At the board of trustees meeting, Lacey Gosch, assistant superintendent of technology, and Monica Garcia, executive director of student and family support services, presented the board with current district policies and compliances when it comes to bullying.
Current situation
Currently, the district is compliant with David’s Law, legislation passed in 2017 that mandates anonymous reporting methods and a process to investigate and document acts of bullying. To be compliant with the Texas Education Agency, the district implements elementary and secondary anti-bullying curriculum.
Though the district remains in compliance, several officials were given pause by middle school parent Lesley Lee, who spoke in the public comment session about her daughter being bullied at both the elementary and middle school level.
“My three kids experienced bullying at one point,” Lee said. “My eldest son lost four of his front teeth because he was pushed in the playground, hitting the end of the slide. My middle son [came] home with bite marks and bruises. And now my youngest daughter is what hitting my heart the most, because it has crossed her mind of killing herself. This is any parent’s nightmare.”
Board member Monica Ryan pointed to a recent district student survey, saying that 44% of 6th to 12th grade responders found it difficult to get help from bullying, and 49% of responders feel like they’re likely to be bullied online.
“The kid’s emotions don’t care what the law says,” Ryan said. “Whether it meets [a] criteria for bullying or it doesn’t, it feels the same in the heart of an 11-year-old girl at night ... how do we get students to feel like they can get help, feel safe online, feel like they can be upstanding and not [be bystanders] ... because I don’t feel like our students are feeling that right now.”
Next steps
Board member José Macias Jr. said that while lack of resources from the state on social-emotional wellness is a challenge, he recommended that it is time to implement greater parent and community involvement to address issues of bullying.
Secretary Laura Stanford added that parent engagement happens via JISD Parent Table Talks on campuses, and said the meetings should also have a virtual component for parents who cannot make them in person.
