Did anyone see this story tonight on WAFF 48? Why are the Brooks HS "officials" refusing comment on this story?
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So, what happened at "high and mighty stuck up" Brooks High Skrool?
BTW, I graduated from there in 1990.
I wonder what Coach Mathis is not talking about?????
BTW, I graduated from there in 1990.
I wonder what Coach Mathis is not talking about?????
Found this on WAFF-48's website:
Hazing at Brooks High School
Dec 12, 2006 05:50 PM CST
Apparently boys aren't the only ones doing the bullying these days.
A Shoals girl says she's the focus of violent and slanderous hazing at Brooks High School.
The 7th grader says she's being threatened with violence almost every day.
Punching, hair-pulling, threatening e-mails, and the latest, graffiti in the school's locker room.
"I went into the locker room and saw a lengthy nasty sentence about me and it upset me," says Ashley Peeples.
WAFF 48 has the pictures, images from the locker room, inside the gym at Brooks High School.
"Very, very graphic, very filthy things you wouldn't think of a 12 year-old saying or writing," says Mark Peeples, Ashley's father.
Mark says his daughter's education has turned into a day-time nightmare.
Harassment everyday at school from a gang of girls inflicting emotional wounds with their graffiti and even threats of violence.
One of the latest was a text message on her phone.
"Calling her several expletives and threatening to slit her throat," says Ashley's father.
The hazing, as Ashley's father puts it, even spills over to the Internet.
"There's a long message from obviously a very jealous girl, warning her not to talk to this boy, this boy or that boy," says Mark.
"If you try to do your work, you have this group of girls whispering and wanting your attention calling you names and making faces," says Ashley.
As for the graffiti, Peeples says something should have been done a long time ago.
"You could not convince me the PE teacher didn't know it was there. That's directly condoning the worst kind of hazing, encouraging it almost," says Mark.
WAFF 48 contacted school officials and even spoke with the principal three times.
They had no comment.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..........
Hazing at Brooks High School
Dec 12, 2006 05:50 PM CST
Apparently boys aren't the only ones doing the bullying these days.
A Shoals girl says she's the focus of violent and slanderous hazing at Brooks High School.
The 7th grader says she's being threatened with violence almost every day.
Punching, hair-pulling, threatening e-mails, and the latest, graffiti in the school's locker room.
"I went into the locker room and saw a lengthy nasty sentence about me and it upset me," says Ashley Peeples.
WAFF 48 has the pictures, images from the locker room, inside the gym at Brooks High School.
"Very, very graphic, very filthy things you wouldn't think of a 12 year-old saying or writing," says Mark Peeples, Ashley's father.
Mark says his daughter's education has turned into a day-time nightmare.
Harassment everyday at school from a gang of girls inflicting emotional wounds with their graffiti and even threats of violence.
One of the latest was a text message on her phone.
"Calling her several expletives and threatening to slit her throat," says Ashley's father.
The hazing, as Ashley's father puts it, even spills over to the Internet.
"There's a long message from obviously a very jealous girl, warning her not to talk to this boy, this boy or that boy," says Mark.
"If you try to do your work, you have this group of girls whispering and wanting your attention calling you names and making faces," says Ashley.
As for the graffiti, Peeples says something should have been done a long time ago.
"You could not convince me the PE teacher didn't know it was there. That's directly condoning the worst kind of hazing, encouraging it almost," says Mark.
WAFF 48 contacted school officials and even spoke with the principal three times.
They had no comment.
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..........
I don't think this is "hazing". Hazing is used in conjunction with an induction to a club, group or organization. Here's the Wikipedia short definition of hazing:
The behavior described on WAFF 48 is harassment, harassing communications and possibly terroristic threats. Might even throw in a case of stalking for good measure. But I don't see it as hazing.
quote:Hazing is an often ritualistic test, which may constitute harassment, abuse or humiliation with requirements to perform meaningless tasks; sometimes as a way of initiation into a social group. The term can refer to either physical (sometimes violent) or mental (possibly degrading) practices. The word is most frequently encountered in the United States and Canada; in the British Commonwealth ragging or fagging is usually used instead. In continental European languages terms with a 'christening' theme or etymology are often preferred (e.g. baptême in French) or variations on a theme of naivety and the rite of passage such as a derivation from a term for freshman (e.g. bizutage in French, ontgroening 'de-green[horn]ing' in Dutch).
Often most or all of the endurance, or at least the more serious ordeal, is concentrated in an orgy-like session, which may be called hell night, or prolonged to a hell week and/or retreat or camp, sometimes again at the pledge's birthday (e.g. by birthday spanking), but some traditions keep terrorizing pledges (a common term for the initiation candidates; alternative terms include newbie, rookie, mainly in athletic teams, and freshman) over a long period, resembling fagging.
Hazing is often used as a method to promote group loyalty and camaraderie through shared suffering, either with fellow participants, past participants, or both.
