NJUHSD’s Quest Against Bullying

In early 2025, two Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD) trustees proposed a resolution for vote entitled “Every Student Belongs,” which even community proponents described as merely “symbolic in nature.” It did not include any action items, and was presented as a way to verbally support students who were being bullied. 

The resolution, proposed by trustees Wendy Willoughby and Olivia Pritchett, was voted down in April 2025. The main criticisms were that it was only symbolic - paying lip service instead of giving real solutions - and that it was politically motivated, formalizing specific language in the resolution that could incite the federal administration to withhold funding. 

In keeping with state and federal laws, current board policies already expressly prohibit bullying and harassment, and outline a formal complaint process to resolve incidents and discipline the offender. The district’s policies also make clear that Superintendent Dan Frisella is “responsible for receiving, coordinating, and investigating complaints and for complying with state and federal civil rights laws.”

Efforts to criticize the board's decision often lacked focus. For example, some students who spoke about the resolution in public comment at meetings voiced support for Palestine with one student introducing himself as “Free Palestine.” 

Students then planned a walkout at NU to make a point by missing class. Despite claims that the resolution was not political, most of the speeches given during the walkout at NU over the resolution were centered less on the resolution and more on a dislike of President Trump. 

For example, one NU student stated at the walkout, “when our current president was elected and he started installing his cabinet, many of those members and many other politicians who support him and his policies made numerous remarks degrading many people who I care about and people like me who I care about.” 

Bullying at NU: from bad to worse (2023-2025)

Despite the mixed messages that are enmeshed in student communications to the board, the students had one clear point that came through: bullying has been an issue at NU for some time without improvement. 

At the walkout, a self-proclaimed black, queer student said that for “years” she has “felt as many other people have, disloyalty, mistreatment on this campus. The board has had every single opportunity to change that.” 

Three trustees have been on the high school district board for the past few years. In December 2022, three elected trustees were sworn in to the NJUHSD board: Olivia Pritchett, Wendy Willoughby, and Ken Johnson. They ran as a slate and won together, and have served on the board for two and a half years to date. 

Willoughby said in a October 2022 Yubanet article that she would bring a “serious commitment” to “social, emotional well-being of the entire school community.” Pritchett wrote a similar promise that same month in Yubanet, saying she wanted “a safe environment that is sensitive to the social emotional needs of students.” In a radio spot after the election, KNCO noted that the slate campaigned in solidarity to stop “racist and homophobic harassment.” 

However, student complaints seemed to increase throughout Willoughby’s and Pritchett’s tenure as trustees, reaching a breaking point. Since the two were elected, Willoughby and Pritchett had not taken formal action on the part of the board related to bullying or harassment until the beginning of 2025.  

From words to action (2025)

In May’s public meeting following the April vote, Trustee Willoughby doubled down on her belief that the resolution was her preferred solution for the issue of bullying, saying, “We have a lot of work to do, but what we should be doing, and what we are able to do is let the students know that we see them and that we’ve got their back.” This echoed what Trustee Pritchett had said in a previous public meeting, “It’s very important to make sure that all of our students feel supported.”

Trustee Ken Johnson was one of three trustees who voted no to the resolution. In the May meeting after the vote, Trustee Johnson countered what he considered performative gestures by the other two trustees with his proposal for action: he proposed the formation of a committee to investigate and evaluate patterns of bullying at the local high schools, explore the scope of the reported incidents, evaluate district procedures, and finally recommend actions that would promise a safer and more inclusive school environment. 

Johnson then presented an action plan, saying “students are crying for help, and I want us to take specific actions…” 

Read his full statement: 

“What always upset me as a teacher was the harassment and bullying that some students experience. It breaks your heart. … We need to make sure teachers have the tools and the support to hold kids accountable for their actions. Otherwise, it makes teaching more difficult than it already is. We also need to make sure administrators are enforcing the rules when they are dealing with students and parents. I had teachers here in this district tell me this: Why bother writing kids up and referring kids to the office if nothing happens? I met with a kid today, LGBTQ+ student, and that’s basically what he said. I said, do you want to file a complaint? He goes, no, nothing will happen and why bother, and it will just put me at risk for more bullying; they’ll retaliate against me. 

