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Maybe it's not either-or Thursday, Apr 3, 2008 By John Brummett Bobby New, the school superintendent at Fayetteville, cannot discuss students' disciplinary records, owing to federal law. But there was nothing to prevent him from referring me to a letter to the editor of one of the newspapers in Fayetteville. Freedom of the press, you know. The letter ran Sunday. It was the first letter. Check it out. That's all he was saying. The letter was signed by a student at Fayetteville High. It took exception to the global publicity of the last 10 days alleging that a fellow student, Billy Wolfe, had been violently bullied over three years and that school officials had done nothing about these repeated incidents, some injurious to this young man of 16. The letter offered the "shared opinion" of many students that Wolfe is not a victim, but an instigator. One sentence declared flatly: "Billy picks fights." Another offered direct testimony that Wolfe is disrespectful to "superiors," presumably teachers and administrators. What seems to be emerging in this debate is an either-or proposition, going something like this: Either the boy has been brutally bullied and the school has done nothing or entirely too little about that, or the boy is quite less than pristine in his own behavior and the school has responded acceptably in every case, if not always to the satisfaction of the boy's now famously complaining parents. At times such as these, it is important to remember a maxim: An either-or proposition often isn't. Both sides could be true, more or less. Maybe the boy makes trouble and does not behave well. Maybe other kids bully him, even beating him on one occasion to the point that he had to be taken to an oral surgeon. Maybe the school has dealt with these incidents, and maybe it has taken actions we would respect if we had all the facts. The school district's reputation has been internationally besmirched in The New York Times and on network television, and maybe, when considered in full context, that has been unfair. But maybe the school never did quite enough to put a firm quietus on any ganging-up on this boy - to prevent the next attack. Incidents have occurred over four grades now. You can understand the parents' frustration, especially considering Web sites on which other kids ridiculed their son. Even if one odd kid starts fights, that would offer no excuse for others to start one with him while accomplices block a door. So, most importantly, what should happen now? In light of the raging publicity, the Fayetteville High School principal, Jim Price, met with the Wolfes and made a school-wide intercom announcement calling for calm and responsible behavior. The district recorded a similar statement delivered to parents by automated telephone calls. The school district has provided additional security for the boy. Adults have been assigned to monitor, for a while, at least, the boy's bus rides and movements on campus. The Wolfes' attorney, Westbrook Doss, says city police patrol cars have been seen at the boy's bus stop, which he and the family appreciate. Still, school officials have seemed at times to be more concerned about the school's image than this youngster's safety. New acknowledged he is deeply distressed about the national publicity. It's important to understand that there are two issues. One is whether other kids bullied Billy Wolfe. The other is whether the school sat by and let it happen. New can't comment on individual student behavior. But he can, and certainly does, vehemently deny any lack of diligence by his people. That brings us back to the student's letter to the editor. Citing federal privacy issues, New can't comment on the merit, or lack thereof, in its content - except, as he says, "generically." In that generic context, he says the district views any fight between students seriously and investigates both sides of the story. But he says the school sometimes finds itself in an unavoidably "adversarial" role with outraged parents who believe their own child's version without nuance or exception. "Generically," that is to say. He's not talking about any particular youth or case, you see. ------- John Brummett is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. His e-mail address is jbrummett@arkansasnews.com; his telephone number is (501) 374-0699. |