The behavior described on WAFF 48 is harassment, harassing communications and possibly terroristic threats. Might even throw in a case of stalking for good measure. But I don't see it as hazing.
I hope they run them through the ringer. This is happening in every school and nothing is done about it. Yes, I know there are a lot of kids to watch, but it's hard to watch when you are yapping out in the hall! My kids had ONE good PE teacher and that was for two years in elementary school...so good she got promoted, so back to dumb jock who could care less about the kids. Boys, and apparently girls, should NEVER be left alone in a locker room. A teacher should remain until all have filed out.
I can't help but wonder if it was this little girl's dad that got the media involved. If so, kudos to him!
It amazes me that it takes a Columbine incident to wake people up and then without fail, a few months later, back to the same old indifference. If I was a teacher and I saw bullying, I would call the bully out in front of the class and talk about why the behavior is wrong. Coddle the bullies, ignore the ones being bullied and trouble will come your way...maybe not as extreme as a Columbine incident, but somebody eventually gets hurt.
It amazes me that it takes a Columbine incident to wake people up and then without fail, a few months later, back to the same old indifference. If I was a teacher and I saw bullying, I would call the bully out in front of the class and talk about why the behavior is wrong. Coddle the bullies, ignore the ones being bullied and trouble will come your way...maybe not as extreme as a Columbine incident, but somebody eventually gets hurt.
I don't think it matters what they call it, they need to nip it in the bud and punish those who are responsible.
Joy, the father and the daughter were interviewed on the news story.
Joy, the father and the daughter were interviewed on the news story.
quote:If I was a teacher and I saw bullying, I would call the bully out in front of the class and talk about why the behavior is wrong.
Try that sometime and watch how it escalates. In front of their peers they feel empowered. Get them out of the limelight and they start acting like the kids they are.
I am familiar with Brooks, but not extensively with their policies. Where I currently teach we have to be careful about addressing school related issues when there are privacy issues involved. Research FERPA if you are truly interested. May not be as much of a "cover up" as a requirement to acknowledge privacy requirements. JMO
Agreed that it should have been taken care of long before now.
Okay, you are going to have to change that "coffee" line. Do you know how much coffee I've drank since you started posting here? LOL! I am an admitted coffee addict...love the stuff.
quote:Originally posted by kontan:
Try that sometime and watch how it escalates. In front of their peers they feel empowered. Get them out of the limelight and they start acting like the kids they are.
I am not a teacher. I'm speaking as a Mom. Telling someone publicly why their behavior does not set them above others but only results in making them hated by their peers seems the right course to me. If you are going to single out someone smaller than you and humiliate them, have that person try to justify their behavior before the group and come up short. Show them firsthand what being being singled out feels like, not for retribution, but to cure them. The person who was bullied did not have the option of a private chat. They need to understand that if you embarrass someone else, you too will be embarrassed.
quote:If you are going to single out someone smaller than you and humiliate them, have that person try to justify their behavior before the group and come up short. Show them firsthand what being being singled out feels like, not for retribution, but to cure them. The person who was bullied did not have the option of a private chat. They need to understand that if you embarrass someone else, you too will be embarrassed.
What you say makes sense, but with many of the "thugs" it only fuels their performance. that is what it is btw, a performance. Most of what they do is for show and for rep points. If they can battle with the teacher they earn a lot of points, especially if it looks like they got the best of the teacher...and with a teen they always think they come out on top. When you pull them out they get to save face, but they also don't get to earn creds with their peers. They didn't get to perform and no one knows what was said in the hall. It's really good if you can pull them out and make THEM call momma.
Lawsuit
quote:Okay, you are going to have to change that "coffee" line. Do you know how much coffee I've drank since you started posting here? LOL! I am an admitted coffee addict...love the stuff.
coffee makes the world turn
I agree, but the bully has to be embarassed for it to work. mosy of them don't really care and will just get bolder from this approach.
I'm Mark Peeples...the father in the news report. I think J.D. Byers did a good job putting together what we talked about this afternoon especially considering his time limitations. Before I go on though...I must make one clarification. The cell phone message that contained the threat to slit my daughter's throat was received during the last half of the last school year (05-06). We immediately called the police upon hearing it and filed a report/complaint. Officer Clifford Whitten with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Dept. worked the case. He found out who the girl was and, according to him, called the girl and her mother to the courthouse for a "chat". He said that the girl was extremely remorseful and emotional. As angry as I was, I trusted Mr. Whitten’s judgment that further action probably wouldn’t be necessary and dropped all intentions to proceed beyond his “chat”.
