OWASSO, Okla. — It's been ten and a half years since Lesa Bowles lost her third born son, Noah.
He was in eighth grade at Owasso Public Schools when he committed suicide.
“It broke my heart," his mother said. "He was being bullied, and I didn't know it until after the face... I wish I could have protected him because a mom’s job is to protect her kids.”
Noah's aunt Donnalynn Lanning reached out to 2 News after seeing Alice Hartzke - a current eighth grader at Owasso - detail the abuse she endures on a daily basis.
“The bullying didn’t stop after he died, that’s got to be the craziest part out of all of this," said Lanning.
Bowles said she didn't think Noah felt safe enough to share what he was going through with administration at the time.
"Because when he got tripped in the hallway and had a concussion, he didn’t want me to say anything to the school,” she said.
2 News' Stef Manchen asked what the family thought contributed to these incidents continuing all these years later.
“It’s the culture in that school," said Lanning. "They’re telling you guys one thing, ‘oh we have all these resources,’ but then they’re telling the kids ‘you kind of have to shut up and deal with it, we’re not equipped to deal with that.’"
- PREVIOUSLY >>> Parents fed up with bullying at Owasso 7th Grade Center
A day after Alice's story ran, another family who wished to keep their student anonymous shared a letter written by the student.
The three page document goes on to detail the bullying they said they've dealt with since elementary school.
"This has been going on for years and for some reason the adults in charge still want to act like nothing is wrong, like the “policy” of zero tolerance bullying is working," the student wrote. "I can tell you that the policy is not working."
The student concludes their letter with "I think Ms. Coats really cares for us students, but I think that the “image” of the district has become more important than actually listening to the students who are affected, and I think that’s really sad."
2 News sat down with Noah's family on Oct. 2.
Over the month that followed, we emailed and called the district's communications team a number of times.
To advocate for the Bowles family and others, 2 News tried to set up an interview with the superintendent to talk through their bullying protocol.
We've been told a committee streamlined their process over the summer for consistency from school site to school site. District leaders have not explained explicitly what that process looks like.
“If she was a unicorn, if she was a one off type thing, that would be one thing, but it’s a consistent problem," said Lanning. "It’s a consistent problem everywhere, but it’s definitely a consistent problem here. Look at just the last year.”
In one of the last emails the district sent us, their communications team said they didn't feel Dr. Coates could add more to the story regarding district policies and procedures.
The districts communications director sent 2 News a statement late Friday afternoon.
Stef,
Respectfully, we have answered your questions on this topic.
As we have previously shared, over the summer, a district committee worked to streamline the reporting process and ensure that it is consistent from site to site across the district. This step was taken to assure that each school site is appropriately documenting and following up on claims of bullying. That is what Dr. Coates was referring to in her interview with Cori in August - simply an adjustment in the way we manage internal documentation to maintain consistency.
It is important to note that this adjustment in the way we manage internal documentation does not constitute a completely new process for how the district handles reported cases of bullying.
Again, here’s a summary of the process in case it’s helpful:
When the district receives a report of bullying, it is investigated. Investigations include getting both sides of the story, interviewing witnesses, reviewing security footage, etc.
If warranted, disciplinary actions and supportive measures are then put in place for all students involved. Those supportive measures include but are not limited to, counseling, class changes, assigned seating, administrators visiting classrooms, increased supervision in hallways, etc. The district has even escorted students from class to class as a supportive measure.
We are prohibited by state and federal law from disclosing disciplinary action against another student, which unfortunately can give some the idea that nothing was done in their case.
The safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority and bullying in any form is unacceptable. The district is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
Parents and students are encouraged to report instances of bullying to a district employee or through our website[docs.google.com].
During the current 2024-25 school year, the district is aware of 11 documented reports of possible bullying. After thorough investigations by school staff, one report was substantiated and resulted in disciplinary action.
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