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By Bob Weaver
A Sand Ridge man has been charged with assault and trespassing
Wednesday (April 11) by
principal Sheri Graham of the Arnoldsburg Elementary School. Graham
contacted 911 after
Shirley Rush and his wife of Sand Ridge came to see her. The police
report said Rush was
"pointing his finger at the victim and swinging his finger closer to
the victim's face."
Graham reported that Rush said "I will slap you," according to a
statement taken by Deputy
Sheriff Carl Ballengee. The principal then called for Dan Cosgrove,
after she thought Rush
was going to cause her physical harm. Graham said Rush failed to
leave, although the pair
said they left shortly thereafter.
Ora Rush, wife of Shirley Rush, said Graham's account is a
fabrication. "We told Ms. Graham
were were going to hire a lawyer regarding discrimination against
their seven-year-old
grandson, who has a 50% hearing loss." She said Ms. Graham went into a
screaming rage.
Rush said Graham advised her to remove her grandson from school after
some incidents,
but Graham has refused to put in writing he has been suspended. He has
been kept home
from school . Ms. Rush claims Graham punishes the child by having him
sit in the corner of
the cafeteria.
During the past months, the Rush family and others have filed formal
grievances against
Graham regarding problems they felt were mishandled. "Graham declined
to pick up her
Level 1 grievance from the post office," said Rush.
Principal Graham was reportedly angered about statements made at a
Calhoun School
Board meeting in 1999 by three dissatisfied parents. She hired a
lawyer and sent letters to
parents threatening to bring slander suits against them.
Much of the discontent was connected to the delivery of the
MicroSociety program at
Arnoldsburg. The Calhoun County Board of Education had refused to
accept a petition
calling for her removal, stating proper grievance procedures must be
followed. About 175
people had signed the document.
A special law exists regarding assault on a school employee. The
statue centers on
situations where individuals are "attempting to commit a violent
injury....while an employee
is engaged in the performance of his or her duties, or if the motive
of the assault is
retaliation for some action taken by the employee to supervise or
discipline one or more
pupils .... in violation of Chapter 61, article 2, section 15a of the
code of the State of West
Virginia."
The case will continue in the Calhoun magistrate court.
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