Updates

Welcome to the New Mandatory O’Neal Lunch Service

Earlier this week the school community received a notice acknowledging a disgusting incident involving food quality in the dining area. The message stated:

“On Thursday, November 7th, a photo was brought to our attention of what appears to resemble an insect larvae in a pork rib that was served for lunch. This was immediately reported to our dining service – Flik Independent School Dining (FISD). This is an isolated case.”

The school’s response raises immediate concerns. Given the nature of bulk meat shipments and large-scale cafeteria preparation, it’s difficult to believe the issue was truly limited to just one meal. More likely, it was simply noticed by only one student. Adding to the unease are the restrictive new dining policies imposed by the administration.

Students at O’Neal have traditionally enjoyed the flexibility of bringing lunch from home or ordering from local restaurants—a hallmark of the private school experience that offered families choices suited to their needs. Each week a designated menu allowed parents to select meals from specific locations, like “Panera Bread” on Thursdays. These meals would arrive at school ready for the start of the lunch period.

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A Culture of Bullying and Secrecy

For years, The O’Neal School has promised a safe and nurturing environment, but beneath the surface, many families have discovered a culture that protects aggressors, silences victims, and shelters those with power and influence from consequences.

One of the most widespread concerns is the administration’s failure to address bullying. Despite written policies in the handbooks that define and prohibit this type of behavior, parents are routinely told that their children are not being bullied, even when clear evidence is presented. Rather than punishing the aggressors, the response is often to silence or remove the victims, resulting in a concentration of bullies within the school. This has led to an environment where those who bully feel emboldened, knowing they won’t face consequences as long as they deny any misconduct.

“Bullying means unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying may also place a student in actual and reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property. Bullying behavior is often repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes intentional actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose or any action that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.” – The O’Neal Middle School Handbook (Page 14)

We continue to receive a growing body of feedback from parents, teachers, students, staff, and community members regarding the toxic culture within The O’Neal School. Some of this feedback was highlighted in our March 2024 article “Voices of Discontent,” but additional stories and experiences shared since then echo the same disturbing themes: 

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The Man Behind The Mask

When we published the article, “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” we chose not to disclose the name of the person responsible for the unethical conduct. This was done to give the Board of Trustees one more chance to address these matters internally and take appropriate action against the member at fault. However, they have consistently failed to do so. Even with significant public pressure and the recent appointment of District Court Judge Chris Rhue as the new Chair, the Board has been either unwilling or unable to enact meaningful change. It is now necessary to directly reveal the individual responsible.

Stan Bradshaw has been a long-term supporter of The O’Neal School, working with the Board of Trustees for over 20 years. His substantial financial contributions have led to the construction of several key buildings on campus including Bradshaw Hall and the Hannah Marie Bradshaw Activities Center. Additionally, the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center (BPAC) at Sandhills Community College, located across the street from the school, further highlights his family name. These contributions underscore Stan’s status as a well-known and seemingly respected philanthropist in our community. He was even featured in the June 2023 edition of “The Chapel Herald,” a newsletter published by the over 100-year-old Village Chapel in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The article portrayed him as a generous individual with strong Christian values while showcasing his public achievements.

This brings us to the key point:

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Juvenile Delinquent Loose on The O’Neal School Campus

On August 13, 2024, while The O’Neal School held its orientation for middle school students, a hearing was scheduled for a petition of simple assault against the juvenile who attacked the Stefanik child. The district attorney’s office had prepared extensive evidence for the case, including medical records, incriminating documents, and subpoenas for numerous witnesses, such as doctors, the eyewitness, the police detective who led the investigation, the school nurse, the former school counselor, and the assailant.

However, instead of proceeding to the hearing to defend his supposed innocence, it was revealed that the accused would enter an Alford plea, which the court treats as a guilty plea, to the charges of simple assault. The judge carefully explained the rights of the accused. After swearing on the Bible to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, the juvenile confirmed that he was agreeing to the plea of his own free will, acknowledging that the prosecution had sufficient evidence to likely convict him for the assault occurring on April 24, 2023, at The O’Neal School campus at 3300 Airport Road.

Their criminal defense attorney, Walter I. “Butch” Jenkins III, then attempted to downplay and minimize the victim’s injuries. He ignored the stack of medical records and conveniently disregarded the scheduled testimony of witnesses that would now not be heard. This strategy appeared to be an attempt to misrepresent the injuries in hopes of gaining leniency from the judge prior to the defendant’s sentencing. The victim’s family promptly spoke out in court to refute the despicable assertions.

