Therefore, I have decided to post the ViolatedRights.com article and the attached comments about the Banned Valedictorian on my blog. The following is the article from the newspaper with the attached comments.
(Note: ViolatedRights.com has many other interesting and unusual stories on the website! Holt Harrison is one of the good guys who wear the white hats, pointing out injustices and violations of rights that are occurring in America today. ViolatedRights.com is definitely worth the read!)
***The following article appeared in the Juy 20th, 2007 issue of the Bosque County News***
GAP VALEDICTORIAN BANNED AS SCHOOL BOARD DISPUTE CONTINUES
By Evan Moore, Bosque County News: CRANFILLS GAP, TEXAS
The embattled Cranfills Gap school district saw the latest in a series of controversial events on Friday, May 25th, 2007, when the board voted to ban the high school valedictorian from graduation exercises. Supporting a decision by Cranfills Gap School Superintendent Carla Sigler, the school board decided in a special meeting to force Valedictorian Kaitlan Head to attend DAEP classes, a status that prevented her from attending graduation exercises on Saturday, May 26th, 2007, or making her valedictory address.
The board action came after weeks of controversy in the school district and followed a series of events that began on Wednesday, May 9th, 2007, when Head and salutatorian Sarah Sellers became embroiled in an altercation at the school. According to third party accounts, the argument began at the school that day over a derogatory statement Head wrote about Sellers on a piece of notebook paper. The argument repotedly escalated to a shoving and pushing match and ended with Sellers being struck with a ballpoint pen held by Head.
From that point the severity of the incident was not clear. Neither police nor medical personnel were called. There was no mention that Sellers sought medical attention. School officials did not immediately notify the parents of either girl and both girls returned to school the next day to take TAKS tests. The following day, however, concern over the incident began to grow.
The day after the altercation, said Charles Head, Kaitlan Head's father, he received notice from Sigler that his daughter would be suspended for a day. Later, he said, that changed to having Kaitlan's status as a transfer student (because she lives in Meridian) revoked. "The second time I talked to Sigler, it had gone to three days suspension and DAEP (Disciplinary Alternative Education Program).
On Monday, May 14th, 2007, six days after the altercation, Sellers filed a criminal complaint and Kaitlan Head was ticketed for a Class C misdemeanor assault and told to appear before a justice of the peace later this summer. From there, Head said, the threats of disciplinary action increased. Head was accused of aggravated assault, he said, then of making terroristic threats to another student (other than Sellers) and was told she would be arrested if she set foot on campus or attended any school-related event.
Finally, he said, she was informed by Sigler that--if she did not attend DAEP classes, she would not be allowed to graduate, a move that would have ended scholarships she had already applied and been approved for. "My daughter's never been in any trouble all the time she was in school," said Head. "Now, within days, she went from being homecoming queen, valedictorian, and all-around-good person to something evil. What she did was wrong, and I'm not saying she shouldn't be punsihed, but this was ridiculous! And they weren't doing anything to the other girl!"
Head filed a grievance and was told by Sigler that it would be taken up at the school board's next scheduled meeting on Friday, June 1st, 2007, a date that would have fallen after graduation and after the period in which Kaitlan Head was ordered to attend DAEP. Head responded by attaining attorney John Cullar of Waco and, after hearing from Cullar, the board agreed to hear Head's case in the called meeting on Friday, May 25th, 2007.
At the outset of that meeting, Board President Kenney Wiese attempted to close the session, despite Charles Head's assertions that it be open. Aftter hearing an objection from Cullar and being told by the Bosque County News that the paper would file a complaint for violation of open meetings laws, Wiese conferred with the board's attorney and agreed to open the session.
During the meeting, Cullar argued that because the charge against Kaitlan Head was filed only as a Class C misdemeanor by the Bosque County Sheriff's Office, under both state guidelines and the Cranfills Gap ISD's own policy, the girl qualified for a three-day suspension and nothing more. Sigler, and by proxy the school board, would be violating both state and school policy if they invoked harsher punishment. "Kaitlan Head has learned the consequences of violating the rules," said Cullar. "This board needs to learn the consequences as well."
The board, however, voted to "uphold" Sigler's actions, requiring the girl to attend DAEP classes and preventing her from participating in graduation exercises, but not to revoke her valedictory status or withhold her diploma. In reality, however, Head has never attended a DAEP class, nor will she. Because she is allowed ten absences under school policy and has none on her record, she will not participate in the disciplinary classes and her absence will not be counted against her.
"It's a blow and it's cost us, but it's better than it was going to be," said Charles Head. The strange series of events comes on the heels of months of strife in the district. Sigler attempted to revoke the contract of Science teacher Michelle Dubay. That failed after Dubay retained an attorney and threatened to appeal any action against her. Sigler then tendered her resignation, effective in June, but not before students staged a walkout of classes in support of the superintendent---a move that Sigler sanctioned by declaring an official "play day".
At the heart of the discord is a rift on the board in which board member Sue Lee (Kaitlan Head's aunt) and former board members Susan Ward and Jerry Jennings were pitted against members Jeff Rose, Kathie Witte, Shelly Stuart and Wiese. Ward and Jennings were defeated in the May 12th election, leaving Lee as the only dissident on the board.
