Updates

Honoring a Legacy of Deceit

Each time The O’Neal School faces public scrutiny, a familiar pattern unfolds. Negative reviews appear, and then, as if by design, a sudden wave of glowing five-star testimonials floods in to bury them. The timing is no coincidence. It’s the product of a deliberate campaign to shape perception, erase criticism, and maintain the illusion that all is well.

Following the release of our last article, several new posts surfaced almost immediately. One even promoted the school’s open house — a detail that makes sense coming from an employee, not a parent. Soon after, a review appeared on Niche.com confirming exactly what many had suspected:

“As a former employee DO NOT believe any of the positive reviews. Before I left at the end of last year, the school’s operations head (Kathy Taylor) sent an email to all faculty and staff. The email was titled ‘Positive Reviews Needed.’ In the email was a list of school review websites, and she asked all the faculty and staff to go onto these websites and leave ‘positive reviews’ as the school needed to turn the public image around. So yes, the positive reviews are mostly from staff members trying to save their jobs. The negative reviews are the true ones.” – Posted September 14, 2025

That review has since been removed. Its disappearance is the clearest confirmation yet that this manipulation continues.

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Corrupt Leadership Digs in as O’Neal Falls Apart

Marketed as a safe, thriving college-preparatory institution, The O’Neal School projects a polished image through ads and brochures. But behind that facade, the organization is fracturing. Enrollment is falling, teachers are leaving, and parents are questioning both the quality of education and the safety of their children. The cracks are evident in the voices of those who have witnessed the decline firsthand.

GreatSchools.org is a public website where families and educators share their experiences about schools. The reviews quoted here highlight what is being said publicly by the community about O’Neal.

“As a former teacher at this school I would like to tell every parent looking at this school to run. The leadership is 100% in the pockets of the board of trustees. 90% of the teachers at this school do the bare minimum and do not care about the students. This is mainly because the pay is so low. But the pay is low because you don’t have to maintain your state teaching license. Most of the staff can’t stand the parents of the students and openly bad mouth them. If you happen to be a single parent I promise you the staff will judge you and your child for it. This is extremely common in the middle school. If your child is in the middle school and has an IEP I can promise you the principal talks poorly about your child. This is not an institution of learning. This is a business out to make money.” – Posted August 11, 2025

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Taxpayer Dollars Feeding Private School Greed

The O’Neal School is the most expensive private school in Moore County, North Carolina. Yearly tuition starts at $15,575 for kindergarten and elementary students and climbs to $20,990 for middle and high school. Despite these steep costs, the organization raises tuition almost every year while continuously seeking additional funding. 

This relentless pursuit of money begins at the start of each academic year.  The Annual Fund is marketed as a voluntary campaign, but in practice, it is treated as a required obligation. The administration employs a variety of tactics to pressure families into donating, including frequent emails, repeated reminders, and direct outreach from staff.  They also recruit parents as “grade-level chairs”—volunteers who have already donated but are now expected to badger their peers to contribute as well. These parents receive lists of non-donors and are instructed to contact them weekly until they comply.

“As you know, tuition alone does not cover the cost of educating our students … Each week, you will receive a list of names and email addresses of parents in your child’s grade who need the aforementioned nudge to make a donation. We ask that you email this group, all blind copied, each week.” — Blanche Hancock, Institutional Advancement & Alumni Relations

Many find this role degrading, as they are essentially begging others for pocket change, even when it’s clear that some families are already financially strained. If these efforts fail, Board Members personally step in to call and question the families about why they have not contributed to the fund. The entire process fosters resentment and discomfort, yet leadership continues to position it as essential to the school’s success.

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Welcome to the New Mandatory O’Neal Lunch Service

Earlier this week the school community received a notice acknowledging a disgusting incident involving food quality in the dining area. The message stated:

“On Thursday, November 7th, a photo was brought to our attention of what appears to resemble an insect larvae in a pork rib that was served for lunch. This was immediately reported to our dining service – Flik Independent School Dining (FISD). This is an isolated case.”

The school’s response raises immediate concerns. Given the nature of bulk meat shipments and large-scale cafeteria preparation, it’s difficult to believe the issue was truly limited to just one meal. More likely, it was simply noticed by only one student. Adding to the unease are the restrictive new dining policies imposed by the administration.

Students at O’Neal have traditionally enjoyed the flexibility of bringing lunch from home or ordering from local restaurants—a hallmark of the private school experience that offered families choices suited to their needs. Each week a designated menu allowed parents to select meals from specific locations, like “Panera Bread” on Thursdays. These meals would arrive at school ready for the start of the lunch period.

