Charting A Path to Move Forward
In a recent development at The O’Neal School, a security issue involving a student making threats has been promptly addressed. The interim Head of School, Brenda Jackson, informed the community that this student would no longer attend O’Neal. While ensuring student safety is a fundamental expectation, Mrs. Jackson’s decisive leadership in this instance is notable and should be commended for its contrast to the policies and decisions observed under the previous administration.
The feedback from the community about Mrs. Jackson has so far been positive, underscoring her respect within the community and her potential to guide the school through this difficult transition. Her leadership could be instrumental in steering O’Neal back to its foundational principles of character and integrity, qualities that have long defined the school’s legacy. We sincerely hope she will be successful in accomplishing this goal and are willing to support her and the school in these efforts.
However, before moving forward, O’Neal must openly confront and address its past issues. The narrative surrounding John Elmore’s resignation and the Board’s subsequent response lacks the transparency and accountability needed to provide closure for the affected families and the community at large.
We urge The O’Neal School to take the following steps:
- Issue a public apology to all the families negatively impacted by the former Head of School’s actions.
- Remove and replace any administrators who were directly involved in the misconduct.
- Publicly clarify and correct the record regarding the assault on campus last Spring, confirming the incident based on the police investigation’s findings and the supporting medical records.
- Call for the immediate resignation of any Board Members who attempted to discredit and defame the Stefanik family by falsely claiming they lied about the assault and ensure such individuals are barred from holding future positions within the organization.
- Implement disciplinary and policy reforms including:
- The establishment of a disciplinary review board with diverse members of administration, faculty, and students.
- Updating written policies on bullying and harassment, including a definition for “zero tolerance” with specific examples and consequences for engaging in this type of behavior.
- Escalation procedures for punitive measures including mandatory suspension and expulsion for severe infractions applied fairly across the entire student body.
- Prohibiting any student who has been criminally charged with a violent crime against another student from attending on-campus classes until they are cleared of the charges.
- Revising the enrollment agreement to limit the authority previously granted to the Head of School in disciplinary decisions and to ensure the “Positive and Constructive” clause cannot be used to silence legitimate criticism.
- Creating a clear policy on what qualifies as self-defense and under what circumstances it is allowed.
- Implementing a system for safely voicing complaints with strong measures in place to prevent any form of retaliation against those who come forward.
- Renouncing any adverse action from any member of the community in response to a victim or their family speaking out against a crime committed at the school.
In the spirit of progress, we acknowledge the need for Mrs. Jackson to thoroughly assess the situation. We are committed to giving her time to make informed decisions but expect to see clear progress towards implementing these changes each week moving forward. We will remain vigilant, ready to support genuine efforts for change while also prepared to resume our advocacy should these issues be disregarded.