Relations between her and the rest of the board have so soured that other board members have read statements criticizing her at several recent meetings. Friday's meeting was no exception and began withWiese reading a letter from board attorney Dennis Eichelbaum, citing Lee for "inappropriate behavior" for talking about board actions to others.
Lee said she believed the severity of Kaitlan Head's punishment was due to the valedictorian's relationship to Lee. "It's a direct result of that," she said.
****** End of newspaper article****
The following comments were left on the Comment Section below the article:
07-2o-2007: Comment #1 by Dorothy Powell...............
Seems some things were certainly done maliciously to the valedictorian. How sad.
07-20-2007: Comment #2 by Dorothy Powell.............
Thank you, Holt Harrison, for shining a light onto these kinds of injustices. The valedictorian is my niece also. This has been an unbelievable ordeal for her and her family. Thanks also to Kaitlan's wonderful family and friends who have steadfastly supported her through these tough times. Even after her own horrendous experience in education, Kaitlan still wants to be a teacher. The sad part is that this excessively harsh and illegal punishment was condoned and alllowed by the school board, even though--due to her perfect attendance---Kaitlan would never have had to attend DAEP anyway. Sometimes folks personal agendas get in the way of what is right and just. It is especially apalling when a child is harmed for the purpose of retaliating against an adult.
07-22-2007: Comment #3 by Brenda Wooten..............
It is scary to see what the school board is capable of when they don't know the law and instead make decisions based on personal gain.
08-11-2007: Comment #4 by Jason Sulack................
I think Kaitlan has some problems and needs to get some anger counseling. I don't think she needs to be a teacher with her anger issues.
08-11-2007: Comment #5 by Dorothy Powell............
Thanks for your comment, Jason. I am Kaitlan's aunt, Dorothy Powell. Kaitlan may become an architect, scientist, or teacher. Sarah wants to be a lawyer. Both are very talented with much potential to do great things in the world. Both plan to go to Tarleton.
You are correct that anger was involved and not only on Kaitlan's part. What the article does not state is that the night before the fight, the superintendent had given the Highest Academic Achievement Award to a favorite boy student with the fourth highest grades, who just happened to be the son of her best friend who is also a board member. (The superintendent had also publicly given this same boy $100 for his birthday, which could have been construed as a bribe of a school board member--his mother.)
Everyone ---students, teachers, and especially parents ---were astounded and upset that there were not any awards for the valedictorian or the salutatorian at the banquet. In fact, there was not even a mention of them for having the highest grades in their class--an honor both girls had worked hard for. The girls were friends and enjoyed each other's company, as they were often the only students in the class--very small school--only ten seniors in 2007--and they had planned to exchange graduation gifts.
Just before the fight with Sarah, a boy in the class---who has done this from first grade---was calling Kaitlan "FAT" and other unkind things--actually what he was doing was bullying, which is very common in school settings. (I am an educator, and it happens a lot--the ones doing it call it "teasing, playing, etc.) Kaitlan had also heard that some of her classmates didn't want her going on the Senior Trip--more money for them.) So I am sure Kaitlan was upset and probably Sarah was too.
I am certainly not excusing Kaitlan or Sarah's behavior. Punishment should have been meted to both girls, as Sarah struck the first blow with a book--but Sarah was not punished at all--not even sent to the office! No one believed Kaitlan should not be punished--just that the punishment did not fit the crime for either girl. Both girls apologized to each other the next morning when they both came back to take a test in the same room.
Sarah reluctantly filed the disorderly conduct charge (fighting) at the behest of her father, who was urged to do so by the superintendent five days later, after Sarah got back from the Senior trip. Kaitlan did not get to go on the Senior Trip, Honors Field Day, Baccalaureate, or participate in any way. Kaitlan had always loved school and had perfect attendance her Senior year, even though she drove 14 miles from Meridian just to get to school and worked a full-time job at Clifton.
If her father had not had the $4,000 attorney fee, Kaitlan would not have received her diploma or graduated at all. Kaitlan's hearing for the Class C misdemeanor assault was August 2nd, 2007. Sarah was not present. I'm not sure, but I think the prosecuting attorney heard Sarah's taped account of the fight from Kaitlan's school hearing about it. Whatever the reason, he stated that he felt it was a case of two high school girls acting like 12-year-olds and asked that the case be dismissed. However, it had to come before the judge as already on the docket. The judge did dismiss it and now both girls can go on with their lives, hopefully with hard lessons learned.
You can read more about it online at the Bosque County News--- August 8th, 2007 issue in the Archives, Front Page--titled "Criminal Charges Dismissed Against Gap Valedictorian". It may be on ViolatedRights.com soon, as takes a few days for the newspaper to put it online. I also wrote a Letter to the Editor that you can read in the Bosque County News--the June 6th, 2007 Issue in the Archives, Page 5---for more detail.
Anger is a very human emotion. In the Bible, God is angry more than 500 times, and we are made in his image. It is a fact that you are gong to be angry at some point in your life. Hopefully--for both girls--maturity will bring the lesson that you CANNOT control what happens to you, but you CAN control how you react to it.
