WAITING FOR AN ANSWER

I am waiting for an answer to my question to Another Norwegian. He or She had left a comment under the Bosque County News article I posted a few days ago about the Texas Attorney General's Office current investigation of Former 2006/2007 Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler and current Cranfills Gap school board members Kenny Wiese, Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart, Virgil Tindall, and Jackie Ray Sorrels that was filed by board member Sue Lee. I asked Another Norwegian a question on the comments section of that entry and there is not yet an answer from him/her. 

On May 9th, 2007, Cranfills Gap Salutatorian Sarah Sellers became involved in a verbal altercation with  2007 Cranfills Gap Valedictorian Kaitlan Head at the school. According to Sarah's statement that was read by former Superintendent Carla Sigler at a disciplinary hearing on May 16th, 2007, and also read by Sigler at a special school board meeting on May 25th, 2007, Sarah escalated the verbal altercation to a physical level by striking the first blow of what then became a physical fight between the two girls.

Jesse Best, the student who broke it up, has said repeatedly: "It was just a fight that got blown way out of proportion." Both girls had slight injuries---Kaitlan had been hit in the head with a heavy textbook by Sarah--and the writing pen in Kaitlan's hand had caused an injury to Sarah. Some have described Sarah's injury as a "scratch"---whatever it was, it apparently did bleed, but it was still only a slight injury.  The fact that no medical treatment by a nurse, doctor, or hospital was sought for Sarah's injury, the fact that no law enforcement was called to make a report about the incident, the fact that the school did not at any time notify Sarah's parents that she had been in a fight--much less that she had been injured--- and the fact that Sarah left town the very next day on a four-day senior trip ALL prove that any injury to Sarah by Kaitlan was indeed slight and not serious at all.

Kaitlan was suspended for one day by Superintendent Sigler for fighting with Sarah. Kaitlan had been an honor student all her life, always the student with the highest grades in class, the 2007 valedictorian of her graduating class, the 2006 Homecoming Queen, a student with perfect attendance for many years, and Kaitlan had NO DISCIPLINARY HISTORY.  However, Kaitlan soon found herself being punished by Superintendent Sigler by being banished from campus and unable to participate in the rest of her senior year--no honors field trip, no senior trip, no baccalaureate service, no graduation parties or celebrations with her classsmates.

Kaitlan also was ordered by Sigler to attend the off-campus Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP)--- which is a last resort for REPEAT troublemakers -----which Kaitlan would not have had to attend because of her perfect attendance. Kaitlan was banned from the Cranfills Cap campus, her graduation ceremony, and found herself facing a court date in August for a misdemeanor charge of assault after Sarah--at the behest of school officials, perhaps Sigler herself---filed charges of disorderly conduct (fighting) with the Bosque County Sheriff's Office a full week after the fight. 

 

The deputy who took Sarah's complaint told Kaitlan she could file charges against Sarah if she wanted to, as Sarah had been fighting also. But Kaitlan said NO! Thankfully, on August 2nd, 2007, Kaitlan was fully exonerated of all charges by the judge--meaning a criminal record will not follow her the rest of her life and is not still hanging over her head.

Carla Sigler's punishment of Kaitlan was excessive, was not at all what the law or Cranfills Gap school policy called for, and was escalated from the original punishment of one day. WHY? Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler saw an opportunity to retaliate against her perceived foe, Kaitlan's aunt, school board member Sue Lee, and did not care how much harm she inflicted on Kaitlan, a child and student under her care and authority, or whether the law was broken.  

 Sigler effectively ended Valedictorian Kaitlan's senior year----the most memorable year of her education--- on May 10th, 2007. Sigler had ordered both Sarah and Kaitlan to sit in the same small classroom the day after the fight, to take a test for several hours. Obviously, Sigler did not consider either girl a threat to themselves or others. Sarah and Kaitlan had even apologized to each other for the incident.

 After the test was taken, Kaitlan was told by Sigler that she was suspended and to leave campus until further notice. Kaitlan set foot on campus one more time--May 16th, 2007--for a disciplinary hearing, and--to my knowledge--has not since returned to Cranfills Gap, the little town where she grew up and still has many friends.  

 Sarah--- WHO HAD NOT EVEN BEEN SENT TO THE OFFICE for participating in the fight, even though she admitted she had been the one who struck the first blow and had escalated the altercation to a physical level----and admitted she was the first to use violence to try to settle it----left that afternoon to go on the four-day senior trip with her classmates. SARAH RECEIVED NO PUNISHMENT AT ALL AND WAS ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE REST OF HER SENIOR YEAR.

Sarah was allowed to be a part of and enjoy all the trips, baccalaureate, graduation ceremony, honors field day, parties, celebrations, etc. that were denied to Kaitlan. Sarah was able to use her salutatorian scholarships to enroll in Tarleton for the fall semester. Due to the agonizing ordeal that Carla Sigler put Kaitlan through--- even though Kaitlan had already been accepted at Tarleton--- she is not enrolled and may have lost her scholarships because of time constraints. Kaitlan was knocked "off -track"---"derailed" by Carla Sigler's malicious actions and is still at that point.  

And, to make matters worse, Kaitlan's father, Charles Head, had to spend over $4000 on an attorney to force Sigler and the school board to meet before the scheduled JUNE 1st meeting--a date which was SIX DAYS AFTER GRADUATION. The regularly scheduled May school board meeting had been purposely reset by Sigler, so that no appeal of Sigler's decision that banned Kaitlan from graduating, getting her diploma and her scholarships, and from participating in her graduation ceremony could be heard before the graduation date of May 26th, 2007.  Involvement of the attorney, John Cullar, forced the board to allow Kaitlan to graduate and have her diploma and scholarships, but she was still banned from participating in her graduation ceremony.

Sarah and Kaitlan both have brilliant minds which should not be wasted. On May 8th, 2007, both Salutatorian Sarah Sellers and Valedictorian Kaitlan Head had a bright future. However, only one of these honor students now has that bright future and has been able to go on with her life, and that one is Sarah--- the one who was not punished at all, who was not held accountable for her actions as Kaitlan was, and who has not had to endure any of the intentional and intense emotional pain, suffering, and public humiliation that Kaitlan has endured.  Two honor students with such a different outcome for each!

My question to Another Norwegian --or anyone else for that matter---is this:    

WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO SARAH FOR HER PART IN THE FIGHT? Please leave a comment as to what you think should have happened to Sarah -----what her punishment, if any, should have been.  I am curious to know what others think about the fact that only one student in the fight was punished. I would really like to know! And, just for the record, I hold no ill will toward Sarah the Salutatorian or her family and wish them only the best, as does my niece, Kaitlan, the Banned Valedictorian, and her family.  I believe Sarah and her family were used by Carla Sigler to help achieve her goal of vindictive retaliation against Sue Lee.