We, the undersigned students, parents, and community members of New Century International Middle School, respectfully submit this petition to request the formal removal of the Principal Gemette L. McEachern.

We believe this request is necessary due to ongoing serious red flags, denial of Parent Rights, and problematic concerns that have negatively impacts the safety, education, well-being, and health of our children in the New Century International Middle School.

These red flags and serious concerns include the following:

*Ongoing Safety Concerns for years with Children in the School
*Parent Concerns are repeatedly overlooked and totally ignored
*No Accountability, Deceitful, and No Transparency
*Principal allows Teachers to Abuse Students Without No Recourse 
*Lack of effective communication with students, parents, staff, and families
*Failure to address student, parents, and staff concerns appropriately
*Decisions that have affected the safety, healthy learning environment
*Principal Gemette McEachern is very misleading and not honest to Parents and Students
*Principal Gemette McEachern has threatening, unprofessional, and aggressive behaviors
*Principal Gemette McEachern refuses to inform parents of the well-being of students

We believe that strong leadership is essential for a safe, supportive, and successful school.  At this time, we feel that a change in leadership would better serve the needs of our school community. We respectfully ask the Cumberland County School District and the Board of Education to take immediate action regarding Principal Gemette McEachern due to ongoing concerns and repeated red flags within the school’s administration. These issues by the principal and her unprofessional behaviors have created an unhealthy learning environment for years that threatens the safety and well-being of our children and has led to fear and distress among students, in addition to the Principal’s behavior which she intentionally pushes out and ignores the rights of all Parents.

The Principal has delayed IEP Accommodations for students in the school and has made the IEP process harder for parents to help their children. Instead of helping the parents with the IEP, the principal goes against the parents. Principal McEachern has knowledge of teachers unfairly academically penalizing students and violating FERPA with IEPs in classes, and the principal unethically goes along with the teacher violating student rights and does not discipline teachers for their violation of the federal and state law.

We are deeply concerned parents and community members asking the Cumberland County School District and Board of Education to take urgent action regarding Principal Gemette McEachern. Our children deserve to feel safe, supported, and protected in school, yet ongoing issues by the principal's administration have created fear, anxiety, harassing behavior, and uncertainty with the lives of our children as students under her supervision. For years, it has been countless red flags and serious safety incidents with our children as students in the school which are still ongoing serious safety and health concerns as Principal McEachern did nothing to protect, or safeguard children. Principal Gemette McEachern plays games with parents seeking help with the IEP Accommodations and Services.

The Principal would not even notify Parents of what has happened to their child, for example, with the Tuesday, April 14, 2026 Pepper Mace Chemical Exposure in the 6th Grade Class where students were chemically exposed to the Pepper Mace and the Principal refused to contact Parents to inform them what happened so children could be taken to the doctor to be medically evaluated and she also refused to report it the weapon of Pepper Mace to the police. Students and Parents deserve better. Parents and community members' pays taxes to have a Principal who is unprofessional, deceitful, and careless in her administration.

Students should not be in school worried about their daily safety or well-being. We cannot ignore the repeated red flags any longer. We strongly urge the district to step in, to take meaningful action—including removal or replacement of the principal—to restore trust and ensure a safe healthy learning environment for every child. No child should be afraid to go to school. We as parents have raised the same issues repeatedly about Principal McEachern for years now without resolution.

Remove Principal Gemette McEachern from the New Century International Middle School, Cumberland County Schools in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The New Century International Middle School's students need effective and professional leadership and not a Principal who pushes students and parents out of the school. As parents , students, and community members' complaints have been ignored by the principal and the school district, and this negativity actually harms the educational productivity and well-being of our children as students in the school. 

We urge the district to take appropriate action, which should include the removal of the current principal, to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for all students. 

Sincerely,
Parents For Change