Parent voices harassment concerns, saying daughter’s being ‘mentally punched’

ROCK SPRINGS — A mother recently spoke out against bullying in local schools and questioned how district officials are responding to student-on-student harassment.

Rock Springs resident Kelsey Hibbs addressed the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees during its regular meeting on Monday, May 12, about her nine-year-old daughter’s recent struggles with bullying.

“Emotional suffering isn’t always visible, which is why the parent notification and collaboration is essential,” Hibbs said. “It’s not enough to check procedural boxes. You must consider the full picture of a child’s well-being.”

According to Hibbs, her daughter developed anxiety and fear in her assigned classroom due to repeated distress caused by another student. Hibbs said staff validated her feelings but support measures eventually broke down. When Hibbs proposed several compliant solutions, many went without response or consideration. The only option for the child was a school transfer.

Meanwhile, her therapist confirmed she was “mentally shut down” in class due to stress, and her teacher reported an academic decline.

The initial steps taken to keep her daughter feeling safe in her classroom (with the child who caused emotional harm) were no longer effective, and she was not feeling safe in class.

“So because a new solution had not been offered as quickly as I feel it should have, we chose to keep her home to prioritize her mental health,” Hibbs said. “Then, after nine consecutive school days at home, we still didn’t have a new plan in place, so we faced the issue of having to send her back to school where she didn’t feel safe, or I could try to attend with her, which is when I was told I couldn’t.”

Hibbs informed the principal and human resources staff  that she would temporarily accompany her daughter to class since the district could not give her a new plan for her learning. Even though Hibbs followed the visitor policy, caused no disruption and had no contact with the other students, she was still told she couldn’t attend because she might affect another student’s safety.

Hibbs insisted this isn’t just about process, but about legal responsibility. Hibbs referred to Wyoming Statute 21-3-135, which mandates schools communicate with parents regarding their student’s health, mental and emotional well-being, and educational progress, ensuring the protection of parental rights.

She pointed out one teacher noticed her daughter’s emotional pattern and spoke up but did not record it.

She also referred to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These laws require schools to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities, including those who may be experiencing psychological harm.

She went on to say her daughter read her school’s mission which is “to ensure a safe learning environment for all.”

“She told me that’s not true,” Hibbs said. “She told them, ‘I didn’t feel safe,’ and ‘No one listened.’ For a nine-year-old to feel that says everything.”

Hibbs said SCSD No. 1 Superintendent Joe Libby recently said the district has a “deep and abiding respect for parental rights while promoting an educational environment that is supportive to all students.” She values that sentiment, but she also said there’s still “important work to be done.”

She urged the board to adopt a clear policy for immediate response in mental health consultation when students show distress. At the end of her remarks, she gave her daughter’s recent drawing to Libby, saying, “This is how her mind and heart feel.”

Hibbs showed the Rocket Miner the drawing during the board’s executive session, saying it signifies how sad her daughter truly feels.

“It’s heart-wrenching,” she said. She said the district’s actions would be different if her daughter was physically punched.

“She said she’s mentally punched, but how do you prove that?” Hibbs said.

She said she came to the meeting to paint a metaphorical picture of what it’s like in her family’s home and that school officials couldn’t see at school what was happening to her daughter mentally. She expressed hope that the district will make more room for parents to advocate for their children.

“They should have believed how serious her mental health has become,” she told trustees.

Hibbs wasn’t the only parent who spoke about student- on-student harassment.

Rock Springs resident Christopher Smith addressed the board regarding his fourth-grade daughter who was being “sexually threatened and harassed” by a classmate. Smith, too, was denied the opportunity to observe and support his child in the classroom after his daughter requested parental support.

This story was published on May 17, 2025.