I also want to emphasize that no official at Brooks High School has refused to help us with this recent incident. I do believe that school officials have very strict guidelines when it comes to speaking with the press. Therefore, I don’t read anything into the fact that they had “no comment” for WAFF today. Fact is, considering how long this has gone on and how many times my wife and I have brought similar instances to the attention of school officials, I decided not to approach them directly again. I have never felt that school officials didn’t care. It has just become quite obvious that their policy on bullying (if they even have one) is NOT working. I also know that the authority of a principal can be quite limited…possibly making this situation (implementing and enforcing such county or state-wide policies) something that requires a higher authority within the school board. Anybody ever tried to navigate the “chain of command” in the educational system to get a problem solved?? I fear it would be comparable to emptying the water from the ocean with a thimble. I refuse to subject my daughter to another day of this continued bullying while I muddle through that degree of red tape. Past experience hints to me that education officials react much better and much faster when they know they’re under the microscope…and I feel this situation requires just such a sense of urgency.
To sum up my daughter’s experiences…over the past 2 school years, she’s been regularly threatened with physical violence via cell phone text messages, internet chat & e-mail, and personally/verbally during school. (NOTE: We VERY closely monitor and limit our children’s internet usage...it’s dangerous not to do so). She is called “b**ch”, “sl*t”, “w**re”, and many other names by this classy group of ladies (I use the term lightly here) at BHS. She has had these labels written on the benches in the school’s gym locker room. Last year she received the infamous voicemail message on her cell phone in which a friend of one of her classmates said “…I’m gonna slit your f***ing throat b**ch…”. There have recently been 3 times that Ashley has locked herself in a stall in the girls bathroom at school and called my wife and me on her cell phone begging to be checked out due to bullying. She was physically assaulted at a school football game by a girl her age who even verbally confronted and insulted my wife beforehand! The Killen police department stepped in to protect her that night. Then she was threatened with physical violence at a subsequent football game by a large group of girls which made her not want to leave our side for the duration of the game. She said they were waiting for her so they could “jump” her.
Saturday (12/09) we went to a basketball game at the BHS “new” gym. Ashley brought the ugly messages in the locker room to my attention and I had her take photos of them with my camera. I’m 34 and no prude…but these were AWFUL and VERY shocking! They were just about as explicit as you can imagine!...Even one relating to sex with animals!...in a locker room used by 12 year old girls!!!!!!! Surely no one will even try to suggest to me that the PE coach was unaware of them…as it’s no exaggeration to say the benches were covered with this graffiti (not just one or two small and obscure messages)! This is the part that infuriates me most! As I’m sure the “coach” had to be aware of this graffiti and did NOTHING about it…they are directly condoning this savage behavior!
Today she was taking a series of verbal insults from a large group of girls during PE and one girl even swung at her attempting to hit her. Ashley went immediately to see the assistant principal who told her she’d have to wait (almost another hour from that point) to speak with the principal. It was then that she went to the restroom stall (the 3rd time this year) to call us. We checked her out and she was experiencing quite a bit of nausea over the whole situation. Because of the school’s failed or non-existent policy on bullying, my daughter has missed even more classes!!
I’m not unrealistic. I know that kids have to grow up and that they can’t all be little adults all the time…but what counts is how the adults deal with their misbehavior…whether we condone or condemn it. I know that perfectly good kids can do and say ugly things…but if parents, school officials, and other authority figures condemn bad behavior and make stern and effective steps to deter it, the “good” kids won’t go “bad”.
I’ve heard many people complain about the Killen/Brooks community as “stuck-up”. I guess the area has earned that reputation. Yes, although there are MANY VERY good people in this community whom I feel privileged to know, I’ve also encountered just as many with those delusions of superiority. This begs the question, “are the actions of these school bullies an accurate reflection of the mentality and level of sophistication of the supposed intellectually and financially elite of North Alabama?” Further, to be fair, I must accept that it is very likely many parents simply aren’t aware of how their children act when they’re not in their company.
This situation MUST be resolved so NO child has to endure this kind of garbage while trying to gain a meaningful education paid for dearly by OUR tax dollars!! If this is the best that those in charge can deliver, we owe it to our children to have them clean out their desks yesterday!
I also want to emphasize that no official at Brooks High School has refused to help us with this recent incident. I do believe that school officials have very strict guidelines when it comes to speaking with the press. Therefore, I don’t read anything into the fact that they had “no comment” for WAFF today. Fact is, considering how long this has gone on and how many times my wife and I have brought similar instances to the attention of school officials, I decided not to approach them directly again. I have never felt that school officials didn’t care. It has just become quite obvious that their policy on bullying (if they even have one) is NOT working. I also know that the authority of a principal can be quite limited…possibly making this situation (implementing and enforcing such county or state-wide policies) something that requires a higher authority within the school board. Anybody ever tried to navigate the “chain of command” in the educational system to get a problem solved?? I fear it would be comparable to emptying the water from the ocean with a thimble. I refuse to subject my daughter to another day of this continued bullying while I muddle through that degree of red tape. Past experience hints to me that education officials react much better and much faster when they know they’re under the microscope…and I feel this situation requires just such a sense of urgency.