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Unethical Practices Continue Despite New Leadership

The resignation of John Elmore occurred under a veil of secrecy, with parents signing a petition to remove him as some Board Members continued to express their devotion to his leadership. It was only after a middle school student made aggressive threats of violence towards faculty that they finally took action. According to our sources, this incident was far worse than what was disclosed to the public, with the former Head of School being investigated by authorities for ignoring these threats while attempting to hide details showcasing his mishandling of the serious safety risk.

Brenda Jackson was promptly brought out of retirement to temporarily fill this void while a new Head of School was recruited. However, the Board still did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or issue a public apology. A month ago, we learned that John Elmore had been hired as the new Head of School for Wakefield Country Day School in Huntly, Virginia. The report highlighted the extensive search that was undertaken to find a new head, even stating:

“Throughout the process, Mr. Elmore distinguished himself. He has an exceptional record as a school leader and is an educator of great personal integrity.”

How could they conclude that John Elmore was a man of “great personal integrity” given his involvement in the recent scandals at O’Neal? Unfathomably, The O’Neal School leadership appeared to give John a glowing recommendation. This action not only revealed the true extent of their deception but also helped place Elmore back into a position of authority over children.

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Where Are the Protections to Keep Children’s Records Safe?

What if your child’s most sensitive information, including medical and academic records, was accessible without any guarantee of privacy? Unfortunately, this frightening reality may be true for students and families who attend The O’Neal School.

North Carolina’s Department of Administration oversees non-public education, including private schools. This organization states that each non-public school should establish its own policies concerning the release of student records and that the laws do not address record keeping requirements. However, after an extensive review, we found no written assurance that the information maintained at O’Neal about students will be kept confidential. Here are some of the places we looked:

• Enrollment Agreement: The agreement details the terms and conditions for enrollment but does not include any clauses regarding the privacy of student information.
• Middle School Handbook: While the handbook provides guidelines for student behavior, academic expectations, and general school policies, it only specifies that counseling sessions are considered confidential. There is no mention of the confidentiality of other student records.
• Privacy Policy on the Website: The policy primarily addresses the collection and use of information from the website and does not extend to the protection of student records within the school.

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Board Member Violates Code of Conduct in Attempt to Smear Family

After an 11-year-old child was assaulted on campus at The O’Neal School, significant community discussion was anticipated. The incident was thoroughly investigated by a police detective who interviewed the victim, an eyewitness, school administration, the assailant, and doctors. Medical records were also reviewed, and incriminating text messages from the assailant were examined. The detective then filed a petition for simple assault against the attacker. Our website highlighted the trauma endured by the child and his family, showcasing medical records from several providers over multiple months, totaling over $35,000 in health insurance claims while managing chronic pain during recovery.

In February, the Stefanik family was approached by a reporter interested in their story. Following an interview, the article was published, detailing the events and encouraging others to come forward with more information. Shortly thereafter, a member of the O’Neal Board of Trustees began aggressively defaming the father and their son, attempting to undermine the family’s credibility.

We received an email from a source, which was authored by this Board Member, containing content so offensive that we chose not to redistribute it. However, it has come to our attention that this same Trustee is now actively spreading the lies from this email within the community.

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More Resignations Without Transparency

Over a month ago we outlined essential steps in ‘Restoring Balance and Justice,’ aimed at correcting past wrongs and rebuilding community trust. Regrettably, The O’Neal School has chosen not to address many of the critical issues we highlighted while continuing to avoid any admission of wrongdoing.

John Elmore’s resignation was initially seen as a hopeful shift away from a toxic culture. However, this change only scratches the surface of deeper systemic issues. It has recently been announced that James Franklin, the Director of Athletics and Transportation, is stepping down. This decision may be related to his involvement in the ban of a former student from competing on a visiting swim team. Furthermore, Miryah Walters has once again signaled her intent to leave at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year following her role in the mishandling of policies regarding student safety. Whether these departures will occur remains to be seen, but the delay in implementing necessary changes continues to undermine trust in the organization.

While key administrative figures are leaving, the public narrative presented by O’Neal often downplays their resignations with comments such as ‘we wish them well,’ ‘we are grateful for their dedication,’ or ‘we wish them continued success.’ The reality, however, is clear: students and their families have suffered under the inadequate leadership of these administrators. Instead of acknowledging the wrongdoings, the school’s response has been to minimize the events by attempting to conceal the issues through misdirection and secrecy.

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