Parents push to get honor roll students back in school
Two Colorado Springs parents said they are struggling to get their honor roll students back in school, after they say Harrison School District 2 cracked down on students because of bad publicity generated by a fight in October.
Colorado Springs police responded to a fight at the school in October. Brenda Williams and Cheryl Grimes said the school issued almost 30 expulsions to students involved.
Williams and Grimes said their daughter came to them with concerns that their friend who was getting bullied in school. The girls were concerned about threats apparently made at school. Williams said she reported the information to the school before the fight.
“We took plenty, plenty of information that they could have used and they have done nothing,” said Williams.
After the fight, Williams and Grimes said they took additional information to the school and voiced concerns about their students’ safety. The two said the school initially put their daughters in a ‘time out’ that turned into a suspension and eventually an expulsion.
Williams and Grimes described their 14-year-old daughters,Taleisha Mcmiller and Brianna Grimes, as varsity cheerleaders with great grades and college aspirations. The moms said this was the first time their daughters have been in trouble at school.
“It just completely tore her life apart,” said Grimes.
Grimes said she believes the district expelled all the students involved in the fight because of the negative publicity the incident generated in the community.
“This is why they did this to our children, out of shame, because the media is involved,” said Grimes.
The school district did not respond to KRDO NewsChannel 13’s request for an interview. A parent with students at the school who said she trusted the school district acted appropriately but didn’t want to weigh in on expulsions for specific students.
With two daughters dreaming of college, Grimes and Williams are concerned the school district’s decision will have a huge impact on their daughters’ futures. Brianna Grimes was enrolled in advanced placement classes this year and made the honor roll. The online program she is enrolled in now doesn’t offer advanced placement classes. Grimes is concerned her daughter will now be off the “advanced placement” track and it could have a big impact on where she gets accepted into college.
Williams and Grimes said the problem goes beyond their daughters expulsions. According to statistics by the non-profit Padres & Jovenes Unidos, Harrison School District 2’s expulsion rate increased by 30 percent in one year. Williams said there need to be other courses of punishment to keep students in school.
“Stop the pipeline to jail,” said Williams. “If we don’t fight to fix the problem, it will be someone else’s child. It will continue.”
Grimes, Williams, and their daughters will meet with the school district on Thursday. However, they are not optimistic the expulsions will be overturned.
