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Bullied: Teachers allege psychological harm at Va. middle school

Concern is building over allegations that teachers are being bullied at a school in Haymarket, Va. in western Prince William County, one of the fastest growing areas in our region.

Concern is building over allegations that teachers are being bullied at a school in Haymarket, Va. in western Prince William County, one of the fastest growing areas in our region.

Some teachers say they've been so badly bullied by administrators at Ronald Reagan Middle School, that they're searching for new jobs.

On Tuesday morning, as teachers and children made their way to the school, few dozens parent held balloons and signs in support of them.

RELATED: Va. middle school teachers claim they were bullied into silence

On Monday, parents spoke for several teachers, too afraid to be identified. Three teachers told WUSA9 that administrators at the school have bullied them to the point of psychological harm. It all was laid before school board members two weeks ago on February 7th.

"My spring of my first full year of teaching, I lived in terror of the principal I adored,"said Colleen LeMay, who left her 7th grade English teaching job at Ronald Reagan, where she says she was bullied from the start.

"Within the space of a few weeks, the principal burst into my classroom, yelled at me in front of the classroom full of entranced children and later wrote this up as an official observation in scrawled handwriting so difficult to read that I never figured out some of it. I just knew it was bad. The same principal called me or sent me emails at unexpected times nearly everyday, even at home and at holidays. She threatened numerous times the call the main office and quote, 'send someone to take me away' because of my unprofessional attitude. Because I raised my voice. The truth is I barely spoke in her office, I was terrified," said LeMay during her Feb. 7 speech.

The turmoil she says she face was too much for LeMay.

"I fell apart under the strain even though I worked in high pressure jobs for years. I received a family medical leave from my doctor," said LeMay.

She said she suffered insomnia, migraines, digestive problems and depression. She's left teaching and is pursing a different profession.

Teachers still working at Ronald Reagan said that they're too afraid to speak out publicly. But at that school board meeting, a letter written by the teachers was read, and others spoke out for them.

WUSA9 asked Allyson Satterwhite, the elected school board member for the Gainesville district to respond to the allegations.

She declined, writing, "This is a personnel issue I cannot discuss any details."

Superintendent Stephen Walts also would not respond.

But, School Board Chairman Ryan Sawyers did comment on the allegations.

"To me it's a systemic problem and not necessarily an individual local problem, to me, this starts at the top. This is a good old boy's network that only circles the wagons when problems arise, so that they shame anyone that stands up against them. I will continue to fight. I represent all 465,000 residents of the school system," said Sawyers.

Parents and teachers are expected to air their concerns at a town hall meeting Tuesday night at 7:30 at Battlefield High School.

Teachers at Ronald Reagan Middle School said that 50% of the teaching staff has asked for transfers out of the school or intend to leave.

Prince William County Schools will not provide that information, or verify whether it's true.

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