PORT ANGELES — A sit-in at Port Angeles High School on Friday that stemmed from a fight between two students broadened to a protest of bullying on the campus.
Principal Jeff Clark said protesting students disagreed with the administration’s decision to discipline a student.
Junior Nita Ladd, 16, who said she “unfairly” received in-school intervention after a fight with another female student Wednesday, called peers and used Snapchat on Thursday night to organize the sit-in.
“I feel like it was unfair that I was the only one who was punished for the fight because it takes two people to fight, the way it takes two people to tango,” Nita said.
Nita’s mother, Chandra Ladd, said they filed a police report against the other student and intend to appeal her daughter’s in-school intervention. Nita said that entails completing her school work in a detention room for two days and handing in her phone.
“We began the protest for individual discrimination and inequality,” Nita said. “Now it’s about anti-bullying in general.”
About 13 students have been calling themselves “The Voice of the Silent,” she said.
“Every one of us here has experienced bullying in some shape, way or form,” said senior Zachary Weller, 18. “I’m tired of the school doing nothing.”
The administration has not changed the disciplinary action since the protest but would “certainly” examine new information about the case if it arose, Clark said.
The sit-in started at about 7:45 a.m. in the 100 building and lasted until about 10:30 a.m., when a teacher said it was distracting students in her nearby classroom, Clark said. Then, the students moved outside near the flagpole.
At that point, he said, he told the students they needed to return to class. A video, recorded by one of the students, showed Clark saying, “You have two options: Go to class or you’re all suspended.”
On Saturday, Clark said none of the students will face suspension.
“These students need to be in class,” he said.
Two students returned to class Friday morning and the others chose to stay, he said. Clark called their parents and distributed 13 copies of Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” to the 13 students.
“I tried to make it a teachable moment,” he said.
Clark said they talked about the meaning of civil disobedience, the Student Code of Conduct Handbook and the formal appeal process required of the student who received the disciplinary action.
Then, the students met with district Superintendent Marc Jackson.
The meeting lasted about 30 minutes, and Jackson “mainly listened,” he said.
Jackson said he learned the students were friends with one of the female students involved and felt she was getting the “short end of the stick.”
“That’s what it comes down to,” he said.
After the meeting with Jackson, the students chose to remain off campus, Clark said.
The students said they went to Safeway for drinks and then returned to the high school, gathering on the sidewalk on the other side of the street while two of the students’ mothers spoke with Clark.
They created one sign that read “Bullying is a Crime” on one side and “Port Angeles School District Stop The Bullying Now!” on the other.
Christian Evans and Michelle McMurdo confirmed they spoke with Clark on Friday afternoon.
Evans expressed concern that bullied children in Port Angeles, including her own, were being ignored.
“They tell them to go back to class and just ignore them,” she said. “Just ignore them.”
“Needless to say, I’m not satisfied,” she said of the meeting.
McMurdo said Clark gave “the administrative line” about the process around bullying. She said she feels her child made the right decision in protesting.
“I stand by my child,” she said. “I want [Clark] to know I don’t raise sheep; I raise leaders.”
Nikki Drake said her daughter asked for her permission before she participated in the sit-in.
Drake agreed, and they had a discussion about what the word “protest” means, she said.
When the vice principal later called Drake to ask that she bring her daughter back to class, she said no.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry, the answer is no.’ It’s well within her rights to protest,” Drake said.
Drake said some students at Port Angeles High School fear retribution for reporting bullying.
“These kids don’t feel safe in our schools, and that’s problematic,” she said. “Their concerns are legit. They care about their education, and half of them don’t show up because of fear of bullying.”
Clark explained the reporting process. When students report bullying, two steps occur, he said.
The administration instructs the student to “send a clear signal” that the action is not appreciated, whether that’s saying, “That’s not funny,” “Back off” or the like.
“It’s not ‘F- off’ or responding in kind,” he said.
Then, the administration records a statement from the student and asks how he or she would like staff to respond. Those options include talking to the alleged bully, having him or her sign a harassment cease-and-desist order or possibly suspending the bully.
Once those steps occur, “99 percent of the time, it reduces or eliminates peer aggression,” Clark said.
Because this process remains confidential, Clark said people often assume no action took place.
“Students — and adults — have this belief that nothing ever gets done, that the administration doesn’t do anything,” Clark said. “That’s simply not true.”
Clark denied allegations that bullying has become widespread at the high school, stating 10 percent of the students account for about 90 percent of the “drama and peer aggression.”
“Actual cases of bullying are not that frequent,” he said. “But drama — the low-level stuff — we deal with that every day,” he said.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsuladailynews.com.
