NEWCASTLE, Oklahoma -
A Newcastle High
School student may face disciplinary action from the district for something
that happened off school grounds.
Parents of the teen say the high school is
crossing the line in what is now being called a case of bullying. The question the
school must answer for itself is, what is bullying?
There are anti-bullying
laws in Oklahoma that compel school districts to identify the problem and do
its best to end it. However, the problem is the laws are broad and up for wide
interpretation.
On Wednesday, as
school let out two weeks after the start of his junior year, Dalton Fleenor
headed to work uncertain of what discipline he may face Thursday morning.
"I find it unfair
to punish someone for something they did out of school," Dalton said.
The teen's parents are not
happy with school administrators.
"My husband and I, as parents,
have the right to punish our child," Dalton's mother, Amanda Fleenor said. "Why
should the school come into our home and punish our child for what he does at
home [or at work]."
Dalton says it all
started away from school at his work. Dalton says he said something to a
classmate about another student. Dalton's mom says her son said, "What he did
was a p**** thing to do."
Dalton insists he never even used the word to
describe the classmate, just his actions. The next day,
Dalton says that classmate punched him twice in the back of the head at school.
Now, the family says both students face suspension.
"If you give a
person a dirty look, is that bullying?" asked Amanda Fleenor. "They have to
draw the line somewhere."
The school district says
bullying is a complex issue.
"It's more than the physical
aspect," superintendent Tony O'Brien said. "There's a whole gamut of things
that come into play with bullying."
O'Brien says state
bullying laws do not suggest punishment for students. Each district has its own
policies to combat bullying or anything that may lead to bullying.
"We are determined
that we're going to have a safe place for our students to go to school,"
O'Brien said.
The Fleenors met
with the Newcastle High School principal late Wednesday to express their
concerns.
"[Dalton] is not
being a bully, and that's what irritates me so much," Amanda Fleenor said.
The school
district would not comment on disciplinary actions. Dalton's parents say they
do not think what their son did was right. They just want the school to keep
itself in check and let parents do their own job.
Parents of the teen say the high school is crossing the line in what is now being called a case of bullying.