“As a result, I will be submitting a formal request to the president of the board president and the superintendent requesting that an item be placed on the agenda for an upcoming board meeting, the next board meeting, to discuss and consider the formation of a board-appointed committee to investigate and evaluate allegations and patterns of bullying and discrimination in our district. This committee would explore the scope and nature of reported incidents, evaluate current district policies and reporting procedures, and recommend actions to promote a safer and more inclusive school environment. Students are crying for help, and I want us to take specific actions to protect our students. What I am proposing is more difficult, more complicated, but in the end it will be worth it. Because we will discover whether our current discipline policies are effective, and more importantly whether or not they are actually being implemented consistently at every school site. Thank you.”

Trustee Clark’s own experience with being bullied is dismissed and derided by staff, students

Trustee Kelly Clark also had voted no on Pritchett’s and Willoughby’s symbolic resolution, agreeing with Trustee Johnson that there was a more effective way to solve the problem of bullying on the local high school campuses. 

In the April public meeting, Clark tried to talk about her own experiences with being bullied in school, and what she believed would be a more effective solution than what three trustees including herself considered a politicized resolution. “Let me tell you this. I come from a place of experience. I was very bullied.” At this point, the NU librarian Josie Andrews interrupted, laughing at Trustee Clark. Clark continued, “No, listen. I was very bullied in high school. I know how it feels.” 

Trustee Clark again showed her empathy for students in the May 14, 2025 Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD) board meeting, when she shared her own experiences being bullied in high school, saying, “I truly care and love all people and hope to make the best decisions for our district as we move forward during these challenging times. I was a bullied adolescent myself, even so far as being beat up during my sophomore year of high school.” She added, “I tell you this because I want you to know that I have felt marginalized in my life and thankfully I did overcome those trials. I hope that I can bring my experiences to help all students and point them in the direction of help they may need.” 

Interviews with those close to Trustee Clark confirm her accounts of sustained bullying. When her sister Julie was contacted for comment, she responded, “The bullying started in junior high school and continued through high school with these same bullies. The bullying was not an incident here, and an incident there. The threats, intimidation, and violence Kelly endured, was prolonged, and organized, and took place over years.” In addition to the bullying, Clark was followed and threatened by a stalker who threatened her life, sent pictures of her, and left dead animals in her locker.

In the May meeting, the student who led the walkout questioned any of the Trustees’ ability to claim they were bullied based on their skin tone, saying, “Uh, you know, ask anyone who’s been out in the sun for like a few more days than you and they’ll let you know.” He had preceded his point with the words, “I just came here to tell you that, uh, you guys suck. … A few meetings ago you mentioned that you compared the bullying you experienced as a child to the bullying we were referring to. I mean, you’re wrong.” 

Over a couple months of meetings, several community members and students said similar statements of disappointment, aimed primarily at Trustees Clark, Johnson, and Klein, who had said no to the resolution in favor of more concrete solutions. 

NJUHSD Board President Andrew Klein remarked in the March meeting, “To the public comment on the agenda, I will always fight for individual rights and I think that’s something that we’re all very unified on, is fighting for individuals’ rights… individual rights is one of my huge priorities.”

Who’s responsible?

While the board has been the focus of scrutiny regarding the resolution and the issue of bullying, the superintendent is responsible for the operations of the schools in his or her district. Superintendent Dan Frisella was hired as assistant superintendent in 2016, and hired as superintendent in 2022. 

According to the California School Boards Association, the superintendent “accepts leadership responsibility and accountability for implementing the vision, goals and policies of the district.” 

Is there a growing safety problem in the district, rife with what students say is bullying and harassment? Trustee Johnson’s committee might find out through its investigation. But what is clear is that all current board members are against that bullying, even if they differ on how to solve it - through proclamations or action committees - and their vision is to support the students. However, the responsibility to discipline students who engage in bullying or harassment lies with the operational administration - superintendent Dan Frisella and NU principal Kelly Rhoden.