I am disappointed that I had to be the one to make contact and request this meeting.

I walk funny because, apparently, I am the only one in the district that is willing to standup for bullied and harassed students. Before I just hadn't understood the dangers of stress I was taking on in working to remove Brian Hodge from the school district. The end result was positive for the students. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like much has changed in the way the district and board deal with community input.

Appreciation's: 

• Removing superintendent Hodge
• More progressive board.
• Hiring more counselors, nurses and a psychologist.
• Hiring assistance principles
• Improving the IEP program
• Striving to bring more job training programs on board - welding, robotics, etc.
• The process the board went through to hire a new superintendent and to do an analysis of the different departments
• The establishment of Bruin Pride
• The participation in Oregon Dreams Big
• Providing the Board Packet before the weekend.
• Finally, a report on disciplinary actions. However, the "green chart" is very misleading (on purpose?) because it includes anyone who has had a disciplinary referral to be included with those that haven't had any. I'm very curious why and would be most interested, if there really is that big of a shift, that adjustment made between green and yellow.

My involvement:

• 7 years doing Through My Eyes essay contests for seniors on alcohol and getting the Pilot to print the winners throughout the month of April. That ended when the district "forced" Mr. Dingel out.
• Developing community based programs around bullying: wrist bands, book markers, information, community meetings, free public showing of the movie Bully in Redwood Cinema - both theaters - PG in one, G in the other, health fairs, Toastmaster's Speechcraft program for Azalea Princess program, developing 36 info cards for parents to help them talk to their kids, Farmer's market info booth last year, a testicular cancer self-exam shower card, and more.
• Met most of the people who have bullied children at a booth I have had a couple of times a year at Fred Meyers
• Spending out-of-my-pocket several thousand dollars to date in support of these program.
• Invited by the people putting on Teen Health Fairs in the Port-Orford and Del Norte high schools.
• Quelled the furver against the district on Chitter-Chatter encouraging people complaining about the bullying of their children to follow policy.
• Worked with many families who were going to leave the district because of bullying. Among those, Tom Goodwin, Jan and Krick, Heather and Ed and Heather Charlton, Dave Wohlman, Jodi Harvey decided to move to a better educational system. I'm still in contact with all of them except Tom Goodwin. All but one family moved out of state
• I currently have nine families (just added Mr. Bryan) still have kids who are being bullied but the kids, don't want to go through what the girl's basketball players went through. Two of those families are making plans to sell and move to a more conducive district for their kids this summer.

What happened?

• This all went south at the June 2013 regular board meeting when a group of students asked for help and protection and instead were not only rebuffed by the board, (never allowed to present their case to the board and watching the board take steps to totally shame them in the school by previous team players, and in the community with the board meeting set up to support the coaches and humiliate the students, basically making it clear this was only for coaches support. (Transcript)
• The district and board's decision
  • Not to take responsibility to let the public know where they stand on the 7 point of conciliation - virtually where they stand on bullying - It will be three years at the June board meeting.
  • Not to make public what they are actually implementing to change the culture: programs, (except for Azela's National Bullying Prevention program using continuous strategies to prevent bullying/harassment.)
    • Weakened policies
    • Coaches creed - only major incidences of bullying - everything in ODE's 26 page document does not qualify for an action.)
    • Actually involving the Title IX coordinator, never done before.

What hasn't changed

April Board Meeting

I was disappointed in what happened at the last board meeting. It seemed to replicate how the previous district and board worked. The district and board made no outreach before the meeting to discuss the situation (as stipulated in board policy.). Allowing school employee's to publically make despairing remarks about community members while being protected by school policy since those community members aren't allowed to respond. (Board policy on dealing with community members - KA/KAA, KB, KBA and KC.) I think Oregon Dreams Big program is a good start. I was the first person to sign-up for it.

• Allowed the building reports to be used as a soap box to malign a concerned member of the community.
  • Previous board meeting Ms. Dion was shaking her head no when I stated a 67% increase in disruptive behavior last year, the transition year.
  • I talked to her after the meeting and she said my data was wrong.
  • I said I have the data in the car and went to get a copy.
  • Gave it to her and she said that I needed to consider other factors.
  • And she said before I make a statement like that I need to explain the methodology.
  • I sent her an email asking for access to that information
  • She refused to continue the discussion further and passed it on to the district
  • The district basically said the information wasn't available to the public and gave no options to base a comment on except what I already had that was public information.
• The board chair's support of making that the accusations public knowledge on the web and congratulating Ms. Dion on making it public
• I'm glad that the second person in the hierarchal at BHHS and a 200 pound student aren't afraid to walk down the halls. The inclusion of statements in Mr. Merritt's presentation when he basically discounted 15% of last year's 8th graders (almost 3 times the average Oregon school) actual experience with having a weapon drawn on them ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. And when almost 24% of our 8th graders were in a physical fight on school grounds last year.