To sum up my daughter’s experiences…over the past 2 school years, she’s been regularly threatened with physical violence via cell phone text messages, internet chat & e-mail, and personally/verbally during school. (NOTE: We VERY closely monitor and limit our children’s internet usage...it’s dangerous not to do so). She is called “b**ch”, “sl*t”, “w**re”, and many other names by this classy group of ladies (I use the term lightly here) at BHS. She has had these labels written on the benches in the school’s gym locker room. Last year she received the infamous voicemail message on her cell phone in which a friend of one of her classmates said “…I’m gonna slit your f***ing throat b**ch…”. There have recently been 3 times that Ashley has locked herself in a stall in the girls bathroom at school and called my wife and me on her cell phone begging to be checked out due to bullying. She was physically assaulted at a school football game by a girl her age who even verbally confronted and insulted my wife beforehand! The Killen police department stepped in to protect her that night. Then she was threatened with physical violence at a subsequent football game by a large group of girls which made her not want to leave our side for the duration of the game. She said they were waiting for her so they could “jump” her.
Saturday (12/09) we went to a basketball game at the BHS “new” gym. Ashley brought the ugly messages in the locker room to my attention and I had her take photos of them with my camera. I’m 34 and no prude…but these were AWFUL and VERY shocking! They were just about as explicit as you can imagine!...Even one relating to sex with animals!...in a locker room used by 12 year old girls!!!!!!! Surely no one will even try to suggest to me that the PE coach was unaware of them…as it’s no exaggeration to say the benches were covered with this graffiti (not just one or two small and obscure messages)! This is the part that infuriates me most! As I’m sure the “coach” had to be aware of this graffiti and did NOTHING about it…they are directly condoning this savage behavior!
Today she was taking a series of verbal insults from a large group of girls during PE and one girl even swung at her attempting to hit her. Ashley went immediately to see the assistant principal who told her she’d have to wait (almost another hour from that point) to speak with the principal. It was then that she went to the restroom stall (the 3rd time this year) to call us. We checked her out and she was experiencing quite a bit of nausea over the whole situation. Because of the school’s failed or non-existent policy on bullying, my daughter has missed even more classes!!
I’m not unrealistic. I know that kids have to grow up and that they can’t all be little adults all the time…but what counts is how the adults deal with their misbehavior…whether we condone or condemn it. I know that perfectly good kids can do and say ugly things…but if parents, school officials, and other authority figures condemn bad behavior and make stern and effective steps to deter it, the “good” kids won’t go “bad”.
I’ve heard many people complain about the Killen/Brooks community as “stuck-up”. I guess the area has earned that reputation. Yes, although there are MANY VERY good people in this community whom I feel privileged to know, I’ve also encountered just as many with those delusions of superiority. This begs the question, “are the actions of these school bullies an accurate reflection of the mentality and level of sophistication of the supposed intellectually and financially elite of North Alabama?” Further, to be fair, I must accept that it is very likely many parents simply aren’t aware of how their children act when they’re not in their company.
This situation MUST be resolved so NO child has to endure this kind of garbage while trying to gain a meaningful education paid for dearly by OUR tax dollars!! If this is the best that those in charge can deliver, we owe it to our children to have them clean out their desks yesterday!
QUOTE:"Most of what they do is for show and for rep points."
It's kewl to be a 'bad' boy, isn't it?
Drop their sorry behinds from the school system, send them to reform school for violating law and bada-boom, bada-bing!
Add prison, and you have a semi-hardened criminal.
Find their parents, and hold them responsible!
When Mom & Pop get mad, oh boy!
THEN!!!
You'll see change!
It's kewl to be a 'bad' boy, isn't it?
Drop their sorry behinds from the school system, send them to reform school for violating law and bada-boom, bada-bing!
Add prison, and you have a semi-hardened criminal.
Find their parents, and hold them responsible!
When Mom & Pop get mad, oh boy!
THEN!!!
You'll see change!
It's happening at Wilson High School too. My daughter is going through the same thing. She has been threatened, taunted, and even been in fights to defend herself. When she goes to the office for help she ends up being suspended or sent home. When she goes back to class it starts all over again. It's a neverending situation. They just seem to have this attitude of they don't give a crap.Wonder what they would do if they were the ones being threatened to have their "throats slit"? Would they just brush it off? Or what if it was one of their children being harrassed? Would they suggest that their child be sent to ISS for going to the office to seek help? I just don't get it? Any suggestions? We have already contacted the sherriff's department and filed a harrassment report.
how many are on these forums that remember when paddlings were done in schools? well for that matter who can remember when paddleings were done at home by parents?
Well I am old enough to remember,and I have watched dicipline issues rise on a continous rate since.
it is obvious those "young ladies" (brats,if you will) have no idea what dicipline means.Everyone better remember these "young ladies" are going to be in the functioning level of our community in the future.Look what we have to look forward to in our old age!
