Parent who alleged Shining Rock abuse charged in connection to ‘harassing’ emails
A parent at Shining Rock Classical Academy has been charged with cyberstalking by school officials. File photo
Shining Rock Classical Academy is pressing criminal charges against a school parent who previously accused the school of abusive disciplinary tactics.
According to a Waynesville Police Department arrest report, Rebecca Fitzgibbon has been charged with one count of cyberstalking, a misdemeanor. She was given a criminal summons and an arrest report on the morning of March 29, after dropping her child off at Shining Rock Classical Academy.
While much of the arrest and incident reports are redacted, the location of the incident is listed as 2150 Russ Avenue, in Waynesville, which matches the address of Shining Rock Classical Academy. According to the report, one person is the victim of the alleged crime, a white male whose name and age are both redacted.
According to the criminal summons, “the defendant unlawfully and willingly did electronically mail to Principal Joshua Morgan and other staff of Shining Rock Classical Academy repeatedly for the purpose of harassing Principal Joshua Morgan and other staff of Shining Rock Classical Academy.”
A court date has been set for April 24.
Cyberstalking involves the use of electronic communications or email to harass or threaten another person. This can be committed by electronically communicating words or language that threaten to inflict bodily harm on another person; electronically mailing or communicating with another person repeatedly for the purpose of threatening, abusing, annoying or terrifying the person; or electronically mailing or communicating with another person or their family or member of their household and knowingly making false statements regarding death, injury, illness, disfigurement, indecent or criminal conduct.
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Last month Ms. Fitzgibbon was notified that she had been banned from the SRCA campus, except to drop off and pick up her child.
Fitzgibbon claims that she was emailing the school to obtain academic information and records regarding her son and to request a parent/ teacher conference.
“I don’t believe the complaint is true,” said Fitzgibbon. “I will be glad to bring my evidence in front of a judge. I did email a handful of times to Mr. Morgan and staff, ask for records that I have been denied for almost a year now.”
Ms. Fitzgibbon previously lodged a complaint with the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools, a sector of the Department of Public Instruction, alleging that Head of School Josh Morgan used abusive disciplinary tactics.
“Mr. Morgan has violated policy with my child and refuses to work toward resolution,” the Sept. 7, 2022, complaint reads. “I have exhausted all means at school level. The SRCA board of directors did not offer a fair grievance process.”
Correction: a previous version of this article stated that Rebecca Fitzgibbon was arrested. That is incorrect. She was given a criminal summons and an arrest report.
