Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON -ÊFor the second year in a row, James Fraizer's grandson was bullied by the same boy on a school bus.
He was last beat up on the school bus Jan. 16.
Fraizer told the Whitko Community School Corp. Board of Trustees Monday he didn't think the principal and the bus driver are taking the bullying problem seriously. He said he was not satisfied with the boy's punishment.
"This isn't good for a 11-year-old to do this to an eight-year-old," he said.
The bully, he said, can sit anywhere on the school bus though Fraizer said he thought the boy was supposed to sit up front on the school bus as part of his punishment.
"I'm not going to put up with this," he said.
Superintendent Dr. William Worl asked if there's been any more attacks from the bully since they last talked two to three weeks ago. Fraizer said there have not been, yet.
Worl replied the situation is being carefully monitored. He told Fraizer he didn't want to talk about a student's discipline in public and would be willing to meet with Fraizer and discuss the situation further.
Sixty to 90 students at the middle school will be chosen randomly Thursday to take the National Assessment for Educational Progress test. The test is given to students at select schools each year to represent a cross-section of American schools. The test results are then compared to students in other countries.
Whitko won't be able to find out how well their students did but Whitko's results will be added to the overall results.
School board chairwoman Deb Collier announced the school board will be recognized as a Master School Board by the Indiana School Board Association for the first time.
In other business, the school board:
• Heard from Whitko band director Jason Bennett there will be a high school band and choir concert Feb. 21 along with the middle school jazz band. The pep band will play for the last time at Friday's basketball game.
Bennett also told the board March 18-23 is orchestra week. When students leave his program, he said he wants them to be attend concerts and orchestras and know the proper etiquette.
While still in the planning stages, he said the activities will be made possible by an Einstein Grant, band boosters and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.
• Recognized spelling bee participants.
• Heard Science Central will be at South Whitley Elementary School today from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
• Heard from Director of Curriculum Diana Showalter textbook adoption decision should be made Feb. 27; there will be changes to report cards; and summer school will be different this year but is still in the planning stages.
• Heard 182 high school students were represented by parents during parent-teacher conferences.
• Heard Whitko Middle School raised more than $900 for Riley's Children Hospital.
• Accepted a $100 Lake City Bank donation for the Kosciusko County Spelling Bee.
• Recognized Feb. 10-16 as Career and Technical Education Week and Feb. 4-8 as National School Counseling Week.
• Recognized the Northeast Indiana Scholastic Art Awards winners; the ISSMA solo and ensemble participants; and the IHSAA regional wrestling participants.
Members of the school board include Larry Long, Hal Trump, Collier, Dave Tranter and Michael Braddock. Their next meeting is March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the administration office.
