Henry County

Father says Henry Co. student allowed back on campus after allegedly attacking, robbing son

By Tom Jones, WSB-TV
By Tom Jones, WSB-TV

STOCKBRIDGE, Ga. — A father says his son was attacked and robbed by another student at school and the student was allowed back on campus.

Rodney Herring says it happened even though a condition of the accused attacker’s bond was that he stay away from his son.

Herring says the Henry County School System is forgetting his son is the victim here.

“I’m not understanding why you would victimize my child twice,” he told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.

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Herring says that’s exactly what the school system is doing by allowing the student accused of attacking and robbing his son back on campus.

“I thought schools were supposed to be safe places for children. At this point, they’ve done nothing to protect my child,” he said.

Herring says a senior on the football team at Stockbridge High School assaulted and robbed his ninth-grade son in a locker room in September.

He says he hit him with a metal pole.

“Slammed him into the lockers several times and then he snatched his phone from him and left the locker room,” Herring said.

Herring says the student was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, robbery, and criminal damage to property.

A condition of his bond was he should stay away from any location where the victim is located.

Herring says the school suspended him, but the school board overturned the suspension and allowed the student to return to school.

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Herring couldn’t believe the school system’s response when he complained.

“Basically if we want to protect our child we can transfer him to another school if we feel that he’s in danger,” Herring said.

Herring thinks the student is getting preferential treatment because he’s on the football team and his parents have high-profile jobs. He says the school system is forgetting his son is the victim.

“He’s still scared and somewhat terrified,” he said.

Jones says a spokesperson for Henry County Schools didn’t respond to many of the questions he asked about this incident.

The spokesperson sent the following statement:

“Henry County Schools’ process for disciplinary hearings is outlined in the Student and Parent Handbook. Decisions may be appealed to the Board of Education, who reviews the hearing’s transcript and makes an independent decision based solely on the record. All student disciplinary proceedings and hearings are confidential. The safety and security of our students and staff is our utmost priority. Henry County Schools offers a number of measures to address student safety concerns, including but not limited to confidential individualized counseling, student safety plans, engagement of law enforcement partners, and/or offering a change of schools for qualified circumstances.”

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