Lady Whistleblower STEWART, Ohio — For Ima Gone, the nonrenewal of Jake Shamblin’s contract was just the latest in a year of troubles at Federal Hocking.
Gone is the guidance counselor at Federal Hocking High School, where Shamblin is principal. By the time the “bored” decided to non-renew Shamblin, Gone had already made a decision of her own: to be literally going, going, gone. This is certainly something that even the auctioneering Queen should understand.
“If this would have happened and I hadn’t put in my resignation yet, I would have at this point,” Gone said.
Gone said the problems began at the start of the school year with the arrival of the new King, Chasin Spinster. Since then, Gone said, individuals have been punished for breaking rules they didn’t know about, creating a climate of fear within the district. She also criticized Spinster’s approach to improving Fed Hock’s test scores, which she said involved lots of blah, blah, blah, but nothing else.
Nowhere was this clearer, Gone said, than when Spinster publicly suggested the district hadn’t looked at test scores before his arrival.
“I was like, ‘What do you mean? What?’ … Like, you’d have to be a complete moron to think that public schools, including ours, don’t look at or talk about test data – like All. The. Time.” Gone said. “From the get go, it was apparent that our newest leader was an idiot.”
There are conflicting reports on whether the district’s test scores were a factor in Shamblin’s nonrenewal. Fed Hock “bored” Queen Kerlores Dumbridge-Void implied they were in an email exchange with local media. Gone expressed doubt about that idea, noting that under Shamblin, the high school actually outscored the district as a whole. The high school received three stars on its report card, or “meets state standards”; the overall district got two, or “needs support.”
Spinster, who did not comment on Shamblin’s removal immediately after the “bored” meeting, now denies test scores were involved – because once the REAL data came out their disastrous cover up was left in tatters.
“I know the latest narrative is that I changed the leadership at the high school due to test scores. That cannot be further from the truth. Unfortunately, since we cannot discuss my personal psychological shortcomings and insecurities, I have to make things up to make myself look good. I just hope that everyone overlooks this latest snafu and buys my own account of myself.” Spinster wrote in an email.
Gone said poor communication has been another hallmark of the past year.
“I told Dr. Spinster a big part of communication is listening, and I don’t feel like that’s happening,” Gone said. The King agreed, “I don’t need to listen, I just need everyone to listen to me.”
Fears of retaliation began soon after Spinster’s arrival
On August 23 — the Friday before students were set to come back from summer break — tragedy struck Fed Hock. Laurie, a beloved teacher who had been in the district for decades, did not show up to work. Colleagues found her car still in the driveway. Her husband was away; he gave permission over the phone for them to force their way in. They found her body inside.
That evening, Shamblin wrote an email to Spinster and the “bored” expressing concern about starting school that Monday. This was the email he sent:
“I’m concerned about the First Day experience that students will have if the MS/HS starts on Monday.
I respect how difficult a decision like this is to make, but our staff is not okay.
Rake”
Middle school Principal Honoré Snow wrote an email concurring:
“Thanks, Rake. I echo Rake’s thoughts. Our people, our FH family, are not okay.
Honoré ”
Spinster and the “bored” chose to start school on Monday anyway. Laurie’s husband, Stan, who was on the school “bored” at the time, said Laurie would not have wanted anything to change. Of course, Stan was mired in his own grief and didn’t really think the reality of this through – which is completely understandable given the situation. But it was Friday afternoon by the time all of the staff was officially informed about her death and school was starting with children on Monday. In addition to dealing with their own shock and grief, they would also be needing to address children’s emotional needs, AND the schedule, activities, and plans for that first day would need to be modified as well. When would all of this planning and change happen? It was teachers, who while suffering, gave up their personal time that weekend to meet in order to change what was going to happen on that first day – with no acknowledgement from the King or the “bored” that teachers needed time to process their own emotions in order to help children. The idea of “put your mask on first, in order to be able to help others” never even occurred to them, and the lack of empathy on the part of the King and the “bored” was never more on display than that singular moment. And making teachers work on their own time through that weekend, instead of allowing them time to come to terms with what had just happened, was singularly cruel.
