To the Editor

Dear People News my niece and my son both go to Horizon Alternative School here in Bradley County. I know they are both there for a reason. They have both been in trouble. My problem is with a certain teacher there, her name is Willa Smith.

This teacher constantly belittles all the students there, she is always telling them they are losers and going nowhere in life. My niece took a 2 day suspension because she raised her hand and asked for help. I went in and talked to Mrs. Smith and she informed me that my niece raised her hand at a time when she wasn't taking any questions. She then told me that when she does go over to help them if they don't whisper she refuses to help them. Last week she took my sons pencil and broke it and told him that his pencil wasn't good enough to be sharpened in her pencil sharpener. My son had no pencil to do his work with so he had to take a paddling the next day for not doing his work. Also my family are strong believers in God, but Willa Smith takes things too far. She brought my niece a Bible to school and she plays gospel music all day long in her class and stays on them all the time about God and the Bible. As I said, my family does believe in God but I do not want a woman who treats kids the way she treats them teaching my children about the Bible. I do not want my kids having the impression that if you go to church all the time that you can treat others badly.

I called the school board and reported this incident to them. They turned the matter over to the principal of the school. I had a meeting with him this morning and Willa Smith wrote a statement admitting that she brought the Bible to school for my niece. She also stated that she laid it on a shelf for her to get. Several students were questioned about this matter after I left this morning and I know that at least 2 other students gave a statement that they were present when she gave my niece the Bible.

I personally think that everyone involved in this matter will try to sweep it under the rug so to speak, but I think the people of Bradley County should know about this and how she treats the children at that school. And I hope that you will print this letter so the school board and the school will know that as long as she is treating children this way I will make it my personal goal to see that she is stopped.     

Sincerely,
Shannon Gaddis,
Cleveland
.