Smith Mill Rd
Bethlehem, GA 30620

Very amazing community!! Love the staff and programs that are offered!!

I am extremely concerned about the safety, fairness, and overall effectiveness of this school’s administrative process. On Thursday August 18th, I contacted the school’s guidance counselor to report that my daughter was being bullied by another student. I requested that both students be spoken to so the matter could be resolved appropriately. I was informed that the other student was not present that Thursday. However, she was present on Friday and the following Monday, yet no one at the school made any effort to speak to either of student together to address the issue. When I asked the principal why this was not done, I was told that there were “other issues that needed all hands on deck.”Because the school failed to address the situation, matters escalated. That Monday, my daughter asked the other student on the bus why she had been talking about her, and this led to a physical altercation. My daughter was then suspended from school for a week. The principal immediately attempted to send her to alternative school—despite this being her first fight ever. I could not help but feel that my daughter was unfairly judged and treated more harshly, especially as an African American student, with no consideration for other disciplinary options such as ISS or additional counseling. I also informed the principal that my daughter has a 504 Plan. She responded by saying I had never shared that information—despite the fact that it is clearly documented in her records, and despite the school having contacted me in May regarding her 504 accommodations and class placements. This shows a clear lack of awareness and follow-through from the school regarding my child’s documented needs. Their oversight resulted in a manifestation hearing, where it was determined that the fight was, in fact, connected to her disability. This further proves that the school failed to properly support her before the situation escalated.Additionally, after her suspension, the School Resource Officer filed a juvenile court referral for the fight, forcing my daughter into the court system for a situation that began with her being bullied and was made worse by the school’s inaction.