Sir,my heart hurts for your daughter,and you having to experience these issues and deal with this sort of meaness from classmates.No child should have to go to school with these pressures. Please do not back down,please do not allow the powers in control humor the moment with you on this issue.There is no way to know what the next level would be for the next victim at the hands of these 'young ladies"
Well I am old enough to remember,and I have watched dicipline issues rise on a continous rate since.
it is obvious those "young ladies" (brats,if you will) have no idea what dicipline means.Everyone better remember these "young ladies" are going to be in the functioning level of our community in the future.Look what we have to look forward to in our old age!
Sir,my heart hurts for your daughter,and you having to experience these issues and deal with this sort of meaness from classmates.No child should have to go to school with these pressures. Please do not back down,please do not allow the powers in control humor the moment with you on this issue.There is no way to know what the next level would be for the next victim at the hands of these 'young ladies"
Mr. Peebles,
I am a graduate of Brooks High School (over 20 years ago), and I'm sorry that your daughter is being treated this way. I had two different principals when I was at Brooks, one of them Mr. Harlon Hill. Let me tell you, we BEHAVED!
You said this in your post:
"I’m not unrealistic. I know that kids have to grow up and that they can’t all be little adults all the time…but what counts is how the adults deal with their misbehavior…whether we condone or condemn it. I know that perfectly good kids can do and say ugly things…but if parents, school officials, and other authority figures condemn bad behavior and make stern and effective steps to deter it, the “good” kids won’t go “bad”."
You are absolutely correct, and you express it very eloquently. Kids are going to behave any way that strikes them, and it is up to the adults to police their behavior.
My husband teaches at a small private school, and we were talking about the news story about your daughter's experience. I made the observation that there is no graffiti anywhere on the campus where my husband teaches and my sons attend. Since we know the kids (and our own kids!), we know that the reason for this is not that the children at our school are saints. Kids are kids, plain and simple. The difference is that the adults associated with our school are in 'cahoots'. For the most part, if a parents is notified that their child has misbehaved, the parents and the teachers and the administration all work together to deal with the kid. There is often stiff punishment (one boy was recently suspended for an inappropriate text message he sent to a female classmate. The girl was offended and reported it). But somehow the principal has been successful at conveying the idea that the purpose of the discipline is to help the kids learn to do better. Punishment is part of that, but not the goal.
Sometimes we will have a situation where a kid gets into trouble and the parents say, "Kids will be kids." and 'side' with the child against the school. Sometimes kids have to find another place to go to school, and even this is done as graciously as possible and not with personal animosity.
So, what you say about the adult reaction to misbehavior is exactly right. The fact that this is going on at Brooks says more about the adults involved (school officials, the sheriff's office, and parents) than it does about the kids. They are just getting away with what they can.
It sounds like there is a culture at Brooks now that gives popularity points for mistreating people. Maybe the situation is completely out of control.
There are many stories of kids killing kids, and it often starts with bullying and escalates.
Have you looked at other schools? I hear good things about Lexington.
I am a graduate of Brooks High School (over 20 years ago), and I'm sorry that your daughter is being treated this way. I had two different principals when I was at Brooks, one of them Mr. Harlon Hill. Let me tell you, we BEHAVED!
You said this in your post:
"I’m not unrealistic. I know that kids have to grow up and that they can’t all be little adults all the time…but what counts is how the adults deal with their misbehavior…whether we condone or condemn it. I know that perfectly good kids can do and say ugly things…but if parents, school officials, and other authority figures condemn bad behavior and make stern and effective steps to deter it, the “good” kids won’t go “bad”."
You are absolutely correct, and you express it very eloquently. Kids are going to behave any way that strikes them, and it is up to the adults to police their behavior.
My husband teaches at a small private school, and we were talking about the news story about your daughter's experience. I made the observation that there is no graffiti anywhere on the campus where my husband teaches and my sons attend. Since we know the kids (and our own kids!), we know that the reason for this is not that the children at our school are saints. Kids are kids, plain and simple. The difference is that the adults associated with our school are in 'cahoots'. For the most part, if a parents is notified that their child has misbehaved, the parents and the teachers and the administration all work together to deal with the kid. There is often stiff punishment (one boy was recently suspended for an inappropriate text message he sent to a female classmate. The girl was offended and reported it). But somehow the principal has been successful at conveying the idea that the purpose of the discipline is to help the kids learn to do better. Punishment is part of that, but not the goal.
Sometimes we will have a situation where a kid gets into trouble and the parents say, "Kids will be kids." and 'side' with the child against the school. Sometimes kids have to find another place to go to school, and even this is done as graciously as possible and not with personal animosity.
So, what you say about the adult reaction to misbehavior is exactly right. The fact that this is going on at Brooks says more about the adults involved (school officials, the sheriff's office, and parents) than it does about the kids. They are just getting away with what they can.
