A Sublette County mom facing a breach of peace charge for an alleged profanity-laced tirade at Big Piney Middle School is an example of a problem local educators say is getting worse.
Kaysha L. Bohannon was summoned into Sublette County Circuit Court this week after an alleged loud meltdown in the school’s main office area, repeatedly referring to a teacher as “Mrs. Lick-A-Penis,” twice calling the school’s principal a “f***ing (c-word)” and accusing another staffer of being “a pill-head.”
Along with loudly hurling verbal abuse at school staff, Principal Tonya Atkins “was concerned it could be heard by students in the school library,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed Wednesday.
Atkins told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday that “unfortunately,” that type of behavior in the public school is something that “I’ve seen in my time here pretty frequently.”
The principal added that most parents are respectful, but there are a few that make it difficult to maintain a civil atmosphere and keep incidents like the one involving Bohannon on Sept. 30 from being witnessed by kids.
“Occasionally, parents get a little unreasonable about their kids, which is understandable. They get passionate about their kids, certainly,” Atkins said.
Most of the time, however, if parents get mad, they cool off quickly and it doesn’t rise to the level of this recent incident, she said.
“If you would talk to other principals, having just one or two parents like that, even at a large school, is pretty typical these days,” Atkins said. “When it happens multiple times or repeatedly, it can become a problem.”
Sent To The Office
Bohannon’s confrontation began when her child, who attends the school, was called to the main office for allegedly wearing a costume staff thought mocked a Big Piney Middle School teacher, according to the affidavit.
Students were dressing up as teachers for fun, but were told specifically ahead of time not to wear bald caps if they dressed as a particular teacher, the affidavit says.
When Bohannon’s son showed up with a bald cap, he was sent to the office and asked to remove it, which he refused, according to the affidavit. At some point, it’s believed he texted his mother, who came down to the school.
“Kaysha Bohannon came into the Big Piney Middle School and began yelling at staff members, using harsh and abusive language, and even used the (c-word) when referring to staff members,” the affidavit says.
A staff member “explicitly told students last week to not wear a bald cap as we are not dressing up as teachers to make fun of their attributes, but to be respectful,” the affidavit says. Bohannon’s son “chose to wear the bald cap anyway and was defiant (to a teacher) about it, so she sent him to the office.”
‘What Did You Just Say?’
Bohannon first demanded to see Principal Atkins but was told she was teaching a class, the affidavit says. She then demanded to see Mrs. “Lick-A-Penis.”
“I said, ‘What did you just say?’” a front office worker told police, according to the affidavit. “I told her she would have to wait, because she is also teaching a class.
“I then told her that calling teachers names and being disrespectful was not OK and she could be much kinder when she has problems with policies.”
Bohannon then allegedly repeated the slur about the teacher, “and I reiterated how incredibly rude that was,” the worker told police. “She then said at least kids didn’t dress up as a witch in a fat suit.”
When the principal finally came to the office area, she defended her staff and reiterated to Bohannon that if her son wanted to stay in school, he would have to take off the bald cap, the affidavit says.
“‘Well, what is the point of Spirit Week then?’” Bohannon said, according to the affidavit. “She then started yelling expletives and called Tonya a ‘f***ing (c-word).’
“I said, ‘That’s enough of the name calling.’ She replied, ‘Shut up. You’re a pill-head; multiple people have told me you are a pill-head.”
The principal backed up that account, saying she told Bohannon that the boy “may go back to class if he will adhere to our expectations, or you can take him home,” the affidavit says. “She said something like, ‘This is f***ing ridiculous, f*** you!’”
That’s when the principal asked her to leave, and Bohannon allegedly called her the c-word again as she left.
‘Shattering’
An unpleasant encounter with a parent normally isn’t a situation teachers or school administrators want attention for.
In this case, Big Piney School District Superintendent Robert Griffin told Cowboy State Daily that it’s an example of some of the unacceptable things staff have to deal with, especially when all they’re doing is the best they can for kids.
“This is one of the things making teaching difficult, and I do think it has increased,” Griffin said. “I don’t think an educator gets into education without wanting to do good things for kids.
“When you have that anger toward them, it’s shattering for them.”
He said encounters like the one at Big Piney Middle School on Sept. 30 don’t “happen every day, but I’m a little concerned for education because of that. I hope somebody does tell this story, because it’s shattering for the profession.
“Can you imagine if you had a situation that became physical in the school and how disturbing that could be?”
Breach of peace is a misdemeanor crime, punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.
Bohannon was issued a summons for the charge Wednesday with a Nov. 4 arraignment set for her first court appearance.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