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A Culture of Bullying and Secrecy

For years, The O’Neal School has promised a safe and nurturing environment, but beneath the surface, many families have discovered a culture that protects aggressors, silences victims, and shelters those with power and influence from consequences.

One of the most widespread concerns is the administration’s failure to address bullying. Despite written policies in the handbooks that define and prohibit this type of behavior, parents are routinely told that their children are not being bullied, even when clear evidence is presented. Rather than punishing the aggressors, the response is often to silence or remove the victims, resulting in a concentration of bullies within the school. This has led to an environment where those who bully feel emboldened, knowing they won’t face consequences as long as they deny any misconduct.

“Bullying means unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying may also place a student in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property. Bullying behavior is often repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes intentional actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose or any action that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.” – The O’Neal Middle School Handbook (Page 14)

We continue to receive a growing body of feedback from parents, teachers, students, staff, and community members regarding the toxic culture within The O’Neal School. Some of this feedback was highlighted in our March 2024 article “Voices of Discontent,” but additional stories and experiences shared since then echo the same disturbing themes: 

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The Man Behind The Mask

When we published the article, “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” we chose not to disclose the name of the person responsible for the unethical conduct. This was done to give the Board of Trustees one more chance to address these matters internally and take appropriate action against the member at fault. However, they have consistently failed to do so. Even with significant public pressure and the recent appointment of District Court Judge Chris Rhue as the new Chair, the Board has been either unwilling or unable to enact meaningful change. It is now necessary to directly reveal the individual responsible.

Stan Bradshaw has been a long-term supporter of The O’Neal School, working with the Board of Trustees for over 20 years. His substantial financial contributions have led to the construction of several key buildings on campus including Bradshaw Hall and the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Activities Center. Additionally, the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center (BPAC) at Sandhills Community College, located across the street from the school, further highlights his family name. These contributions underscore Stan’s status as a well-known and seemingly respected philanthropist in our community. He was even featured in the June 2023 edition of “The Chapel Herald,” a newsletter published by the over 100-year-old Village Chapel in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The article portrayed him as a generous individual with strong Christian values while showcasing his public achievements.

This brings us to the key point:

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Juvenile Delinquent Loose on The O’Neal School Campus

On August 13, 2024, while The O’Neal School held its orientation for middle school students, a hearing was scheduled for a petition of simple assault against the juvenile who attacked the Stefanik child. The district attorney’s office had prepared extensive evidence for the case, including medical records, incriminating documents, and subpoenas for numerous witnesses, such as doctors, the eyewitness, the police detective who led the investigation, the school nurse, the former school counselor, and the assailant.

However, instead of proceeding to the hearing to defend his supposed innocence, it was revealed that the accused would enter an Alford plea, which the court treats as a guilty plea, to the charges of simple assault. The judge carefully explained the rights of the accused. After swearing on the Bible to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the juvenile confirmed that he was agreeing to the plea of his own free will, acknowledging that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to likely convict him for the assault occurring on April 24, 2023, at The O’Neal School campus at 3300 Airport Road.

Their criminal defense attorney, Walter I. “Butch” Jenkins III, then attempted to downplay and minimize the victim’s injuries. He ignored the stack of medical records and conveniently disregarded the scheduled testimony of witnesses that would now not be heard. This strategy appeared to be an attempt to misrepresent the injuries in hopes of gaining leniency from the judge prior to the defendant’s sentencing. The victim’s family promptly spoke out in court to refute the despicable assertions.

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Unethical Practices Continue Despite New Leadership

The resignation of John Elmore occurred under a veil of secrecy, with parents signing a petition to remove him as some Board Members continued to express their devotion to his leadership. It was only after a middle school student made aggressive threats of violence towards faculty that they finally took action. According to our sources, this incident was far worse than what was disclosed to the public, with the former Head of School being investigated by authorities for ignoring these threats while attempting to hide details showcasing his mishandling of the serious safety risk.

Brenda Jackson was promptly brought out of retirement to temporarily fill this void while a new Head of School was recruited. However, the Board still did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or issue a public apology. A month ago, we learned that John Elmore had been hired as the new Head of School for Wakefield Country Day School in Huntly, Virginia. The report highlighted the extensive search that was undertaken to find a new head, even stating:

“Throughout the process, Mr. Elmore distinguished himself. He has an exceptional record as a school leader and is an educator of great personal integrity.”

How could they conclude that John Elmore was a man of “great personal integrity” given his involvement in the recent scandals at O’Neal? Unfathomably, The O’Neal School leadership appeared to give John a glowing recommendation. This action not only revealed the true extent of their deception but also helped place Elmore back into a position of authority over children.

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