It sounds like there is a culture at Brooks now that gives popularity points for mistreating people. Maybe the situation is completely out of control.
There are many stories of kids killing kids, and it often starts with bullying and escalates.
Have you looked at other schools? I hear good things about Lexington.
Sir I am so very sorry to hear about what your daughter is having to go through. I find it so amazing that if adults were having this problem that harassment and other charges would be filed and taken seriously, but because it is children at a highschool no one is willing to help you. I know personally that children can be cruel. I have a 12 yr old neice. I am going to have to agree with most everyones posts on here that the adults are the ones to blame. Children will act like children as long as adults dont supervise them. It blows my mind that your child has received death threats and threats of violence and yet nothing was done to help her. My heart goes out to you and your daughter. I know how important it is for young girls to "fit in". I only hope that someone in the school administration will step up and take charge of this situation.
I went to a small private school and while we had our share of bullying it never got to this point. But then our school administration worked hand in hand with parents. Problems were worked out and we were punished if we were found at fault. Not that our kids were any more of a "saint" than anybody elses its just that we knew that if we messed up we had to call "mamma" ourselves and then suffer the punishment. Needless to say you and your daughter are in my prayers.
I went to a small private school and while we had our share of bullying it never got to this point. But then our school administration worked hand in hand with parents. Problems were worked out and we were punished if we were found at fault. Not that our kids were any more of a "saint" than anybody elses its just that we knew that if we messed up we had to call "mamma" ourselves and then suffer the punishment. Needless to say you and your daughter are in my prayers.
quote:I find it so amazing that if adults were having this problem that harassment and other charges would be filed and taken seriously, but because it is children at a highschool no one is willing to help you.
The administration at Brooks High School and at least one other Lauderdale County school that I know of have consistantly handled situations "in house" that should have been referred to a judicial court system. Possession of drugs/alcohol, assault, harassment, destruction of property...all have been swept under the rug and "worked out" by the principals and/or the school board. Make the little brats accountable for their actions, and mommy and daddy financially responsible....that would curb most of it. Getting led out of homeroom class in handcuffs would deterr some of them.
THE PROBLEM TODAY WITH OUR CHILDREN IS PEOPLE HAVE QUIT PUTTING BOARDS TO THEIR REAR ENDS.PARENTS ARE AFRAID OF DHR BEING CALLED TO THEM.AND THEN SOCIETY WONDERS WHY CHILDREN ARE KILLING STEALING AND DOING ALL SORT OF EVIL THING.CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING DISCPLINED AT HOME CORRECTLY.I FOR ONE STILL BELIEVE IN THE OLD FASHION REAR END SPANKING.I'M SO SORRY YOUR DAUGHTER IS BEING HARRASHED MINE WAS TOO AND SHE WOUND UP DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL BECAUSE OF THIS.I SAY PUNISH THEM SPOILED BRATS WHO IS DOING THIS TO THE FULLEST THAT THE LAW WILL ALLOW AND MAYBE THIS WILL SEND A MESSAGE TO ALL THE OTHERS THAT IF YOU MISBEHAVE THIS WAY YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE.AS PAUL HARVEYS SAY WAKE UP AMERICA!!!AND BY THE WAY MY DAUGHTER ATTENDED BROOKS HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT WAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
I'm wondering why the Times Daily hasn't covered this???
I know what it is like to be bullied in school - I went through it and I can tell you that the wounds stay with you. But I have to say that my bullying was never this extreme. I shudder to think what high school must be like these days!
I know what it is like to be bullied in school - I went through it and I can tell you that the wounds stay with you. But I have to say that my bullying was never this extreme. I shudder to think what high school must be like these days!
quote:I'm Mark Peeples...the father in the news report.
Not sure if it was mentioned b/f but I didn't realize this was you. Not sure if we've met but I know I've heard your name. My husband is a radio guy. Stay on the system and hopefully you will get something done. Document everything as well. Good Luck.
quote:I'm wondering why the Times Daily hasn't covered this???
maybe b/c it isn't really "news"...at least not at this point. it is a school discipline issue that needs to be handled...and with a strong arm.
BTW, when did Brooks stop paddling? I know for a fact it was allowed a few years ago.
I may be wrong, but I think the school has to have the parents approval to paddle their children now. I know I have sign a form every year at the beginning of school for such an approval.
Mr. Peebles, I cannot help but believe that you are not telling the entire true story or that you are naïve. I have a son and two daughters that attend Brooks High. All three of them know Ashley well. She is playing you and your wife like a well-tuned fiddle. Ashley has been calling other girls sluts and whores since the forth grade. She has also been accused of stealing by several people.
I went to a Brooks youth football game the year before last where your daughter was a cheerleader. I remember the Killen police being called and your daughter and wife being removed and banned from attending any more youth football events that year. Your wife grabbed a little girl and it was because of Ashley’s inability to interact with other girls. You and your wife need to do some more investigating.
