Ernest Wiker
An assault at Columbia High School on September 8, 2016 was recorded and a firestorm of outrage was ignited after that video surfaced on social media.
At Thursday's school board meeting, over 100 residents filled the room looking for answers. One by one they lined up to comment and ask questions. At times, comments were heated.
Ernest Wiker, whose daughter was attacked, was first to take the podium:
"I wanted to address the board tonight about violence in our schools. About disrespect of the teachers, the bullying that's happening in our classrooms not being addressed. Our school claims to have zero tolerance policy and we do, but we're not enforcing it.
There is behavior happening in those classrooms everyday that is totally unacceptable. The teachers are to the point where they don't even report it anymore, and I think that's the fault of the administration, that they haven't supported.
I've witnessed incident after incident going back 30 years to when I was in school there, and things that I witness in those classrooms that should never have occurred, and over the years this has been allowed to go on, where the teachers don't even recognize what's happening in front of them anymore.
My daughter was assaulted in that school, and I think most of you probably saw that video, and that was an assault. But within minutes of it happening, I received a phone call telling me that my daughter was being suspended from school and being cited for disorderly conduct."
There is behavior happening in those classrooms everyday that is totally unacceptable. The teachers are to the point where they don't even report it anymore, and I think that's the fault of the administration, that they haven't supported.
I've witnessed incident after incident going back 30 years to when I was in school there, and things that I witness in those classrooms that should never have occurred, and over the years this has been allowed to go on, where the teachers don't even recognize what's happening in front of them anymore.
My daughter was assaulted in that school, and I think most of you probably saw that video, and that was an assault. But within minutes of it happening, I received a phone call telling me that my daughter was being suspended from school and being cited for disorderly conduct."
Board President Cole Knighton interrupted Wiker at this point:
"Mr. Wiker I have to interrupt you for a second, we can't discuss any school..."
"Mr. Wiker I have to interrupt you for a second, we can't discuss any school..."
Wiker: "I'm not going to go into that, I'm just feeding you this as in general. I'm not going into my daughter's suspension. I think that's something we can address individually.
I got that call telling me that my daughter was being suspended and she was being cited for disorderly conduct my daughter. If you saw that video - I don't think there's a person in this room that can tell me that was a fight. That wasn't a fight; that was an assault. The things that led up to that should have been addressed long before it got to that point. I'm sorry I've got a lot I want to say and I know I gotta be careful how I say it, because I don't want to get into addressing students names and stuff. I have no intention on going there."
"The administration here is not supporting our teachers." When I called and I spoke to officials at the school, spoke to the principal on Friday, I was told we don't have that problem here. No one has ever been assaulted in this school in the three years I've worked here. That's wrong. Just because we label them as fights doesn't mean they're not assaults. What happened to my daughter was an assault, it wasn't a fight, but the rush to label that as a fight and rush her out the door and treat her as part of the problem.
My daughter couldn't come to this meeting because she's prohibited from school functions right now. She's still suspended for what happened on Thursday. That's wrong, it shouldn't be happening. My daughter is being treated as part of the problem. She was the victim of a crime in that school. It never should have occurred."
I got that call telling me that my daughter was being suspended and she was being cited for disorderly conduct my daughter. If you saw that video - I don't think there's a person in this room that can tell me that was a fight. That wasn't a fight; that was an assault. The things that led up to that should have been addressed long before it got to that point. I'm sorry I've got a lot I want to say and I know I gotta be careful how I say it, because I don't want to get into addressing students names and stuff. I have no intention on going there."
"The administration here is not supporting our teachers." When I called and I spoke to officials at the school, spoke to the principal on Friday, I was told we don't have that problem here. No one has ever been assaulted in this school in the three years I've worked here. That's wrong. Just because we label them as fights doesn't mean they're not assaults. What happened to my daughter was an assault, it wasn't a fight, but the rush to label that as a fight and rush her out the door and treat her as part of the problem.
My daughter couldn't come to this meeting because she's prohibited from school functions right now. She's still suspended for what happened on Thursday. That's wrong, it shouldn't be happening. My daughter is being treated as part of the problem. She was the victim of a crime in that school. It never should have occurred."
Wiker's remarks were met with enthusiastic applause.
MORE TO FOLLOW
