WHEATLAND — Just before the Christmas holiday break, a public evening performance by the Wheatland Middle School drama club was cancelled by the school’s administrators. “The Bullying Collection,” a collection of skits by several different playwrights, was performed by the young thespians in an in-school assembly as a full-dress rehearsal the day before the public performance. After seeing the skits, the Wheatland Middle School Principal, Robert Daniel, chose to cancel the December 15 public showing. The decision was fully supported by Superintendent John Wiegel when he discussed the situation with Daniel.

“Mr. Daniel was under the impression the play would have a lesson or purpose that would help prevent bullying, but instead, it ended up highlighting examples of kids who were being bullied. He also felt that it was inappropriate for the young students to see,” Wiegel said.

“There was even a warning on the front cover of the full script that stated it was not intended for children. What are we supposed to do: put a sign up on the door of a middle school production that warns it isn’t for young children? We can’t support something like that. That’s not what we represent,” he added.

According to the superintendent, more than 95 percent of the staff who saw the in-school production told Principal Daniel they felt the play was inappropriate for the students. “When I looked into this closer, it was obvious ‘The Bullying Collection’ was not geared for middle-level students. It’s more for high-school level at least,” Wiegel explained. 

Though Stephanie Bradley, Drama coach at WMS, said she understood one reason the play was pulled was because she there was a complaint of supporting LGBTQ, she said she’s not singling out or supporting any group above another. “I’m supporting the kids. No one should be bullied for any reason.”

“People don’t understand how many hundreds of hours of practice these kids have collectively put in,” Bradley said. She said the kids put in 70 hours of rehearsal time in person, not including the time they spent practicing their acting skills and lines at home, and the hours they spent getting their grades up so they could qualify to participate in the school-sponsored club. “They worked incredibly hard to work on a beautiful show, and their friends, grandparents, parents and the community should be able to see their hard work … the WMS students already saw it – what’s the point in cancelling it at this point? Why not let the community see it,” Bradley said. She emphasized the good that theater does for kids, and how she has been thrilled to see the growth in communication skills she’s seen in her students. “I’m just furious at the injustice of the whole situation,” she said.

Bradley said she did present the principal with copies of all but two of the scripts that were used, and he gave her the go-ahead at the beginning of the season.

Superintendent Wiegel explained the principal was given a preview of the play before the scripts were ordered, but until it was purchased, the script wasn’t fully available to read. Wiegel said Principal Daniel took responsibility for his mistake in not looking closer at the full script.

“The Bullying Collection” is a collection of skits, 10 minutes long, that highlight different bullying issues. One scene is about a mom bullying another mom at a sporting event; another is about a politician bullying a politician; another about online bullying; a man who confronts his former bully at a class reunion; a group of former bullies who meet regularly to discuss their recovery; and one is about a high school girl giving a eulogy at her school about a gay classmate who committed suicide, then she’s confronted by another classmate who pointed out she just stood by while he was being bullied by others; another is an example of bullying involving feminine products.

According to the website that publishes “The Bullying Collection,” playscripts.com, the play is a Drama/Comedy that came about by Playscripts asking “nine talented playwrights to write a … play based on his or her unique take on bullying. The result is this collection…[that] reveal[s] a new perspective on a common problem.”

Bradley admitted there was some bad language in one or two scenes, and there were some parts that “could make people uncomfortable.”

She said she asked the administration if they could pull out some of the parts that concerned them but was told that wasn’t an option.

“There have been times in the past where things have been cancelled at the last minute,” Weigel said. He also mentioned there was a production in the past where there was supposed to be modifications made to a script that didn’t end up happening, so there has been a loss of trust with that process.

Wiegel said any public performances the school presents should be a quality performance, which represents the district in a positive light. “I absolutely support the arts and enjoy all types of performances. There are a lot of good, wholesome plays out there,” he said, adding the Wheatland Middle School students will be given the opportunity to perform publicly again – with a different play – sometime in the spring.