Your wife went to Brooks High at the beginning of this school year and got into a verbal confrontation with a black girl. Your wife shouted at the girl and said to her, “ Why don’t you take your black ass back to Africa”. With that kind of language coming from a parent you must wonder about the child.
How could you allow the media to publicly use your daughter’s name? In my opinion that was a foolish thing to do, but it is your child and you are a media person yourself.
I will say it once again, investigate your daughter’s behavior and stop being naïve.
I went to a Brooks youth football game the year before last where your daughter was a cheerleader. I remember the Killen police being called and your daughter and wife being removed and banned from attending any more youth football events that year. Your wife grabbed a little girl and it was because of Ashley’s inability to interact with other girls. You and your wife need to do some more investigating.
Your wife went to Brooks High at the beginning of this school year and got into a verbal confrontation with a black girl. Your wife shouted at the girl and said to her, “ Why don’t you take your black ass back to Africa”. With that kind of language coming from a parent you must wonder about the child.
How could you allow the media to publicly use your daughter’s name? In my opinion that was a foolish thing to do, but it is your child and you are a media person yourself.
I will say it once again, investigate your daughter’s behavior and stop being naïve.
I spoke with my son about it this morning. He said the staff watch them fight until it escalates into someone crying
Mr. Peeples...Thank you for sharing the whole story with us. There IS something good that can come from this. The fact that WAFF is involved and that people in our area will know about it will inspire other parents to stand up for their kids like you did. We do have the choice to fight for our kids' rights and should do so...as well as those kids you don't have anyone in their corner. Good job, Dad! I pray everything works out for your little girl and God surrounds her with loads of great friends!
quote:Originally posted by kontan:quote:I'm wondering why the Times Daily hasn't covered this???
maybe b/c it isn't really "news"...at least not at this point. it is a school discipline issue that needs to be handled...and with a strong arm.
BTW, when did Brooks stop paddling? I know for a fact it was allowed a few years ago.
The media getting involved with these type of incidents will prevent them from becoming horrible "news" stories.
The school system has had their chance, now it's time for other actions to be taken to prevent such harrassment and violence.
As a former educator, my daughter went through the same thing her Senior year in HS. Halfway through her Junior year, she transferred BACK to her old HS (after 2 years elsewhere) to be back with her friends. She was a VERY popular student with the faculty and most other students. However, because she was a cheerleader, beautiful, and popular among the boys, she made 'enemies', especially among her fellow cheerleaders. During practice one afternoon, 2 sisters on the cheer squad deliberately failed to catch her as she fell from a 'basket toss'. She fell from a height of over 11 feet flat on her back on the gym floor and ended up in the ER with a concussion. Witnesses to the incident stated that the 2 sisters in question had been 'talking about getting getting even' with my daughter for her 'popularity'. The HS principal REFUSED to punish the girls, stating that 'teachers must learn to accept that their kids will be picked on'. My NEA attorney reamed him a new one, but it ultimately did no good. The 2 sisters' dad was a local doctor and a 'big wig'....
As for school systems 'handling things in-house', that's par for the course. It's all about $$$. School systems do so to claim 'plausable deniability' should large businesses pursue interests in locating in the area. NO school system wants to have to tell potential large employers that their schools have 'problems' with drugs, gangs or violence.
As for school systems 'handling things in-house', that's par for the course. It's all about $$$. School systems do so to claim 'plausable deniability' should large businesses pursue interests in locating in the area. NO school system wants to have to tell potential large employers that their schools have 'problems' with drugs, gangs or violence.
When I graduated from Brooks in 1990, I noticed some of the "pretty and popular" crowd crying.....crying because at that instant, their popularity went POOF!!! and gone.
Me, I was thrilled to death to leave that stuck-up place and move on with my life to do what I wanted to do without any questioning from anyone, accepted for who I am, and not judged for what I didn't have financially.
Me, I was thrilled to death to leave that stuck-up place and move on with my life to do what I wanted to do without any questioning from anyone, accepted for who I am, and not judged for what I didn't have financially.
One of the few things I can agree with BM on - it was satisying to see most of the "popular crowd" (cheerleaders, football players) fail miserably in college.
quote:Originally posted by Bama Sunshine:
Mr. Peebles, I cannot help but believe that you are not telling the entire true story or that you are naïve. I have a son and two daughters that attend Brooks High. All three of them know Ashley well. She is playing you and your wife like a well-tuned fiddle. Ashley has been calling other girls sluts and whores since the forth grade. She has also been accused of stealing by several people.
I went to a Brooks youth football game the year before last where your daughter was a cheerleader. I remember the Killen police being called and your daughter and wife being removed and banned from attending any more youth football events that year. Your wife grabbed a little girl and it was because of Ashley’s inability to interact with other girls. You and your wife need to do some more investigating.
