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A few decades ago, when you asked tourists what they thought about Cherokee County, N.C., you would get these kind of responses: Great people. Gorgeous mountains, rivers and lakes. Colorful changing of the seasons. A more laid-back, slower-paced lifestyle for people who want to be left alone to live their lives in peace.
However, as I chatted with visitors throughout 2022, I received an entirely different set of responses about what they thought about the county today: Eric Rudolph playing hide and seek. Being a so-called gun sanctuary county. Lawsuits and criminal charges against the Department of Social Services and prior officials. Lawsuits against the Detention Center. Unenclosed and unregulated crypto mines destroying residents’ quality of life, with no land-use plan in place to protect property owners from future headaches. Public meetings filled with vitriol. Telling the state to keep its $50 million instead of building a badly needed high school.
Be prepared to add one more thing to that sad list of what Cherokee County is likely going to be known for in the future: Bullying.
In the Jan. 11 edition, the Cherokee Scout reported on a 6-year-old kindergarten student at Ranger Elementary School who suffered bullying so extensive and ongoing that his parents had little choice but to transfer him to Hiwassee Dam Elementary School. It’s clear that not everyone in Cherokee County Schools has a proper understanding of the district’s no-tolerance policy on bullying.
It got even worse that week when NBC News reported on a federal Title IX complaint against Cherokee County Schools alleging that a teenager was abused and harassed while attending Andrews Middle School. Just about every horrible thing you can imagine – from an Andrews High School football player allegedly sexually assaulting her to classmates calling her a slut to rumors of an intimate video recorded without her knowledge and passed around – this young girl was forced to go through.
Making it worse, the complaint says administrators met her with “continued indifference.” Read the article at www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sexual-harassment-complaint-cherokee-county-north-carolina-rcna61303.
Cherokee County Schools opened its investigation in early 2022, more than three months after the alleged assault. While the district ultimately recommended discipline for two students, by that time the student had already started attending high school in a different county. While the player faced charges in juvenile court, they were all eventually dropped, an all-too-common occurrence in small towns where football is king.
The U.S. Department of Education opened its investigation into the Title IX complaint in August. It alleges a series of failures by teachers, coaches, counselors and administrators that made the girl feel alone and further victimized in dealing with her trauma – while also forcing her to quit cheerleading, a sport she loved.
As a father of three girls and grandfather of two, I can’t imagine one of mine being forced into that position. Student victims and their parents should know with confidence that any report of sexual assault will receive the utmost care and attention, and it’s heartbreaking to know what this family went through.
What the county should be especially afraid of now is the fact that this family has an attorney, which means we’re likely looking at yet another lawsuit being filed against the county – all of which threaten to be costly to local taxpayers. And after reading this week’s front-page report about the video of a shooting in December – the ultimate form of bullying, with authority and lethal force – it would be surprising if there’s not another lawsuit lining up right behind it.
For years, some leaders in Cherokee County have acted like they can do whatever they want, and hire whomever they want, since the rest of the state ignores us anyway. Playing that dangerous game has come back to bite us in a big way, and the worst may still be yet to come.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on Twitter @daviddBstroh.