Parenting comes with its own set of challenges, and navigating your child’s education is often at the forefront of those challenges. However, where do we draw the line between advocating for our children and crossing into disruptive behavior? A recent incident in Ohio sheds light on this balance.
According to the Oxford Police Department, a father, Adam Sizemore, found himself in a situation after repeatedly contacting both his child’s school and the police regarding homework issues. Detective Sergeant Adam Price described a situation where Sizemore made an excessive number of calls, amounting to approximately 18 or 19 within an hour, expressing his frustration with the homework load his child received from Kramer Elementary School in Oxford.
Kramer Elementary
Sizemore’s concerns, as he expressed in a voicemail to TODAY.com, centered around his desire to spend quality time with his children after school. However, his approach to addressing these concerns quickly escalated into what authorities deemed as disruptive behavior. According to the police report, Sizemore not only repeatedly called the school looking to speak to the principal Jason Merz but ended up cursing at the staff members when he wasn’t available.
The situation took a concerning turn when Sizemore’s behavior extended to interactions with law enforcement. Despite warnings from a school resource officer to cease his calls, Sizemore continued, even admitting to being under the influence during one of the conversations.
That officer wrote in the police report: “Sizemore continued to curse at me and call me names, such as ‘B****,’ He also told me he was going to make sure I lost my job. I explained to Sizemore if (he) called again, I would file a Telecommunication Harassment charge on him. I ended up hanging up on him. Sizemore called right back with the same behavior he was warned about.”
Police visited his home, but he didn’t answer the door. Instead, he continued to call the school.
When he finally got ahold of Merz he told him he did not want his son to have homework and started cursing at him, prompting the principal to end the call.
On March 1, Sizemore left Merz another voicemail saying “I hoped that you (Merz) put on your big boy britches on today and have a conversation like a big boy.”
He wasn’t done yet. He called the police department to speak to the chief but was sent to voicemail.
Shortly after Sizemore was arrested on two counts of telecommunications harassment and one count of menacing. If found guilty, he faces a maximum $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail for each count of telecommunications harassment. For the menacing charge, Sizemore faces a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail.
While parental involvement in a child’s education is undoubtedly essential, this case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of constructive communication and appropriate channels for addressing concerns. Principal Jason Merz expressed concern for the safety of the school community, highlighting the potential repercussions of unchecked behavior.
Sizemore told Today.com, “I’m a single dad of a boy and a girl and I’m just trying to do the best I can and that’s all I can do. People make mistakes.”
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