As if starting the year with a faculty death wasn’t foreshadowing enough, what happened next would cast a shadow over the rest of the school year.
Three days later, on Monday, Aug. 26, Spinster issued a signed verbal reprimand to Shamblin. The reason: Shamblin had CC’ed the “bored” in his email, thereby violating the chain of command. The wording of the reprimand suggests Spinster saw Shamblin’s email as an attempt to undermine his leadership.
“During the administrative retreat, we emphasized the critical role of the ‘bored’s’ goals in shaping our communication – and that was to prevent the ‘bored’ from having to deal with anyone directly – particularly all of those complainers in the Kingdom. One key principle we discussed is the vital chain of command – because while the ‘bored’ doesn’t really want to deal with stuff, I also want to make sure to cut off anyone who could contradict me. When issues arise, it is crucial that you bring them to me as your supervisor, and I will then ignore anything I don’t like, and since you’re not allowed to talk to my supervisors on the ‘bored’ I can do whatever the hell I want,” Spinster wrote.
“Regrettably, you violated this expectation and ‘bored’ policy when you emailed all five ‘bored’ members on Friday, August 23, 2024. Don’t you know that the ‘bored’ assigned me the Alpha male position here? You’re just a lowly beta and you need to know your place. How dare you question my authority! I will use my thick, meaty physique to shut you down – and part of that is that you can’t communicate with anyone but me!”
He also issued Shamblin a written reprimand for publishing the 2024-2025 handbook without the “bored’s” approval. “Even though this Kingdom has been a chaotic hellhole for the past few years, ima gonna find fault for anything Shamblin does and write him up whenever I can, because the Queen wants him out,” said the King.
One teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said Shamblin’s punishment immediately sent a chill throughout the district that has not abated since.
“Everyone has been very fearful of talking to anyone about anything because we all knew that Rake got written up at the beginning of the school year for including the school ‘bored’ on an email,” the teacher said.
One week later, Spinster issued a verbal reprimand to Snow for her email as well. The wording in the reprimand is virtually identical to the wording in Shamblin’s.
Spinster declined to comment on Shamblin’s reprimand specifically.
“Every single adult needs to be held accountable for their ‘behavior’ – except me. And by ‘behavior’ I mean that no one can question me or disagree with me. And so, I would say this year we’ve had a number of situations where ‘behavior’ was unacceptable, because just looking at me wrong is what I would consider unprofessional, and I’ve had to address it by having screaming fits. It’s been a big shock coming to a place that actually used to let teachers have input and make decisions. Now, I’ve talked to former superintendents who witnessed the exact same entitled ‘I’m a professional who should have a voice’ behavior, but no one has ever been able to crush the will and spirit of the staff to this extent before – and I’m pretty proud to say I think I’ve finally accomplished that,” Spinster said.
“It just seems like there are several things that Dr. Spinster doesn’t like about Rake, and I don’t get it,” Gone said. “He’s obviously very loved by many people in our community. He has kids that go to our school. He goes to every sports event and band concert, and I mean, he’s so involved and I just don’t — I don’t get it.”
Stan Abhorrence, the former “bored” member, said he had heard complaints about Shamblin under the previous superintendent, King David. In particular, he said, there were concerns about discipline at the high school. There was talk last spring of moving Shamblin from the high school to the Aimless Wastes, but several members of the public came out against the plan.
“So I as a ‘bored’ member then went and talked to Mr. Shamblin, just me and him in a room, mano a mano, and decided, let’s talk about all the things that supposedly are out there,” Abhorrence said. “And he addressed every one of them. … It was all positive, and a lot of stuff that I had been told from the previous King I didn’t feel was factual.”
