Three school years ago, I was happy and full of life as a teacher in what I thought would be my forever district. I had struggled lately at losing my dad too young to cancer and being a single mom to a young child. COVID had hit and his first year at North had to be very awkward for us all. The masks. The inability to see my son’s classroom and meet his teacher in person was crushing, but I understood why- our common goal at Ozark has always been “do what’s best for the kids,” right?
Little did I know, it would be one of the hardest years for both me and my son. He would be bullied constantly by his peers and his teacher placed a “gag order” on my 5-year-old. He wasn’t allowed to call what was happening to him as bullying (because that never happens in Ozark, right?). His teacher intimidated him. His administrators allowed for the behavior to continue for months despite my pleas for help. Instead, without informing me, they put him in a closed office with the counselor to talk about his bullying. That seems like a great idea, right? Let a child talk to a safe person at school that could help them. Ah, but here is the catch. Both the school and my son knew that the counselor was… the MOTHER OF HIS BIGGEST BULLY. Hmm. No wonder my son silenced himself. He was scared into submission. As a teacher and mommy, I was enraged. I was heartbroken. How could the district that I had so much pride in do such a thing to a 5-year-old?
I took to my personal Facebook (locked down mind you) after school hours to voice my concern and to ask for advice on how to proceed. I talked to my students about bullying and the lasting affects it has on people. I talked about my own bullying. I talked about my son being bullied (because at Ozark we’re supposed to build relationships). My students were empathetic and wanted to make a sign to cheer my son up. We had true community in my classroom.
Little did I know, there was a snake on my friends list on Facebook… the one, the only: Casey Owens! She showed the District Office my personal post. DO immediately contacted then head principal Jim Hubbard. They pushed him to ask my students what I shared about my life with them. They probed my students to see if I had mentioned bullying and my son. If we are meant to build relationships with our students of course I would use my personal anecdotes to help them understand the consequences of bullying and why you should use your voice to help others.
The next thing I know, Jim Hubbard is coming into my classroom, closes the door, and asks, “did you post anything about your son’s bullying on your Facebook?” I admitted it, because I was not ashamed about speaking out against the injustice he was receiving. Then the worst thing I thought could happen, happened. Jim informed me they would be putting me on a PIP because of my Facebook post but they couldn’t legally make that the reason since it was never written or posted during school hours and nor was it made public in my page. He followed up with, “however,” since I spoke about my son being bullied to my 9th graders who were needing several soap box talks about treating others well (they were being way too mean to each other), they were putting me on a PIP and my own gag order. I would be limited to ONLY talking curriculum. How is one to build relationships with students if I have to stay silent and not ask my students about their lives or answer their questions when they asked about my son and family?
Back to my son’s bullying situation. The only time they finally decided to do something was when I threatened to keep my son home for the rest of the school year (24 days) because he couldn’t learn in a hostile school environment. They called for a meeting. I had all my documentation. I had recordings of my son talking about what they had done to him… of how defeated he felt. I requested that the counselor be present (of course they protected HER and she was not present at the meeting). I spoke my case and requested a school change. The only reason they granted it was because my son’s dad lives in West’s boundaries. Otherwise, they were going to keep him at his personal hell. They did not take any accountability for the way my son was treated. They ATTEMPTED to gaslight me and my son’s dad; they wanted us to think we were overreacting, that we were crazy. But when your 5-year-old (who loved school up until kindergarten year) would get into my vehicle every afternoon sobbing about what happened to him, how could we be the crazy ones?
I was put under a microscope for the rest of the year and the following year. Every movement I made for the rest of the year and the following would be monitored and I would have to have weekly meetings with now head principal Dr. Philip Link. I worked hard. I became a leader on my team. I wrote and rewrote curriculum. I focused on skills in my class while stifling my inherent need to connect with my students. I shared very little for fear that I would be in trouble. I didn’t allow for students to connect with me and share much, because I was told that I was only to talk about curriculum. I felt suffocated, but I was at least excelling in building great curriculum but my student relationships were non-existent.
Until one day, a couple students felt safe enough to talk to me about their past struggle with mental health and self-harm issues (which they both were seeking professional help for, and their parents were aware). I shared I struggled in the past as well and that if they were feeling those struggles at any time, they needed to reach out to adults they trusted, because no one should battle those issues alone. I did my due diligence to make sure they were safe and not a harm to themselves or anyone else. Little did I know that helping these students know that adults care (and can relate to these troubles) and that before they went spiraling downward to reach out and grab a trusted adult’s hand and we will help pull them out would be my undoing. How DO found out these students talked to me about this is beyond me. Perhaps the school was still probing my students about what was being talked about in my room. I did not break any laws. I did not miss hot lining anything. I simply opened up to students to make those valuable connections we are told to make.
