In recent weeks, disturbing allegations have surfaced from former and current Henryville High School students and community members who claim the school has allowed harassment and unprofessional behavior to go unchecked for years.
A viral Facebook post by Shae Hatter, a former student who attended Henryville from preschool through her junior year, has sparked widespread conversation about the toxic culture she says pushed her to transfer schools for her senior year.
Shae’s post paints a painful picture of what life was like inside the halls of Henryville.
She described being bullied and shamed by both peers and adults who were supposed to protect students. She wrote,
“I was called a ‘wh*re’ and told I was going to hell by another student,” “This same student and his group of friends bullied others and were still favored by teachers and coaches.”
Shae Hatter
What makes her experience even more troubling, Shae says, is that those responsible weren’t just tolerated, they were often praised.
She referenced how the same group of boys who bullied students later launched a “mental health” podcast and were celebrated for it.
Shae also alleged that the school’s soccer program fostered an unsafe environment for female athletes.
According to her account, she and several teammates were sexually harassed by older boys, and when her mother reached out to school officials, “her concerns fell on deaf ears.”
The harassment reportedly went unaddressed, ultimately leading Shae to leave the team.
The post went on to detail other troubling incidents by staff, including a pre-algebra teacher accused of making inappropriate comments toward female students. She wrote,
“This teacher made inappropriate comments to female students and behaved inappropriately with them, and yet, he was quietly let go,”
Shae Hatter
Shae’s reflection ended with a call for accountability:
“No child should ever be spoken to or treated this way by an adult that is meant to teach and mentor them. This issue is way too common at Henryville and continuously gets swept under the rug. There needs to be a change in this community.”
Shae Hatter
Her story resonated deeply with others, including Brad Winters, who posted his own experience involving his younger brother, a Henryville High School basketball player who, he says, was unfairly removed from the team.
According to Brad, the coaches’ comments during the removal meeting were not only harsh but deeply personal and religiously charged.
Brad expressed disbelief that adults in leadership positions would speak to a teenager in such a way. “That is not how you speak to a student,” he said. “Those comments are disrespectful, discriminatory, and emotionally damaging.”
He emphasized that the issue wasn’t the disciplinary decision itself but how it was handled, pointing out that such treatment can have lasting emotional and spiritual consequences on young people.
Brad shared,
“He’s been questioning himself, his faith, and whether he even belongs in a community he’s grown up loving,”
Brad Winters
He confirmed that a formal complaint has been filed with the BHSC board and added that the current principal has been supportive and “one of the best things to happen to Henryville’s administrative staff in years.”
Community members have also weighed in, echoing the frustration and sadness shared by both Hatter and Winters. Mike Mosier commented,
They talk about this all the time but little is ever done to try and stop it. It’s unfortunate that it happens. They don’t understand how it impacts the bullied students long term and possibly the rest of their life. They don’t fill as though they are a part of their class. It can destroy their confidence and self esteem. And then years later after graduation and the reunion start to take place, everybody wants to say we’re older and we need to put those type of things behind us, but it’s not easy and sometimes impossible. I’m speaking from experience. Sorry you had to deal with that and I’m sorry for any student that does. It’s not fair.
Mike Mosier
He went on to reflect on how the trauma from such experiences lingers far beyond graduation.
Another commenter, Patty Brown, related the issue to neighboring schools, saying, “I know they do the same at Austin. I pray that will change but only with God can they get through it.”
These accounts together suggest a broader, systemic problem not only within Henryville but possibly across nearby schools.
Many current and former students are now speaking up, hoping their stories will push the district to act with transparency and accountability.
The Henryville community now faces a crucial test: whether it will continue to “sweep things under the rug,” as Hatter described, or finally confront these painful truths to ensure future generations of students are treated with the dignity and protection they deserve.
