Lincoln County school board talks bullying, cellphones

KEMMERER — Bullying and school safety were focal points at the Lincoln County School District No. 1 board meeting on Tuesday, April 8. Approximately 15-20 concerned community members attended to voice their thoughts and seek solutions.

Following the recognition of students of the month, the floor opened for public comments, with local resident Nate Belyeu leading a discussion on the growing concern over bullying in schools.

Belyeu said he wanted to address bullying and the fact that there were corners in the school where teachers could not witness bullying happening.

“We need to have stricter policies. We need to have a school resource officer back in schools,” Belyeu said.

His comments echoed broader concerns circulating in the community, including a recent video posted online showing a fight breaking out in a school hallway. The video sparked debate about whether students should be allowed to have cellphones during school hours.

Community member Alec Rudy also spoke.

“Bullying has always been an ugly truth,” he said, adding that the idea that every kid is going to get along is not going to happen. He suggested that difficult emotions need to be handled by each individual student with the love and support around them.

More suggestions from Rudy included physical exercise and journaling. Others at the meeting suggested giving kids more time outside and providing increased access to natural light in classrooms.

Additional public comments included suggestions for a stricter code of ethics handbook and implementing a “Safe To Tell Program.”

Substitute teacher and former State Rep. Garry Piiparinen, who served on the Education Committee, also attended last week’s meeting. Piiparinen said he personally has not witnessed an increase in bullying.

“It is part of growing up and figuring out relationships,” he said.

Piiparinen also mentioned the “Safe To Tell Program,” which he remembers from his time serving in the legislature, adding, “If there is bullying going on there are cameras everywhere.”

Community member Briana Rickert expressed concern about bullying she said has taken place directly in classrooms and parents weren’t notified in a timely manner.

“Why is nobody in the hallway?” she asked, referencing a video of a school fight. “There are no teachers anywhere.”

Rickert noted the fight was loud with a lot of ruckus and, as she put it, included “bodies slamming to the ground.”

“Something needs to be done,” Rickert said.

Superintendent Teresa Chaulk acknowledged the incident and shared her own frustration.

“That’s not OK,” she said, referring to the lack of adult supervision during the hallway fight. “Every kid in the halls should be safe… “Kids need to treat kids with respect, and we do our best to teach that.”

Chaulk also said much of the bullying begins outside of school.

“They start on social media,” she said, adding that school staff cannot punish student actions that occur outside of the school. “We can’t provide consequences for that,” she said, emphasizing the need for community involvement in addressing the issue.

Chaulk also noted that teachers and staff care deeply for students but are limited in their ability to control social media.

“It’s hard to implement if parents disagree,” she said, in reference to removing cellphones from schools. Chaulk said they have been more assertive with school suspensions where students must be on school property instead of out of school.

Piiparinen also brought attention to the impact of social media on bullying and mentioned that New Frontier, the district’s alternative school, has already implemented a ban on cellphones.

“A lot of kids are addicted to their phones,” Piiparinen said. He said it’s a good idea to ban phones during school hours.

“They don’t need them,” he said. “I have seen too many kids that are too dependent on them. It’s not just in Kemmerer. It’s sad.”

Sharing his own classroom experience, Piiparinen said, “We are shaping behavior,” and emphasized the need for a clear and consistent policy. “We want to do what is best for the kids.”

A teacher at the meeting expressed pride in the school and Superintendent Chaulk, while also recognizing the need for continual updates to the policy handbook.

Kemmerer Junior-Senior High School Principal Shawn Rogers addressed the board near the end of the meeting, speaking directly about the complexities of the issue. He said the issue was not a “one size fits all solution” and posed some questions that he said he did not have the answers to, including, “What percentage of parents would say their kids are bullied?” and, “What percentage of parents would say they do not want their kids to have cellphones on school property?”

The board indicated they would look into other policies and potential actions surrounding bullying. The conversation about bullying is far from over, with ongoing dialogue expected as the district looks to refine its policies and practices.

This story was published on April 15, 2025.