Policies in place to prevent bullying

Platte County School District No. 1 does already have an established proactive approach to help its students learn how to deal with conflict and addresses behavior that can lead to bullying. There are programs in place that assist with positive behavioral interventions to perceived bullying and discriminatory events.

“There are blurred lines when there are conflicts, but that doesn’t mean it is bullying. We also do not discriminate against anyone. We want to provide a positive learning environment for all children in our district,” Wiegel said. He explained the district works with the students and school counselors to learn how to handle conflicts. There are also discipline procedures in place for the few students who are struggling to behave in an appropriate manner even with the prevention methods in place.

“Each school has something a little different,” Wiegel said, allowing the programs to be tailored to the age group and needs of each student body.

“Most day-to-day situations are handled by having students just sit and talk to each other; we have found this is the best way for students to understand how their individual actions may help or hurt another individual,” West Elementary Principal, Tom Waring said of just a portion of the school’s behavioral interventions and support system. “These conversations are guided by an adult, however the students generally come up with solutions to solve the situation.”

Waring said they incorporate small group meetings of students at lunchtime with a certified teacher or counselor. “During these meetings, students eat and discuss both problems and possible solutions – they can bounce ideas off of each other in a supportive environment…Throughout their discussion they may get mini-lessons on problem solving, conflict resolution, etc.”

He added every student, in rotation with “specials” like PE, Art, Music and Library, receives 30-minutes a week of classroom counseling covering multiple topics - including those that promote positive behavior and steps on how to help support peers who feel they are being bullied or picked on.

At Wheatland High School, there is a weekly video series that addresses many topics related to students’ social and emotional growth, explained Principal Josh Sandlian. “Our students meet with their Blue and Gold teachers - like homeroom – to watch the video and then discuss the questions in class. Most videos are five minutes. I also have a parent guide that I email to parents on a weekly basis with information and resources about the topic.”

Sandlian said there have been several different resources used in the past to address bullying at the high school. “One thing we share with our students is our expected behavior and that we don’t always ‘like’ everyone, but we do need to be respectful,” he said.

When there has been bullying reported, Sandlian said the trained counselors works with students to help them make appropriate, positive choices. “We sometimes have to follow our discipline matrix if these strategies of resolution don’t work.”

“Overall, though, it’s about creating positive relationships with students, making sure they know we care about them, and there is an expectation about how we treat people,” Sandlian said.

Platte County Players provide way for the show to go on

After the show was cancelled in mid-December, Bradley’s cause to let her students perform grew wings and made its way across the nation. “It’s blown up in a way I never expected it to, but it deserves that attention,” she said. “It never should have happened.”

Bradley, as director of the play, gained the support of Wyoming Family Alliance for Freedom, a non-profit group from Cheyenne that was started to protest the changes to Laramie County School District’s policies that would ban books deemed inappropriate by the school. Bradley also arranged with Platte County Players to buy the script and rights to perform “The Bullying Collection” under their umbrella.

“I’m glad the kids are getting to do the show,” Bradley said, “but it’s not fair they had to spend three extra weeks, missing out on part of their Christmas break, to keep practicing their lines in order to perform.”

Yes. The show is still going to have a public performance, with the same actors and actresses, and the same director. It just isn’t a WMS production. The show is being sponsored by the Platte County Players and the WFAF, and will be this Friday, January 12 at 7 p.m. in the Wheatland High School Auditorium. The performance is “admission by donation,” and the playbill says “Some adult themes, may not be appropriate for small children.” All funds gathered are going to the Platte County Players to use for youth theater performances in the future.

“I’ve gotten people from all over who say they are coming,” Bradley said. “A lot of people have been very supportive in this community.”

The school administration has easily accessible information on its website, platte1.org, about their non-discrimination policy and forms for submitting discrimination complaints to the Title IX program and to the USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.