1

Case Study: Impatient Parents

Brittany Kelly

Grand Canyon University

EAD 519 Clinical Internship I: Learner-Centered Leadership

Dr. LeConte Middleton

May 4, 2022
 2

Case Study: Impatient Parents

Introduction

As an administrator, sometimes parents will come to you with issues and concerns

dealing with issues with their children, other children, or even the staff. Sometimes, those

parents may be brash, rude, and you have to deal with the issues calmly, keep a level head, and

always remember to deal with the issues ethically.

Part I: Case Analysis

Case Summary

A parent comes in and seems to be angry for several reasons. The parent is having an

issue with another student and her daughter. She says her daughter is being harassed by another

student and might be doing other things to bother her, but she is not sure. The parent is also

frustrated that the geometry teacher, whose class this has happened in, has yet to respond to her

email. She does not have long to meet and wanted to meet with the principal, but the principal is

currently out of the building, so she was sent to my office. As the assistant principal, I asked if

she would like to meet at a different time that involved her, her daughter, and the geometry

teacher, however she did not have the time to meet “any time soon” and wants the issue taken

care of. I assured her that I would deal with the issue and give her an update when I could.

Issues to be Resolved

 Determine if the geometry teacher has read the parent’s email. Discuss with them the

situation and find out what they know. Be sure to document everything.

 Call the parent’s daughter in and find out information from her as to what her side of the

story is.
 3

 Call the alleged student who is doing the harassing and find out from him what is going

on.

Stakeholders Involved

The stakeholders involved in this case study are students, parents, and potentially district

leadership, depending on the severity of the issues at hand. The stakeholders are important to

keep in mind because even though this is a discipline issue, this is also building a relationship

with these stakeholders. Keeping the communication open and flowing will help build the

relationships, as well. The mother seems very upset, and we do not want that. We want to make

sure she is reassured the issue will be resolved.

Laws

The West Virginia law that is involved with this case study is WV Code 18-2C-2

"Bullying" includes harassment, intimidation, or bullying, and cyberbullying as defined by WV

Code 18-2C-2 and WV Code 61-3C-14c and is defined as any intentional gesture and intentional

written, verbal, or physical acts or threats, or any intentional electronic communication,

transmission or threat that a reasonable person under the circumstances should know will have

the effect of physically harming a student; damaging a student's property; placing a student in

reasonable fear of harm to his/her person; or placing a student in reasonable fear of damage to

his/her property; or is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating,

threatening or emotionally abusive educational environment for a student or disrupts or interferes

with the orderly operation of the school.” (Neola & Wyoming County School's Central Office

Staff, 2018, 5517.01 section)

District Policies
 4

The district polices that are involved in this case study would be Wyoming County’s

policy 5517.01 - BULLYING and 8402 - EXPECTED BEHAVIOR IN SAFE AND

SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS. Policy 5517.01 states, “ Bullying, including cyberbullying toward a

student, whether by other students, staff, or third parties is strictly prohibited and will not be

tolerated. The Board will not tolerate any gestures, comments, threats, or actions that cause or

threaten to cause bodily harm or personal degradation.” (Neola & Wyoming County School's

Central Office Staff, 2018, 5517.01 section)

The second Wyoming County policy is 8402 – Expected Behavior in Safe and Supportive

Schools. It states, “The Board of Education believes further that public schools should undertake

proactive, preventive approaches to ensure a positive school climate/culture that fosters learning

and personal-social development. The Board will implement policies and administrative

guidelines to create and support continuous school climate/culture improvement processes within

all schools that will ensure an orderly and safe environment that is conducive to learning. The

schools will create, encourage, and maintain a safe, drug-free, and fear-free school environment

in the classroom, on the playground, and at school-sponsored activities. Assuring such an

educational environment requires a comprehensive plan supported by everyone in the school

organization, as well as parents/guardians and the community.”(Neola & Wyoming County

School's Central Office Staff, 2018, 8402 section) The key word I found in this policy was

creating a “fear-free” environment. If a student is being harassed, they will not be in a fear free

environment and fear what might happen with that student next.

Solutions

The solutions that could happen are as follows:

 5

 If the student who is being accused of the harassment is guilty, they will have disciplinary

actions against them. If they are not guilty, then finding the correct person is necessary.

 Talk to the student being harassed and ask if they would like to speak with the counselor

about what has happened and find ways to feel more comfortable in school.

 Have a meeting with the mother and let her know that the reason the geometry teacher

did not get back in touch with her, is because the teacher had yet to have their planning

period and had not had a chance to read his/her email. Also discuss what information

you found out, while keeping confidentiality at bay.

Timeline of Solutions

Complete investigations of each student involved. Document everything they tell you

has happened. Once you have figured out what the actual issue is, give disciplinary actions as

necessary and possible counseling sessions with both students, individually and together. Call the

mother and either set up an appointment, or if she is fine with a phone conference, conduct the

meeting that way. Give her the information you have collected, keeping confidentiality in mind,

and also the solutions decided upon.

Moral/Legal Consequences

Morally, a student does not need to feel unsafe in the school. Finding out the issues and

fixing them will make the student not only trust you more, but feel better and succeed in the

school building. Legally, the policies and state code prove that the harassment is not allowed,

therefore it needs to be dealt with. Letting something, of this nature, go can lead to discipline or

licensure action.

Part II: Rationale

 6

The decisions that I made were based off of ethics, integrity, and fairness. I did not want

to automatically assume that the student being accused was actually guilty, but I also did not

want to assume they were innocent either. Completing a thorough investigation that included not

only the two students (potentially) involved, but also the geometry teacher, and even other

students in the class if necessary. When the investigation is complete, then I was able to

determine the correct disciplinary action to take. Making sure that the student being harassed

feels safe to come to school is the number one priority. No student should be afraid to come to

school or feel that they cannot learn in the environment they are in. Collaborating with the

geometry was very important. Most of the time, the teachers see more than you ever could in

just a few interviews with students about a situation. They can give insight that might be missed

or information that can be added to the investigation. Also, collaborating with the school’s

counselor is important, as well. Making sure that the students who need counseling services are

seen.

The students involved need to know that the issue is not a light issue and cannot be

tolerated. The principal, along with myself, will determine the disciplinary actions that need to

be addressed. According to the policies that were stated before action must be taken to prevent

any further harassment as quickly as possible.

The main goal is to make all students feel safe in our school building. While harassment

is going on, that is not possible. Fixing the issue quickly and efficiently is only fair to all parties

involved.
 7

References

Neola & Wyoming County School's Central Office Staff. (2018, October 29). Boarddocs® pl.

Wyoming County School District. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from

https://go.boarddocs.com/wv/wyoming/Board.nsf/Public#