Your wife went to Brooks High at the beginning of this school year and got into a verbal confrontation with a black girl. Your wife shouted at the girl and said to her, “ Why don’t you take your black ass back to Africa”. With that kind of language coming from a parent you must wonder about the child.
How could you allow the media to publicly use your daughter’s name? In my opinion that was a foolish thing to do, but it is your child and you are a media person yourself.
I will say it once again, investigate your daughter’s behavior and stop being naïve.
I wanted to add that the Brooks High School faculty does a great job. Teachers should not have to baby sit children once they get to high school. The parents should be the ones taking care of that issue at home. GREAT JOB BROOKS FACULTY! Don't let this misguided media attention bother you. If anything maybe the truth will come out and work in your favor.
Abuse toward ones peers in school is not from people who are "stuck up" but kids in the opposite situation.."stuck down". They feel threatened by their lack of power and position therefore strike out at those who are more "elite" in their eyes and perhaps have the support from family that the perpetrator does not. It might be worthwhile to check out families of children who stike out at others, to see where they are coming from. This needs to be addressed and if coaches or teachers are turning a deaf ear to harassment of students then they should be called on the carpet due to a lack of fulfilling their job requirement of helping to provide an atmosphere of learning for all students.
Any idea what it is like to be a teacher in a public school....if you really want to know, spend a little time there as a "sub"...pick any school in the county or city...doesn't matter. Public school teachers, AS OPPOSED TO PRIVATE, have to take any student that comes through the door. We have kids with rap sheets sitting in class with 7th graders...[a class of 32 kids]...we have TWO P.E. teachers in a gym with 100 students, some special education kids with mental and physical problems...Joy, you were saying what you would do...why don't you put your philosophy to work and try it a couple of times....you are so far off course...you have no idea....Public schools are doing the best they can with what you send us from your homes...you should be happy that there are still a few people who want to teach...
quote:Originally posted by elijah:
Any idea what it is like to be a teacher in a public school....if you really want to know, spend a little time there as a "sub"...pick any school in the county or city...doesn't matter. Public school teachers, AS OPPOSED TO PRIVATE, have to take any student that comes through the door. We have kids with rap sheets sitting in class with 7th graders...[a class of 32 kids]...we have TWO P.E. teachers in a gym with 100 students, some special education kids with mental and physical problems...Joy, you were saying what you would do...why don't you put your philosophy to work and try it a couple of times....you are so far off course...you have no idea....Public schools are doing the best they can with what you send us from your homes...you should be happy that there are still a few people who want to teach...
That's where you are wrong, Elijah. I am more apt to side with teachers than students, mainly because my grandfather was a High School principal. But unfortunately, the bully problem is not taken seriously by all teachers. I don't fault all teachers. If it were not for the encouragement of my teachers, I don't know where I'd be right now. I fault the ones who simply don't care. My son reported an incident that happened to one of his close friends (who was too ashamed to come forward - what they did to him was disgusting) and was told by the PE teacher to "quit tattling". Needless to say, this boys parents had some one on one with this teacher and the principal. How many times did this idiot respond this way and nobody knew?
well now we are getting another story to the mix,(Bama Sunshine post)
The entire situation is beginning to sound like a soap opera.
JMHO,, ALL the "young ladies" involved need a good paddling, and MADE to do a bunch of hours of community service,,SIDE BY SIDE, with an uninvolved,uninterested party supervising.
The entire situation is beginning to sound like a soap opera.
JMHO,, ALL the "young ladies" involved need a good paddling, and MADE to do a bunch of hours of community service,,SIDE BY SIDE, with an uninvolved,uninterested party supervising.
Skulls full of mush who do not behave should be paddled, then expelled if they don't change. Parents should be notified. If the parents don't care, then the students surely will not care.
My wife has horror stories of trying to deal with students and parents who do not care.
Teachers and faculty who do not issue punishment and enforce discipline should be removed also.
My wife has horror stories of trying to deal with students and parents who do not care.
Teachers and faculty who do not issue punishment and enforce discipline should be removed also.
quote:Originally posted by smurph:
well now we are getting another story to the mix,(Bama Sunshine post)
The entire situation is beginning to sound like a soap opera.
JMHO,, ALL the "young ladies" involved need a good paddling, and MADE to do a bunch of hours of community service,,SIDE BY SIDE, with an uninvolved,uninterested party supervising.
Yeah: loss of cell phone use, no computer, no TV, no X-box or whatever flavor of game it is today. Community service would be: picking up roadside trash, cleaning toilets, visiting and working for a week at a nursing home wiping the butts of the elderly who can't control themselves anymore, visiting a VA hospital and doing the same, etc.
Make it so they won't do this b.s. anymore. If degrading, so be it. It will teach them a lesson. The thing I hated about being paddled was the degrading feeling I got when I was told to go into the hall......and I didn't do it again. I also dreaded facing my folks when I got home.