THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — Thomasville parent says her child was let down by the school system. Now she's protesting.
- Parent Shannon Shears says her 10-year-old was repeatedly bullied at school.
- She claims the district didn’t do enough or involve law enforcement.
- School officials say they met with Shears twice and believed the situation had been resolved.
- WATCH THE VIDEO to hear why the situation led to Shears' arrest and her son's unenrollment.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A parent claims the school system failed her child, so she organized a protest outside the Thomasville school board meeting Tuesday.
I'm taking a closer look at the events that sparked this demonstration and how the district is addressing the backlash.
Shannon Shears says her 10-year-old son got bullied multiple times. She says that includes incidents where he was allegedly punched, pushed into music stands, and once hit hard enough to need staples.
While some reports were made, Shears does not believe the school didn't do enough in response.
She doesn't think the incidents were properly handled or taken seriously enough.
Now, she's pushing for change through protesting.
"I'm not asking for anything more than the laws and the rules they already have on their policy be enforced. And if they're not enforced, there needs to be a punishment to it, and the parents need to know what that punishment is," said Shears.
The district tells me they were aware of Shears' concerns and that the school superintendent sat down with her twice. He thought the issues had been resolved.
A few months later, Shears got into a confrontation with one of her son's teachers at the school. According to police, the situation escalated. Shears was arrested and charged with battery on a school teacher.
The district says that following the incident, they decided to unenroll her child, citing safety concerns and pointing out the student doesn't live within city limits.
Shears and her son's father, Danny Woods, believe the move was retaliatory.
They believe Shears is being punished for speaking out and demanding greater accountability.
"Bullying will never go away. It's just the nature of people, some people, to be mean. You're having a bad day, you pass it on to someone else. That's sort of the nature of people, and it will never stop. But when you see something happening, say something. Do something about it," said Woods.
Thomasville City Schools says it takes bullying seriously. The district encourages students and parents to report concerns to a teacher. If a parent still feels it's not being addressed, escalate it to an administrator or the superintendent.
Shears says there needs to be more transparency and more consistent follow-through when serious concerns are raised.
The district hopes its no-phone-on-campus policy, along with other safety measures, will help create a more secure, focused learning environment and prevent bullying.
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