said.
Official policy
The school’s official policy states, “The board encourages students or parents/guardians of students who have been the victim of or who have witnessed bullying or harassing behavior in violation of this policy to immediately report such incidents to a teacher, counselor, coach, assistant principal or the principal.”
The Sneeds apparently followed this policy, while the school did not.
According to the policy, “All reports of serious violations and complaints made under this policy will be investigated expeditiously.” The policy requires immediate action.
“Reports of bullying and harassing behavior or the encouragement of such behavior under this policy will be investigated promptly by the principal or the principal’s designee and addressed in accordance with this policy and policy 4340, School-Level Investigations.”
In the Sneeds’ case, the superintendent never had a chance to further investigate.
Final recourse
Gibson concedes that, “Appropriate processes weren’t followed at that school.”
The Sneeds felt their only recourse was to pull Jarrett out of Ranger Elementary.
“We met with the principal to tell him we were taking him out, and he said, ‘It would be best if you did,’ ” Rebecca said.
Jarrett was homeschooled until they could find a school they felt would protect their child. Hiwassee Dam Elementary School took their concerns seriously. The Sneeds met with Principal C.J. Rummler and explained their story.
“He told us they don’t put up that. It’s a zero tolerance policy,” Rebecca said. “But that had that same policy at Ranger.”
A happy ending
On his first day in the new school, Rummler personally checked on Jarrett and reported back to his parents.
“His classroom teacher called us in the first hour to assure us that they followed the school’s policy and that she would look after Jarrett,” Rebecca said. “The whole environment is different over there. They are willing to talk about it.”
Jarrett is thriving at his new school, and the Sneeds feel they can finally exhale.
Ranger Elementary is now under new leadership with the appointment of Principal Brandy Raper.
“We follow the Cherokee County policy as written,” Raper said. “The policy is there for a reason.”