By Ann Petersen, SBA Columnist | 04/09/26
(SBA) - I volunteer one morning a week in a first grade classroom at Lawton Bronson Elementary. The teacher, Carly Brown, is one of the swimmers in my summer class at the Sergeant Bluff pool. Three of my grandchildren attend Lawton Bronson, so sometimes I get to see one or more of them at school. Last Thursday, I attended the Grandparents’ Day celebration of my youngest grandchild, Hudson Petersen, who is five and is in the transitional kindergarten class. He will be in kindergarten in the fall.
`I am so impressed with the Lawton Bronson school district. The teachers are so caring and the principal is available and frequently drops into classrooms just to say hello. The school secretary has been in that position for over 30 years. She knows every child’s name and is so nurturing with children who are ill or troubled in some way. I apologize to my readers who wonder why I don’t talk about the Sergeant Bluff schools, but I have never had a child in our district, so I simply don’t know enough about the schools to comment. I understand that SBL is a wonderful district. My kids attended the Storm Lake schools, and I have plenty good to say about that district, as well.
When I arrived last Thursday for the Grandparent’s program, there was a sadness in the air. A parent who has three children in the district (they are open-enrolled from Sioux City) wrote a crushing diatribe on Facebook about a situation that had occurred. This parent ranted that when his child was absent from school the previous day, it took five hours for the school to notify the parents that the child was not in school. What the parent failed to mention was that when a parent keeps a child out of school, it is the parents’ responsibility to notify the school of the child’s absence. This parent didn’t bother to notify the school (although the parent knew very well where his child was) and so when attendance was taken, there was no accounting for the child. Attendance was late that day because the secretary was at a doctor’s appointment and so was unable to complete the attendance until a later time in the day. At that point, the secretary notified the parent, as well as at least one other parent whose child was unaccounted for because that parent, too, did not notify the school of their child’s absence. The aggrieved parent, instead of finding out why attendance was late, took to Facebook to air the parent’s grievance.
Facebook is a virus. Anyone can post anything that they want with no heed to the consequences of that person’s actions. In this case, everyone from the principal to the ladies in the lunchroom was devastated. This is not the fault of the children and as everyone in the school (I know because I’m there!) is a consummate professional, the children of this parent will not suffer repercussions, but no one will forget that parent’s words.
Instead of quitting after airing the parent’s grievance, the parent went on to say that his children have been bullied in the school and despite many interactions with the school administration, nothing has been done. As the parent is not in school every day, the parent has no idea what kinds of interventions have taken place to address the bullying of the parent’s children, if, indeed, they have been bullied.
The concept of bullying is hard to define. Is a child physically attacked by another child? Are things that are hurtful said to that child? How does the child react? According to my research, elementary children have difficulty telling the difference between teasing and bullying. Teasing stops when a child tells another child that they do not like that person’s words. If the action continues, then the action becomes bullying and needs to be addressed by those in charge. Parents have a role in such situations, as well. Parents need to talk with their children and suggest alternative behaviors; but, most importantly, the parent needs to model appropriate behaviors such as positive talk and setting a good example. What that parent did by raising such a clamor on Facebook was an example of adult bullying which did nothing to address the concerns of the parent’s children and instead ended up making all of the personnel in that building the recipients of the parent’s words. This parent ended the diatribe by saying the parent was taking the parent’s children out of the school district. I wish that parent good luck in that parent’s next endeavor. I don’t think that parent has any idea of the damage the parent has done to the parent’s children and to the district. The parent’s words in a moment of pique may have long repercussions.
I am reminded of a poem that I remember from my childhood. It says in part,
“Be careful little mouth what you say.
The Father up above is looking down with love,
So be careful little mouth what you say.”
