ONLY ON 41: Macon Mom Speaks Out After Teacher Admits to Ignoring Bullying

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — JaKaughree Duncan was in 2nd grade, when he and his mother say, another student hit him with a belt on his way home from school.

“Once he had his belt in his hand… he looked back at me and hit me,” described JaKaughree.

His arm may have healed, but Jane Duncan says the damage done to her son is much deeper.

Last year, his first at Burghard Elementary, Duncan said her son was physically and verbally harassed.

“It was several kids, kids in his classroom, kids in the hallway that he didn’t know, older kids in the lunchroom. He was just the mental punching bag of that school,” said Jane.

His grades went from A’s and B’s to failing. Duncan says he also began acting out.

Throughout the 2012-2013 school year, Duncan said she was in constant contact with school administration trying to help her son. She knew something wasn’t right.

Jakaughree transferred to Elam Alexander in April of that year. This past August in a meeting with her son’s former teacher, Duncan learned her mother’s instinct was spot on.

“Initially I stated to her that my son felt she could not keep him safe, and she said, I understand why he feels that way,” said Duncan.

Minutes from that meeting show the teacher said, “My hands were tied and I did not receive the support from my administration.” She also said, her school administration “asked her to ignore the behaviors of the other students who were instigating and bullying JaKaughree.”

“I was thinking to myself to… I knew it… It took everything within me to hold my composure because I knew what he was going through,” said Duncan.

Sometime after that meeting the school district launched an investigation. 41NBC got a copy of it.

According to the investigation, the principal of Burghard Elementary at the time said she never told the teacher to ignore bullying. The teacher said her statement in that meeting was “misunderstood”.

“It’s a statement that stands alone. There is no way to back peddle from it,” said Duncan.

Also in the findings, another teacher, who was also in Jakaughree’s classrom, said, “She knows children say ugly things, name calling. She does not believe that he was bullied. Children were just being children.”

41NBC reached out to the Bibb County School District to define bullying.

“You look for that sense of power over one child or another um you know that threatening, intimidation piece of things,” said Dr. Steve Corkery, Psychologist, Bibb County School District.

Duncan has no doubt the kids at school intimidated her son.

“Every morning when he got up to go to school, he knew he was getting ready to walk into an emotional battlefield,” said Duncan.

However, that’s not the conclusion the school district came to. It’s investigation found Jakaughree’s teacher gave “misleading information,” but no rules, laws or standards were violated. The findings said, “It is unsubstantiated that JaKaughree was bullied.”

41NBC had several questions about the investigation and it’s findings, so we reached out to the school district. We were told Superintendent Dr. Steve Smith would hold his own investigation based, in part, on our questions.

After several weeks we got this response from the district: “Dr. Smith did indeed conduct his own investigation of the situation. He did not put together a written report of his findings, but he did speak with those involved… and discussed implementing a plan to move forward and ensure the student’s positive experiences in the Bibb County School District.”

Duncan says that outcome doesn’t make up for the pain and suffering JaKaughree is still going through.

“I feel like what they did was a crime, and I feel like it should have been treated as such,” said Duncan.

Duncan has also filed a child cruelty complaint with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office against her son’s former teacher. The spokesperson for that office said the allegations are under investigation.

41NBC also asked to speak with the superintendent or another district official on camera about the investigation. We were told no one would be available to comment.