The Pelion Parents Awareness Club held its first meeting on Nov. 8.

Per a news release, the club was formed “as a bullying prevention group of parents to explore the problem of bullying and possible solutions in Pelion schools.”

The club was organized by Brandi Rimer, who was in attendance at the meeting.

“Our children in Pelion schools have been bullied, assaulted and sexually harassed in the classrooms and on social media,” the release states. “PPAC feels the Pelion schools and Lexington District 1 has failed to implement an effective bullying prevention program because the school’s administration does not have an accurate picture of the prevalence of bullying in Pelion schools.”

Lexington School District 1 Trustee Jada Garris and Lexington County Council Member Scotty “Scott” Whetstone attended the meeting, held at a member’s residence, along with several parents and their children.

Multiple parents voiced complaints, but none wished to be identified.

One parent stated that their child had been sexually harassed and a police report was made, but to this date, nothing had been done. Another said her child was cornered in a hallway and surrounded by several boys and verbally harassed.

“The school board’s job is to make policy,” Garris told those in attendance, saying she would look into the matter in more detail. “It’s the school’s job to implement that policy.”

Whetstone said that as long as he is on County Council, there will be no bullying if he has anything to do with it.

“We have lost control of [Pelion Middle School] and it starts with leadership,” he said. “The [school resource officers] work for the Sheriff’s Department, not the school district.”

Garris handed out a copy of the state Office of the Ombudsman mission letter, which explained the role, authority and jurisdiction that they control.

“The Office of Ombudsman acts as a facilitator in guiding citizens to the government resource that will address their issues,” the office’s website states. “We listen to problems facing constituents across the State of South Carolina.”

The recently formed Pelion Parents Awareness Club is looking for enforcement of stated policies, per the organization’s news release.

“While Lexington District One has addressed the issue of bullying in the student handbook, some parents are displeased because they feel that these policies are not being followed by the district that created it,” it states. “The intent of PPAC is not to criticize the schools or the district, but to create a group that will work to enable the entire school community to implement programs that would include school-wide interventions, classroom activities, and individual interventions.”