Texas mom fighting back after school district demands $7K for bullying records: 'My son is not safe'
Terrie Chumchal wants answers from Joshua Independent School District on her son's bullying
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas mother is fighting back after her school district demanded she pay over $7,000 to access bullying records as she investigates harassment against her son.
Terrie Chumchal and her attorney, Warren Norred, joined "America's Newsroom" Tuesday to discuss her case and the push to get the Texas attorney general involved.
"As a parent, I have every right to know what's going on in the school and why my son is not safe in the school district," Chumchal said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DESANTIS-BACKED SCHOOL BOARDS ARE ALREADY MAKING HUGE CHANGES IN FLORIDA
Chumchal's 13-year-old son has endured two years of verbal and physical bullying targeted at his Korean-American heritage, according to the family. Last month, Chumchal filed a public records request with the Joshua Independent School District for the number of bullying, incident, assault, police and grievance reports filed between 2015 and 2022.
Lawyers for the district responded that since it does not have any "existing documents reflecting a total number" or "the resources to run a search for reports automatically," manually retrieving 6,636 pages of reports and redacting all confidential information would cost a staggering $7,111.12, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chumchal's attorney argued that obtaining the records "shouldn't cost a dime" and vowed that the school district "cannot get away with this." The family is now asking for the state to get involved, filing an appeal to the Texas Attorney General’s Office to challenge the high fee.
"These are numbers that have to be compiled and given to the States Texas Education Agency every year anyway," Norred said. "Most of this work should have already been done."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File)
Chumchal said the administration has not shown her family any sympathy and "wants to turn a blind eye" to the situation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think that the school needs to provide a safe environment for all children, not just mine," she said.
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Despite the bullying, Chumchal said her son does not want to leave the school where he also has friends.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I just would make sure that people understand that it takes parents stepping up like Terrie … and saying, 'You can't do this as long as a parent steps up,'" Norred said.