Parents, students voice concerns about Lisbon bullying investigation

Amid criticism and questions about the handling of the recent bullying investigation at Lisbon Community High School, "moving forward" was the common theme of Tuesday night's Lisbon School Board work session.

Roughly 50 parents, students, and community members filled the Lisbon Community High School library, 235 W. School St., to participate in the session, during which they wrote down positives and negatives of how the school and other officials handled the incident.

Attendees focused their comments on three categories -- communication, process/policy, and prevention -- and board members then read the comments aloud.

Board member Andy Sullivan said the purpose of Tuesday's meeting was to identify concerns and suggest improvements. He said the board will use the feedback to help formulate an action plan for moving forward, which the board will soon communicate with staff and community members.

"I refuse to let people in the community and the rumor mill to take down this school," Sullivan said to the audience. "...We must put this behind us."

The meeting comes after months of controversy surrounding reported bullying among members of the wrestling team.

In December, a 15-year-old member of the team reported allegations to the school and to the Lisbon Police Department that upperclassmen held him down and put their genitalia in his face. In another reported incident, wrestlers allegedly urinated on the 15-year-old in the shower room.

Nathan Taylor Jubeck, 18, and Dakota Christian VanDyke, 18, are charged with misdemeanor assault stemming from the shower incident, according to a criminal complaint. Delinquency charges of assault and third-degree harassment have also been filed in juvenile court against Hunter Hutchison, 17, and Austin Edwards, 17, for the other incident, according to a news release.

During Tuesday's two-hour meeting, attendees identified dozens of aspects of the school's handling of the incident that they liked, and even more that they didn't.

Attendees named more than 20 positives about communication including timely emails, support for students, and confidentiality of those involved. However, people handed in more than 50 negative comments about communication.

Criticism of the school board and other groups included a general lack of communication, the spreading of misinformation and rumors, and negative, "exploitative" media attention.

People also expressed their concerns with a perceived lack of an organized response to the incident, an incomplete and unfair investigation, and inadequate discipline for the accused.

After the comments were read aloud, Sullivan thanked the crowd for their participation and urged everyone to "pay attention to future board meetings" as they formulate an action plan.

"This [meeting] is exactly how we move forward and get back to the great things we do here," Sullivan said.

School board member Eric Krob commended the school's administration for their response to the incident and said holding Tuesday's meeting showed "a lot of humility."

"We will move forward, we will grow," Krob said. "...We will never stop in that pursuit."

Deena McAndrew, a mother of three Lisbon High School graduates and one current sophomore, said she thinks the meeting is a step in the right direction. She said concerns with communication were important to address.

"If the avenue for positive communication is not there, it breeds negative rumors and misinformation," she said.

Her son, sophomore Mitch McAndrew, attended Tuesday's meeting as well, along with senior and student council president Jordan Bahl. Both students are members of the football team and of the anti-bullying program, The Voice.

Bahl said moving forward is important, since he said the bullying investigation has cast negative light on the school.

"It hurts because we've had so many great things happen at this school," Bahl said, listing off recent athletic accomplishments. "...But yet everyone focuses on this one bad thing."

Though both students said they wrote down their concerns with inadequate punishment of those accused, they agreed the meeting was effective.

"It was good because it showed a little humility," Mitch McAndrew said. "It wouldn't have been right if they didn't have a meeting like this."