As for the superintendent: I have met two people in this world like her----One is in prison for life without parole, and the other one was murdered.
08-12-2007: Comment #6 by Jason Sulack..........
There was a issue in the newspaper that was released almost a month later talking about the incident. From the sounds of it, someone is trying to stir the pot. The problem in our schools today, the students are constantly at war with each other. There is no need for tearing anyone down. However, stabbing someone in the eye with a pen is not gonna fix any problems--it's just gonna cause more.
There is no way to take back what is done, but there is no need to bring it back up. Leave the past in the past and worry about the future. As regards my first comment, it is not Kaitlan's fault, but it is the parents fault. Whether television is involved--which it probably is--that's Hollywood. In the real world, people get hurt and both are lucky nothing permanent, cause Kaitlan might not have gotten off so easy. ***So, all you students out there, next time you think of doing something like that, Don't. Talk to the person. If that don't work, talk to someone.***
08-13-2007: Comment #7 by Dorothy Powell.........
Jason, I wondered if you were local, and you are--as your comment mirrors a Letter to the Editor written by Buster Mangham of Clifton that was a personal attack against Kaitlan and falsely accused her of attacking, stabbing, and causing an eye injury to Sarah----NONE of that occurred----THERE WAS NO ATTACK, NO STABBING, AND NO EYE INJURY!
If you want to now the truth, you need to listen to the recorded statement of Sarah's that the superintendent read in the May 16th, 2007 school hearing. You can obtain a copy of that tape from several individuals or go to the Gap school and get a copy under the Open Records Act. You can hear it from the superintendent's own mouth that there was NOT an attack, NOT a stabbing, and NOT an eye injury.
As the boy who broke it up said--It was just a fight and it got blown way out of proportion. Kaitlan happened to have a pen in her hand, just like the book in Sarah's hands which was used to strike the first blow. It escalated into a fight when Sarah hit Kaitlan several times with the book that happenend to be in her hands. You are forgetting that it takes TWO to make a fight. So, why didn't Sarah --rather than using physical force to settle it--just get the teacher involved? I hjave wondered why the teacher was not involved. This type of altercation is very common in school, and it is up to the teacher to make sure it doesn't escalate into physical violence, as children of this age do not have the best judgment---that's why an adult is supposed to be in charge in a school setting.
You are correct that it is better not to use force to settle things; however, force was used by BOTH girls, with Sarah making the choice to strike the first blow. And why was there NO PUNISHMENT at all--not even being sent to the office--for Sarah, as she was involved in the fight also?
THAT IS THE PROOF THAT KAITLAN'S PUNISHMENT WAS PURELY MALICIOUS RETALIATION BY THE SUPERINTENDENT.
Both girls should have been punished with the appropriate punishment, but ONLY ONE was punished , and that was to retaliate against an adult. I don't hear you blaming Sarah's parents for her anger or blaming televison. Do you think only Kaitlan was angry???
The way this was handled is SHAMEFUL! I don't think Cranfills Gap deserves a school, as it is quite possible other children will be treated in the same manner if it is in this school board's best interests.
As to Buster's Letter, the Clifton Record said his facts were verified by four people, but were not verified from a police report or by eyewitnesses, meaning his facts were verified by HEARSAY AND RUMOR. I was incredulous that the Clifton paper would print his accusations---as they were not presented as his own opinion or allegations , but as actual, factual accusations. I asked them if I wrote a letter with accusations that Deborah Matthews, their reporter--or anyone for that matter--had murdered someone, if I could verify it-- even if it wasn't from a police report or eyewitnesses-- but I could find four people to verify it, their paper would print my accusations? The Clifton Record had no comment except that four people had verified Buster's "facts". I was incredulous, as printing those false accusations were the height of irresponsible journalism and exposed both Buster and the paper to legal liability for a libel lawsuit. That's why I no longer read the Clifton Record.
As for forgetting ---moving past it---let bygones be bygones--nothng to see here---NOT JUST YET! Too much has happened and too many people have been hurt. Though she compromised herself and has moved on, the STENCH of CARLA SIGLER is still on the school and the town. Public threats have been made by public officials--which was only one of the things I spoke of when I talked to the Bosque County District Attorney's office about my concerns. The best interests of the school and the town were pushed aside by the superintendent and certain school board members.
I BELIEVE THAT ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES, and THAT NEGATIVE ACTIONS HAVE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES. The truth about many things is just now coming out, and people are going to be held accountable for their actions. It will be a miracle if the Cranfills Gap school --and consequently, the town--can survive. And that is a shame.
08-13-2007: Comment #8 by Dorothy Powell.............
I forgot to mention that my Rebuttal to Buster Mangham's letter can be read online in the Bosque County News Issue July 4th, 2007 Archives...page 5. No one is trying to "stir the pot"--just want folks--especially adults who should know better---to be held accountable for their actions and for the truth to be known. Kaitlan has been held accountable and paid a malicious, terrible price, but survived and can get on with her life. Now it is time for others to be held accountable.
END OF COMMENTS