Dr. Philip Link had me come in for my summative evaluation. Everything was glowing! He was so proud of the jumps and leaps I made that year with curriculum and working with difficult colleagues. He even wrote and recommended me for rehire. I thought we were done. Then my world came crashing down on me: the school district wanted me gone. It all stemmed from the major gag order and PIP which was only issued because I posted about my son’s bullying that was mishandled. I had a choice: I could resign or the district would come in, take my keys from me (no doubt in front of students), escort me outside, and I would not be allowed to return. I could appeal the decision, but knowing what they did to Major Cazier, I wasn’t about to go down that road. With a heavy heart, I went back to my classroom and sobbed while I wrote my letter of resignation to the place I had called home for 10 school years.
Before I spoke out, I was highly respected. I had taken a broken Speech and Debate program and rebuilt it to a team that yielded a National qualifier (and sometimes more) every year I was head coach (I resigned after my dad passed away because I needed time to be with my family). I never had any blemishes on my record. I worked hard. I lost sleep and a lot of my sanity for this district. I cried for this district. I fought for this district.
Now, I spend my time fighting AGAINST the district- specifically the tyrannical reign of Dr. Bauman who runs his district like the former military man he is. He took a welcoming and loving district that Dr. Patterson had established and ruined it within a few short years.
I wish that I had not been blindsided the previous year by Jim Hubbard and what he was telling me, so that I could record what was really the prompt of my PIP. In his own words he stated that DO was very angry about my post, but they couldn’t do something about it so they found something they could use as a reason to place me on a ridiculous and impossible PIP. They never intended to keep me- not after I spoke up. Nope. We can’t have people who stand up and speak out against our own district. It makes Bauman and Ozark look bad. How dare I step on the toes of Ozark’s Napoleon Bonaparte?
It makes Bauman and Ozark look bad. How dare I step on the toes of Ozark’s Napoleon Bonaparte? (Former Ozark teacher Mrs. B)
I wish that more teachers would speak up, but they are so afraid to say anything because they don’t want to end up like Cazier or me. Intimidation and retaliation is what runs this district. They intimidate teachers and students. They retaliate against anyone who tries to expose them for their good ol’ boys club mentality.
I truly hope we can make a change and get Bauman and the entire board removed. They are all hypocrites and have taken something great and made it a hostile work environment. I hope my story helps others – whether they see they aren’t alone or if it becomes a warning to any of them about speaking up. But what I really hope we can end this regime.
Sincerely,
Mrs. B
P.S. This also all started after I openly married a woman. So being a lesbian in the Junior high that spoke up about injustices in the district, I was targeted and considered a “whistle blower.”
*let me clarify the Post-script: no I did not use my sexuality to indoctrinate students. I did not blast my gayness all over. No pride flags. No rainbows. Nada. I simply had a picture of my family at my desk. My personal sexuality has never been a topic of discussion with students because… ewww. Major ick factor. However, the district and the snake on my FB had seen pictures of my new family and that made them cringe. I don’t have a gay agenda nor would I ever want to push students into a marginalized group that faces discrimination. Why would anyone want to push youth into such a tumultuous situation? Definitely not me. It’s hell being open and gay in Christian county, even if you’re minding your p’s and q’s.
Wow!! So terrible!! Is this for real?
Unfortunately, yes.
Yes. Absolutely real. This is my story. My students (and the majority of their parents) know me as Mrs. B, but my name is Briea Williams. I was a highly respected teacher with several years of service to public education (18 years in total, 10 spent in Ozark). I have my Masters THROUGH Ozark, because they wanted to invest in a teacher that invested in them (as long as I kept my mouth shut about any issues). There are tons of stories from current employees and former employees; however, they are afraid to speak out. The only union that Ozark even pushes (or “allows”) in their district is MSTA which historically has protected administrators more than classroom teachers. Pretty fishy, eh? It makes it difficult- if not impossible – to speak up without being targeted. My heart is with my former students that I feel I let down when I walked away instead of fighting the oppressive BOE and Superintendent. I want better for them and for my former colleagues still stuck in such a hostile environment.
If your personal family life was the cause of the takedown (which wasn’t napoleons business) maybe it’s time for trumpeters to take a look at his family life. Some interesting finds I assure will be had.