Meridian parents rally in support of suspended teacher

Chief Joseph Elementary School placed fifth grade teacher Rob O’Neal on paid administrative leave on April 23, a day after an incident involving a second grader on the playground, parents say. The school board approved his suspension at its meeting on Monday.

The district’s Department of Human Resources will investigate the incident, according to Eric Exline, a spokesman for the school district.

Deb Schrader, who has three children at Chief Joseph Elementary, said more than 60 parents and students were at Monday’s board meeting to support O’Neal.

“We understand the school board’s hands are tied,” Schrader said. “But we have questions.”

She said more than 30 parents — some with children who no longer attend Chief Joseph — are expected to attend a 7 p.m. meeting at her home Thursday. School Board Zone 5 Trustee Janet Calinsky has been invited.

The group wants to know when the investigation will begin, among other things, Schrader said.

Other parents who wish to attend Thursday’s meeting should contact Schrader at (208) 288-1257.

“He (O’Neal) is an amazing person,” Schrader said. “He’s very animated, very energized and has opened a whole new world of learning for the kids. My son, Bucky, thinks he’s the greatest. He’ll come home and start Googling things just because Mr. O’Neal mentioned it.”

Brande Ehrman’s daughter, Chloe, 10, is one of O’Neal’s several students who saw what happened. She told her mother that the incident began when a second grader whose name is not available wandered onto a field where fifth graders were playing football. When O’Neal tried to get the student to leave the field so the bigger boys wouldn’t run into him, the boy allegedly told him to “shut-up” and called him a “butt fart,” Chloe said.

Ehrman said that according to her daughter, O’Neal took the boy by the arm and walked him over to a fence, where he knelt down, placed his hands on the child’s shoulders, and scolded him for his behavior.

Eric Schrader said his son also saw what happened and later told his father that the boy’s glasses fell off while O’Neal was escorting the child to the fence.

“He said Mr. O’Neal bent over, picked up the glasses and hand them to him, my son,” Schrader said. “So he (Bucky) was close enough to hear if anything untoward was said or happened.”

Schrader said that by keeping parents in the dark, the school district has fueled rumors.

“As far I’m concerned, the only thing they’ve taught my son in this whole thing is that if you make an accusation against a teacher, they’re going to be hauled away,” Schrader said.

Melissa Maxey, president of the Chief Joseph Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, said O’Neal was suspended when the boy’s father threatened to press charges.

“I’m not taking sides one way or the other,” Maxey said. “But I know O’Neal is an excellent teacher. His children come out of his class as honorable students, as leaders, as people who take pride in themselves.”

Schrader and Ehrman both said the only contact they’d had with the school was a call from Principal Brett Nordquist, who told them both that O’Neal would be replaced with a substitute teacher for the rest of the year. Exline said the time frame for the investigation would depend on whether O’Neal’s attorney would allow him to be interviewed.

O’Neal was not available for comment. Calls to his attorney, Elisa Massoth, were not immediately returned. Exline said the district has to be circumspect in what information is released.

“Under these circumstances we operate under the assumption that the person is innocent,” Exline said. “We don’t want to make allegations that won’t be forgotten if a person is then proved innocent. That’s the kind of stigma that does not go away, no matter how many retractions are written.”

Joe Estrella: 377-6465