Since airing a story Thursday about a Conroe ISD 7th-grade teacher hitting a student, questions about bullying have been pouring in. The incident involved the teacher throwing the student to the ground and putting him in a chokehold.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Video circulating online showing Conroe ISD teacher striking, body slamming student
The student claims the altercation began when he was defending himself against a bully. The teacher intervened to break up the fight, and things escalated from there.
KPRC 2 Reporter Deven Clarke visited a micro-school in Spring that works with a small group of students who have been bullied. He wanted to find out what parents can do if cries for help go unanswered.
Stewart Dunaway, a father, shared his frustration during yesterday’s report. His son, Jace, said he was defending himself against a bully when the teacher jumped in and struck him.
Dunaway expressed his concerns, saying, “They weren’t concerned about kids’ safety at all. They’re showing… they give a 300-pound man the right to hit my kid in the head, flip him on his back, and slam him to the ground. They’re doing backflips to justify that kind of behavior on a hundred-pound child.”
In response to the incident, Conroe ISD defended the teacher’s actions, and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges. Both stated that the teacher appeared to have acted to stop the fight. Dunaway mentioned that he had met with multiple school officials about the bullying over the past several months but did not fill out the formal complaint form on Conroe ISD’s website. He said he would have done so if he had known that was an option at the time.
Connitha Tyrer, Executive Director at Focus Academy, a micro school in Spring that works with bullied kids weighed in.
“I think you should still follow the steps,” she said, referring to the formal complaint process.
When there is possible legal action, Tyrer says the paper trail can serve as support for your claims.
Jace is now being homeschooled.
At Focus Academy in Spring, a micro-school that caters to students who have been bullied, Executive Director Connitha Tyrer emphasized the importance of ensuring that homeschooled children do not feel isolated.
“I would just start looking for some different after-school type programs,” Tyrer advised.
Before opting for homeschooling, Tyrer suggested finding a smaller school district where children’s concerns can be addressed more quickly and adequately. She also highlighted the importance of counseling and therapy for bullied kids, urging parents to remain involved every step of the way for support.
“I think that a huge part of the time, the academic piece isn’t sometimes the most pressing problem,” Tyrer noted. “A lot of times, it’s really the social issues that become more pressing.”
Tyrer also recommended parents of bullied kids can research local educational advocates and support services that can assist with these situations. To learn more about Focus Academy, click here.
