BLACKSBURG, Va. – “We as a community need some answers,” Blacksburg High School parent Dr. Wendy Eckenrod-Green said.
A push for explanations over three months after the murder-suicide of two Blacksburg High School students.
“The more I reviewed Virginia law, the more concerned I became,” Eckenrod-Green said.
Eckenrod-Green tells 10 News her son was close to victim Serenity Hawley.
“What he described to me, is that at every level Blacksburg High School was aware that there were concerns about her safety, and that she had gone and spoken to administration,” she said.
Eckenrod-Green said Serenity’s ex, Croney Monk, had well-known troubles at and outside of school, something Serenity’s friends were concerned about.
“He and a friend went to administrators specifically to express their concerns, and in my opinion, they were dismissed and weren’t taken seriously,” she said.
As an educator herself, Eckenrod-Green expressed her concerns that protocol may not have been followed.
“When a faculty, teacher, school counselor, student, parent comes to the school and reports a concern about a student, a threat assessment team is supposed to be initiated to assess, intervene and really manage,” she said.
She tells us the school never followed up with her son regarding his worry for his friend.
“It’s upsetting, but I think because of my position and previous experiences, I understand the inner workings of a school and believe that their concerns should have been taken more seriously,” she said.
Eckenrod-Green said she met with Superintendent Dr. Bernard Bragen to discuss her concerns but still wants to go through with the petition.
“There were clear and obvious signs that intimate partner violence was occurring and I think the school, that threat assessment team should have been triggered,” she said.
She said she wants to see the school board take accountability.
“The school board really owes an explanation to our community and to the individuals that went and expressed their concerns,” she said.
Eckenrod-Green is speaking at the next school board meeting to present her petition, and further push for answers.
You can find the petition here.