  "Mr. Kleepsie - anyone ever threaten you on school grounds? Anyone ever pull a knife on you on school grounds." Seemed to think it's funny.

• I find it disconserting that the administration denigrates me for revealing "Facts" about what has been happening in the district. Being accused of "disrespectful and unkind words directed at our school board members" "hostile, untrue criticisms that attack teachers", "repeated attacks that are exploitive and misguided" without providing any back-up, which I asked for and was refered to the district office.
• I think that a school official asked Mr. Freels to come in and specifically attack me by name. "getting emails, attacking teachers" (Dion's line.). Blah blah blah to the facts that he by his own admission isn't aware of, that show Gold Beach and Brookings as being the most dangerous school district in the state from the student's perspective. (The board did this with the infamous October, 2013 board meeting. Hodge comment to Jamie and maybe Kathryn at the prior special board meeting "The important thing is to get as many people there as possible."
• Possible litigation against an individual and the district for allowing it to happen and supporting it. That's a very distant possibility but one that has definite grounds.

Procedure to handle bully complaints:

• Thank-goodness you procrastinated so long on Mr. Bryan's complaint so that you didn't get an agreement on a gag order before he and I made contact. He gave me copies of all correspondence and audio records. I did encourage him not to go to the state until he has given the district the chance to rectify the situation according to board policy, It's been six months and that's twice as long as he needed to take it to ODE.
  • Admin not understand what policy to use, following KL instead of JFCF

    The reason the legislature setup the time structure is that bullying incidences need immediate addressing and 90 days should be plenty of time. Taking several weeks to be able to meet with the accused does not follow that criteria, Shows to me and parents with kids being bullied a lack of respect, much like the girls received.

Other:

• Supressing all healthy teen and wellness data from public access. Actions taken by the district to further with-hold information from the public - taking all access to all healthy teen and wellness reports off the web site. What are you worried about. That kind of action makes the community even more questioning of the district. What are you afraid of. Being held accountable for the policies you have enacted in the last two years (Admin)
• OAR 581-022-1940 is designed to "...encourage a prompt resolution of a omplaint...", December 3 to April 20 is 139 days, 49 days over the 90 day period accorded which would include the board appeal process (10 working days (maximum of 14 actual days) that has yet to happen and the board review process could add a another 30 working days (or a maximum of 42 actual days for a total provess of 198 total days if those periods aren't extended. That's well over twice the time that the school board's policy JFCF-AR alots for the entire process
• KL and KL-AR review. Directing the public to policies that don't exist and adding policies that were never, I believe, approved by the board for implementtion.
• JFCF, JFCF-AR allowing people involved in an incident to be the investigator of the incident. Removing official school bus stop, etc.
• Place citizens comments after spot light, etc.
• Have a camera observing the Commons area. Extra supervision doesn't capture 80% of what's going on.
• Make the answers to the 7 points of conciliation public - if the board ever actually wrote them.
• Make healthy teen and wellness data reaily available to the public. Be transparent
• Redesign the "green chart" to reflect those students who have had "zero" referals.
• Make a concerted effort to develop the largest GSA in the state. Take steps to get a strong advisor and break the homophobia that keeps students surpressed. GSAs have proven to really shift all levels of harassment. It takes courage.
• Make a positive move to reach out to parents and students of girl's basketball teams to clear the air. Like in this circumstance, leave it up to students to clear the air versus taking positive steps as an administration to deal with the issues before they get to ODE.
• Use data versus anecdotes in Mr. Bryan's case: The decision against the alledged agressor was built around four points. Two points were out-right lies. If that is so it would question the validity of the other two.

Closing

You show me respect, I'll do likewise. But realize, I'm not one to just turn the other cheek and take more abuse. And I'm definitely not a victim. I'm out to see that the under-represented (victims) in this school district have a voice.

JFCF-AR Procedure				2/17/16
			Days
Step	Person	Effort	Working	Total
1	Complainant	Present complaint	-	-
2	Principle/Superintendent	Investigate & report	5	7
3	Complainant	File appeal	10	14
3	Superintendent	Investigate & report	10	14
4	Complainant	File appeal	10	14
4	Board	Conduct a hearing	20	28
4	Board	Provide report	10	14
		Total	65	91
The complaintant may file with ODE any time after 90 days has elapsed in this process according to OAR 581-022-1940