Fox News anchor Julie Banderas blasted a Texas school district for obstructing a mother from learning more about alleged racially-charged bullying her son has endured in middle school.
The mother, Terrie Chumchal, is fighting for access to school records on bullying, and she appeared on “America’s Newsroom” to discuss how the school district is demanding more than $7,000 in fees to access the public records — a request Banderas dismissed as “a load of crap.”
(Video: Fox News)
“I’m so sorry as a mother that you’ve have had to endure this because bullying your son is, quite frankly, like bullying you,” Banderas said, to open the segment. “Our children are us, and your 13-year-old son has endured what I understand is two years of vicious physical and verbal bullying in middle school, often on account of his Korean American heritage. which is absolutely despicable.”
Pointing out that Chumchal was seeking records from the school district on bullying assaults and police reports, the Fox News anchor asked about the exorbitant fee, which she would call “the latest instance in a troubling nationwide trend of public schools trying to use public records and fees to keep parents in the dark.”
“That’s the million-dollar question. I guess I really I don’t understand how they can charge me that much,” the mother replied. “These are numbers they already have, that they have to have for the state of Texas, and again, I just want to understand the magnitude of this problem because it is nationwide problem…As a parent, I have every right to know what’s going on in the school and why my son is not safe in the school district.”
Her attorney, Warren Norred, with the American Freedom Network, said the school district can’t get away with the high fees to redact personal information and added that they have asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to get involved.
“A parent should never, ever be left in the dark,” Banderas insisted. “Not on bullying, not on education. We have the right to know what’s happening to our children when they are in your care.”
Chumchal explained that her son is still attending school and that he doesn’t want to leave because he has many friends there,
“I don’t think he should have to leave. I think that the school needs to provide a safe environment for all children, not just mine. I don’t think that’s happening,” she said, adding that the district has shown no sympathy for what her son has endured.
“It’s almost like they want to turn a blind eye and pretend that I’m not talking about this or we’re not bringing the issues to light,” Chumchal said.
Banderas displayed a letter from school district lawyers justifying the fees, before slamming school officials.
“Look, I get redacting confidential information. You are talking about minors here,” she said. “But don’t give me that load of crap that you do not have records of every bullying incident, considering the school district could be held liable if, God forbid, something happened to one of those kids. They are responsible for our children when they’re not under our roofs, so this sounds like a bunch of bull.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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