Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 18, 1995 TAG: 9507180091
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
But she didn't know the extent of her problems until her old school records, and those of dozens of other students, showed up in a trash bin outside a vacant school for the entire town to see.
``They revealed I'm a lot dumber than I thought,'' Thomas said Monday.
The records show that Thomas, now 39, was often on probation until she left school in the eighth grade. They also show her brother had a low IQ, and that the family was on welfare, she said.
The records were found outside Minden Elementary School in Rock Lick, about 50 miles southeast of Charleston. It served Rock Lick and nearby Minden for decades until it closed six years ago.
Residents hurried to the massive bin once the records were discovered, setting off a flurry of gossip, panic, accusations and humiliation in the towns, whose populations total about 1,000.
``Some people have been intimidated, others harassed. A good share are more embarrassed than anything else,'' said G. Ernest Skaggs, a lawyer who plans to sue the Fayette County School Board on behalf of the former students.
``It's one thing to drop out of school, another when people know your IQ is 80,'' Skaggs said.
Ace Rafting, a whitewater tour company, apparently dumped the records while cleaning the building, which it bought and plans to use as offices.
School officials declined comment because of the pending litigation. Ace Rafting officials did not return a phone call Monday.
Thomas' brother, Paul Kelly, learned his records had been discovered when two acquaintances came by his house and teased him about his poor academic record.
Kelly, now 38, learned he had been promoted through school because of his age, not his academic work. He dropped out in the seventh grade, still unable to read.
``It hurts. It really hurts,'' Kelly said. ``I got so mad that if I could have gotten hold of the people responsible I'd have beat the living hell out of them.''
The records detailed illnesses, abuse, malnutrition, family financial records and student IQs. They show school officials said one girl couldn't learn because she was fat. Another was belittled because she had a metal plate in her head.
Skaggs said he will file a federal lawsuit in two to three weeks, saying the Board of Education violated the students' privacy. He said he is still sorting through more than 200 sets of records.
Scores of other records are floating throughout the community because it took several days to remove the bin, Thomas said.
by CNB