Case Analysis- Impatient Parent
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Jan 9, 2024
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Case Analysis: “Impatient Parent” Marissa Martinez
College of Education, Grand Canyon University
EAD-519 Clinical Internship I: Learner Centered Leadership
Jamie Petrilla
August 23, 2023
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Part 1: Case Analysis
Summary of The Case
In this case study, “Impatient Parent” the campus is dealing with a mother who has shown up to the school to discuss her concerns and allegations about a boy she claims is harassing her daughter. The mother is under a time crunch of 10 minutes left to meet with leadership and rushes through the meeting. In speaking with the mom, she states that this boy is a neighbor and in the same class as her daughter. She explains that the harassment consists of someone dialing the daughter’s phone and hanging up, random text messages, and the young man insulting her clothing. The assistant principal talks with her in the office, and the mother states her frustrations that she emailed the geometry teacher the night before and hasn’t received a response back yet. After a brief discussion the suggestion to meet with the mother, daughter, and geometry teacher is suggested which the mother states are not possible at the moment and cannot happen for a while. The assistant principal agrees to follow up as the mom leaves.
Issues to be Resolved.
There are a few issues that need to be resolved. The first issue is to conduct an extensive investigation of the allegations of harassment and interview both students and the teacher. The district has strict policies regarding bullying and allegations of harassment. In addition to the first
issue, the second issue is to make sure that the administration does their due diligence to show they are handling the situation with great seriousness and take the claims very seriously. The last issue would be to address the parents’ decision to not continue to meet. Administration must find
a way to conduct a full investigation to the best of their ability even with the challenge of the parent not being available. This is a huge issue, as the mother is making claims without 2
providing evidence, and some of the issues are happening off campus, at home, with the daughter’s personal phone which can limit some district policies.
Stakeholders Involved
The stakeholders will include the mother, daughter, the accused boy, his family, the geometry teacher, and the assistant principal. The school principal will need to be looped in when she returns from her meeting, as well as other school officials and resource specialists who may be able to assist in the investigation and resolution.
Existing Laws & District Policies
According to Texas law SB 179 David’s Law, an investigation should be completed. (David’s Legacy Foundation, 2023) Northside ISD, in San Antonio, Texas follows the suggestions of this law by prohibiting bullying, harassment, or intimidation and provides a flow chart of steps for all involved to be able to follow to investigate situations like this. (
Northside Independent School District, 2022)
Solutions to the Issues
With an extensive investigation and gathering of information from all stakeholders involved, there can be multiple solutions. It’s crucial to collect all sides of the story before determining disciplinary action that can be taken. It could require disciplinary action should it be found to be true. In addition to disciplinary actions, a change in schedules could be made as well.
According to Texas law SB 179 David’s Law, allows
the possible escalation to involve local police. To determine the best solution, the administration would need to look carefully at all the details and be familiar with the legal expectations and school policies. This matter should be 3
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handled with urgency but attention to all details to get to the bottom of the issue, so all students feel safe and go to support zero tolerance for any bullying or harassment.
Action Steps
The steps that would need to be taken would involve following district policies on harassment which state that an investigation should be conducted within 24 to 48 hours of reporting to administration. In addition to that, if found to be true it’s crucial to involve counselors to help the young lady be able to cope with the harassment and to help guide the young man in changing his choices for the better. It would be essential to sit down to speak with both students about the steps that will be taken, schedule changes, and a resolution for all.
An administrator should follow up again with each student within ten days to see if the safety plan is
working and what changes or support can be made.
Potential Moral & Legal Consequences
There are many possible moral and legal consequences to this issue. There could be problems that arise from pushback from either set of parents and possible lawsuits, if parents feel
their children’s rights were violated, or feel that the school did not adequately resolve the problem. If the young man is found guilty of these accusations without sufficient proof this could
cause ramifications that could follow him, should it escalate to local law enforcement. It could also result in emotional trauma for both students involved.
Part 2: Rationale
Allegations of harassment and bullying are issues that should be taken seriously and handled with the upmost concern. There are so many unknowns in this case that leaves you with many what ifs and questions to ask yourself while conducting this investigation. It will be crucial
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to conduct a thorough investigation and remember to presume the young man is innocent until proven otherwise. Both the young girl and the young man have rights that need to be protect and issues that could arise should this issue be mishandled.
In this situation time is of the essence, per district policy it is important to begin the investigation as soon as the allegation is received. This step will involve interviewing all involved as well as other students who might have been witness to the bullying or harassment. It will also involve reaching out to the young man’s family to let them know about the situation so they are aware of the investigation and know that you are doing all you can to ensure that their son is not being falsely accused. While the mother of the young lady is the one who reported it, it’s so important both families are kept in the loop. Meeting with the teacher is something that needs to happen. As per most campuses, teachers on the campus are typically given a 24-hour window to reply to emails. With the unknown of when the mother emailed, if it was after school hours, and the reason as to why the teacher hadn’t responded it’s important to hear what the teacher has to say. It’s also important to discuss with the teacher what they have noticed and what possible solutions they can help to ensure should the allegations be true.
Per Texas law SB 179 David’s Law, should the investigation escalate it can require involving law enforcement in order to recover information from personal cell phones and lead to possible legal issues for the young man. Before taking this step, I would highly recommend letting both the young man and his family know about the importance of getting as much information as possible without leading to this step. I would hate to instantly involve the local law enforcement without doing my due diligence in investigating.
Should the allegations be true, it is crucial that all families be involved in the repercussions that occur. I would meet with both families separately with the teacher present so 5
they are aware of the changes being made and to help assure the parents that the situation will be monitored closely and taken seriously. I would also recommend the support of counselors and a possible mentor to help navigate how to address the bullying. I strongly feel that if this situation is happening to one student, the chances are that it is happening to more and I would highly recommend working alongside my counselors to put together a presentation for students regarding bullying and harassment and the actions that can be taken to prevent it.
References
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David’s Legacy Foundation. (2023, May 25). Legislation - David's Legacy Foundation
. https://www.davidslegacy.org/programs/legislation/
Northside Independent School District. (2022). Northside ISD Employee Handbook
. Northside ISD Human Resources. Retrieved May 23, 2023, from https://nisd.net/hr_employee_hndbk_2022-2023-3.pdf
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