Physical, Verbal Abuse Alleged Against Calumet Elementary Principal

Parents want a Calumet Elementary school principal gone after they say he's been verbally, and in some cases physically abusive toward their children.

As it turns out, this isn't the first school where administrators have had to deal with upset parents because of this principal.

Tyler Snowden has been convicted of assault and battery against a minor, but that was nearly 10 years ago in the Canute school district. Now parents say since he was hired at Calumet, five years ago, he's been nothing but constant trouble.

"Children being abused, harassed, threatened, intimidated, assaulted, bullied," said parent, Amanda Pawnee.

News 9 first met Pawnee, Monday, at the Calumet School Board meeting when we learned of aggressive abuse allegations against Tyler Snowden.

"I've spent a year and a half, numerous calls, numerous emails, to the point where I just requested he not be alone with my children," said Pawnee.

"My kid cried everyday having to go to school," said parent, Dee Schwab.

These parents who say they're among several in the school who've filed a number of complaints, say they had no idea Snowden was convicted of assault and battery in 2006.

According to an Washita County arrest affidavit, in October 2005, Snowden "grabbed a student by the neck and pushed him away at least twice during the practice game."

"If we had known that at the time, we would have filed criminal charges against him for assaulting my son," said Schwab.

"I was appalled, I immediately started contacting parents that had the same issues, and telling them," said parent, Shirley Salazar.

Calumet Superintendent Keith Weldon said Wednesday during a phone conversation, Snowden has been "an excellent teacher and is doing a super job." He says these parent allegations against Snowden are not, "100-percent accurate," and he's never laid a hand on a student at Calumet.

For parents Dee and Bryan Schwab, they say the verbal abuse got to the point, they had to take their children out of Calumet and enroll them in schools in El Reno. They say since then, their children have excelled.

Weldon says he goes through back ground checks on all employees, and Snowden was the best candidate for the job when he was hired at the school five years ago. He was promoted to Calumet Elementary school principal in 2010.