Parents, students say bullying, discrimination accepted at local school

News
Towns County Schools
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Shortly before Christmas, 2018, the distraught mother of a Towns County Schools’ 8th grade student took to social media, following her teen daughter’s suicide attempt, to share what she considered a serious, unaddressed issue in the local education system: school bullying. Alli Hurley’s post quickly went viral, gaining over 1,500 shares, and amassing comments from parents and students who let Hurley know that she was far from alone in her concerns.
Following what Hurley considered failed efforts to remedy the situation through the school administrative system, Hurley contacted FetchYourNews (FYN) with a heartfelt plea to share her daughter’s predicament with the public.
“Over the winter break, my 13-year-old daughter tried to commit suicide by taking a bottle of pills,” Alli Hurley said. “By the grace of God, she was unsuccessful in her attempt, but through this experience we learned that much of the reason for her attempt was due to being bullied at school. You see, since moving to Towns County, my daughter has been teased. Whether it be for her clothes, her hair, her socioeconomic class, or her geographical origins, the kids would always find a reason to pick on her. At the beginning of 8th grade, (my daughter) came out as a lesbian, and sadly, it gave them another reason to bully her. This was a devastating time for her, as she had exposed the most vulnerable part of herself, only for her spirit to be utterly crushed by her peers…(My daughter) went to the SRO (school resource officer) and the middle school counselor, Ms. Berrong. Also, during my meeting with (Mr.) Melton, I mentioned several names to him. Then during my meeting with Ms. Berrong,  I mentioned the names to her as well.”
According to StopBullying.gov, young people who are perceived as different from their peers are often at risk for being bullied. Bullying is not usually a simple interaction between a student who bullies and a student who is bullied. Instead, it often involves groups of students who support each other in bullying other students.
Over a series of months, additional parents of students at Towns County Schools contacted FYN with similiar stories of bullying, based on alleged discrimination.
“If a kid is not an athletic superstar, doesn’t come from a well known family, or doesn’t fit into the mold of what they think kids should be, then they don’t understand them. It is the most judgmental school, and for that matter, town, that I have ever been in,” Sharon Roach, the mother of three students who attended Towns County Schools, said. “There is so much diversity in the world that these educators need to learn how to accept and be role models for these kids in a positive way. Right now, they don’t stick up for the kids that don’t fall into what they think is acceptable, and the other students know they can pick on someone for being different, and nothing will happen to them. I think it’s just a matter of time before tragedy strikes that school if they don’t get it together.”
FYN contacted Towns County Schools Superintendent Dr. Darren Berrong to provide an opportunity to address the issue.

“All three school counselors were recently certified Mental Health First Aiders,” Superintendent Berrong initially stated. “They have also completed the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). All Towns County staff attended the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) training which was held in the school auditorium this year. Towns County Schools is working with a team of Trainers from the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program which is customized for faculty, staff, adults, student peer leaders, and all other youth. Towns County Middle School also started the Sandy Hook Promise program this year. Counselors use small-group counseling, individual counseling, classroom guidance, mentoring programs, and Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) that encourages teaching positive behavior. Towns County Schools is partnered with AVITA to offer mental health counseling and support on campus. Towns County Schools also incorporated this winter the program called Teen Safety Matters, a comprehensive, evidence-informed prevention education program for middle school students in grades 6-8. The program educates and empowers teens and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to bullying, cyberbullying, all types of abuse, relationship abuse, sex trafficking, and digital dangers. Towns County Schools also met with the PFLAG organization this winter and have their brochures and information readily available for students and parents.”

Bullying

A photo from Alli Hurley’s viral post

PFLAG  is an acronym for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – a support, education, and advocacy organization. Hurley, the mother of suicidal teen, told FYN that PFLAG took interest in her daughter’s plight, and contacted Towns County School administrators. Hurley has since removed her child from Towns County Schools in favor of home schooling.
A recurring theme from interviews and research conducted by FYN was harsh disapproval of a particular staff member: Towns County Schools Assistant  Principle Jim Melton. “We told the Vice Principal, Mr. Jim Melton, what happened and we left the meeting shaking our heads, furious, and completely understanding why (our daughter) felt compelled to keep things to herself,” Hurley wrote on social media  . “His response to a wonderful, sweet student that is making all A’s in advanced placement classes, one that never gets into trouble – a beautiful, gay girl that was simply trying to be proud of who she was — trying to kill herself due to relentless bullying, made comments to us (still in shock!) like, ‘I don’t like the word bullying – it’s such an overused word,’ and ‘You have to understand that this is a small town and gay people are relatively new to them,’ and ‘you know middle school is always tough on kids.'” Hurley went on to say that Melton’s response was inappropiate for an authority figure. FYN reviewed an audio recording of the conversation between Hurley and Melton to verify the paraphrased interaction.
Dozens of parents and students named Melton as problematic in the battle against bullying. On a counter note, several members of the community spoke in support of Melton. In contrast, however, those that advocated for the school administrator were from what one might consider influential, established families. FYN offered Melton an opportunity, through the Towns County Board of Education, to add personal input, and did not receive a direct response from the assistant principle. School Superintendent Berrong told FYN that his office had not received any complaints related to Melton and bullying in Berrong’s four years as an official.
“In (a) letter received from the Hurley’s written in March, they had two requests,” Superintendent Berrong responded in turn. “The first request was for the school to add additional programs and policies to help prevent bullying in our schools. From my previous email showing the programs and curriculums we use and have added since December, I believe we were already taking those steps. The second request was the termination of Mr. Melton. I feel it is important for the readers of this article to know that that Mr. Melton nor anyone else at the school had been given any names of students to investigate for this bullying. The parents validate this in their original Facebook post when they stated that their daughter would not give any specific names to the school as to who was bullying her. The school can’t consider terminating someone for a violation of ethics or breaking a law when they had zero prior knowledge to a situation until after the fact. What the school would like parents to know is that if their child feels they are being bullied or mistreated in any form, please let a teacher, counselor, or administrator know and something will be done. We can not help combat bullying if we are not informed.”
Hurley’s social media post, with hundreds of community comments, is available by clicking this link.

1 Comment

  1. Tammy Bradshaw June 26, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    This is beyond heartbreaking!! I am sad to say I know the feeling of having a child bullied at this school from 3rd grade til 12th grade!! Yes, I went to the teachers, principal, school board and even the parents of the bullies, It only made things worse for my child!! I couldn’t believe this was the same school that I grew up in and loved with all my heart! Nobody cared!! I raised so much noise that the teachers started targeting my child, finding anything they could to use against her!! Sexual harrassment was the norm from the boys!! I had conference after conference on this matter and what made some of the sexual harrassment stop was my husband going to these kids parents and letting them know he was taking matters into his own hands!! I am so thankful both of my kids are out of that place and grown!! But my heart breaks for others going through the same hell my child went through!!!

Leave a comment

Back to Top