Principal resigns at Lebron’s I Promise school in Akron after allegedly smacking a student

Lebron James’ I Promise School is making news headlines for negative reasons stemming from an incident between the school’s now-former principal and a student. Brandi Davis recently resigned as principal of the school after being accused of smacking a student back in September. Davis has been under investigation since the incident happened where she allegedly slapped an 11-year-old boy for using profanity after he and a group of boys left a mess in the boy’s restroom.

Davis had been with the Akron Public School district as an educator for over 20 years. She is well respected within the community, which really shocked the boy’s mother about the altercation. The school’s motto and philosophy is “We Are Family,” and they believe that a student’s entire support system should be involved in their education process.

“We are family, and that means we support every one of our I PROMISE educators, students, and family members through anything they may be going through,” the school said in a statement released after the incident. “In this and in every case, we will always do everything we can to make sure all are loved and supported during these times as we learn and grow as a family.”

Anytime there is a physical exchange involving a student and an educator, it’s a stain for all parties. I’m not one for telling people how to raise their children, but a good rule of thumb to live by (especially nowadays) is to refrain from touching someone else’s child. The fact that an 11-year-old felt comfortable enough to curse around an adult is an aspect that should be considered and is a whole other conversation in itself. But this type of confrontation should be handled the opposite of what Nike tells us. Just DON’T do it. Back in the day, neighbors, family, and even teachers could physically discipline a child, which wasn’t a big deal. Well, times have changed.

I know James is basically the school’s figurehead, but anytime your name is attached to anything, you’d probably like to avoid any negative publicity at all costs. This isn’t a good look for the school, which is only in its fourth year of existence.

“We looked at you all as family,” the boy’s mother said about the school afterward, also noting the trust had been broken. The mother wanted Davis removed from her position as principal. Davis is gone, so the mother got what she wanted. But it will likely take some time for the boy, his family, and the school to heal following this episode.