School Incident Clarified

By Glenn Collins
Friday, April 1, 2011 | 1:54 PM
https://hbtv.us/news/?story_id=693

A behavior incident at Haleyville Middle School relating to a juvenile has become the source for a flurry of rumors. HBTV does not report on such incidents. These are internal issues for the school system and, because they relate to juveniles, information is not available to the press.

The flagrant nature of the rumors forced HBTV to seek clarification.

Haleyville Schools Superintendent Clint A. Baggett released the following statement regarding the incident:

“The Haleyville City Board of Education believes that instruction should occur in an environment that is conducive to learning. Effective instruction requires good order and discipline. It is also the presence of a friendly, yet business-like atmosphere in which students and school personnel work cooperatively toward mutually recognized and accepted goals.

“All Haleyville City Schools are community schools and we are directly correlated and responsive to our community. If, at any time, there is a danger to a school, our students and/or faculty that warrants public notification, such notice will be given immediately to the parents and community through the school system’s emergency call system and with the cooperation and assistance of our media outlets, including radio station WJBB, local cable channel and website of HBTV and the Northwest Alabamian newspaper.”

HBTV infers from this statement that there was never a danger, thus no public notification was warranted. However, the local rumor mill has done what rumor mills will do and some sort of “clarification” was sought.

An official, very familiar with the situation and speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about matters involving juveniles, said, “There were no weapons involved.”

Another official, also using anonymity, said that the juvenile involved was not sent off to boot camp.

HBTV hopes that this clarifies the matter.