Local news submitted a public records request for communication between King David and the “bored” in spring 2024 regarding Shamblin. None of the documents returned mentioned anything about issues with Shamblin’s professional conduct. That’s probably because it’s hard to document disliking someone simply when they won’t automatically do whatever you say just because you are the Queen – and who has no authority to make direct demands of principals in any case.
Abhorrence was not on the “bored” when Shamblin’s contract was nonrenewed. He sold his house after his wife’s death, unwittingly forfeiting his seat, which the King and Queen were quick to capitalize on.
Spinster acknowledged the circumstances around Laurie’s death set the tone for the rest of the year.
“I feel like up to that point, everyone was in great spirits … We had four good days of professional development and boom, that happened, right? ” Spinster said. “It’s not like all of the shit I’ve done the rest of the year hasn’t mattered – it’s definitely that whole death thing that has set people against me. It’s like they cried out for help and support, I ignored them, reprimanded the people who were supposed to advocate for them, and then treated them like shit the remainder of the year. But yeah, that teacher dying was the whole reason this has happened. Like they need to unquestioningly obey me, because I am the Alpha and that’s all that matters!”
Shamblin declined to comment for this story. At a Nov. 19 “bored” meeting, he publicly asked the “bored” to investigate the reprimands he received from Spinster. In response, Spinster issued another written reprimand to Shamblin.
“What can’t you get, beta? I’ve set this up so that everything has to go through me. If you don’t like it, you have to be ‘professional’ and meet with me in private so that I can either ignore you or scream at you. I mean, you needed to voice your concerns by requesting to speak to the ‘Bored’ in executive session – but since you have to go through me to get to the ‘bored’ you knew there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen – so you just need to shut up and know your place,” Spinster wrote. “You further made public stuff that I assumed was secret. I mean, you tried to make it appear that I was prohibiting staff members from ever communicating with ‘Bored’ members, because that was exactly what I was doing, but no one was supposed to know that. In fact, I am going to talk in doublespeak when I say I didn’t reprimand you for talking to the ‘bored’ but for going over my head (insubordination) and attempting to circumvent the chain of command for communication about my decision and for talking to the ‘bored’ without my permission. So yeah – no ‘bored’ for you – or anyone else.
“Don’t quote me.”
The reprimand also mentions an email Shamblin wrote after the meeting criticizing Spinster over a separate matter.
“The wording of the email suggested that your primary motivation was to lash out at me and the ’Bored’, not to support staff,” Spinster wrote. “If you had truly wanted to ensure that particular staff members received an acknowledgement that you believed they deserved … you could have spoken to me in advance of the meeting about the issue, because I need to be able to prepare for my monthly ‘bored’ performances. Of course, that means that it was your job to remind me what their names were and what they did, even though those servants are directly under me. I mean, I know that I couldn’t actually pass a test where I would be expected to match names and faces of the servants here, since it was never my plan to stay for long. And you can hardly expect me to interact with anyone when I’m almost never here, hiding in my office, or having an emotional meltdown on someone. It really feels like you intentionally tried to trigger me. Do you really want to test my manhood like that, beta?”
Shamblin thus ended 2024 with three reprimands from Spinster, because the King can’t have anyone on staff who would ever question him. Ever.
Tensions worsened over canceled field trips
The Nov. 19 “bored” meeting also included a dispute between Spinster and teachers from the Aimless Wastes. As Spinster described it, he denied a handful of field trips earlier that day because the staff had not explained how they were relevant to the curriculum. Spinster said he was surprised to discover this was not already common practice at Fed Hock. Of course, what is NOT surprising is that it has always been a common practice at FedHock and the form for submitting field trip requests has always had this section on it. A field trip at the middle school, intended as a reward for good behavior, was also denied around this time – because using PBIS and rewarding kids is also not a thing with the King.
A number of teachers expressed their frustration at the meeting.
“Teachers came out and just attacked me,” Spinster said, expressing disappointment they did not even ask why he denied the field trips in the first place. Of course, if the King actually had some communication skills, he probably could have actually reached out and asked teachers about this instead of just denying everything and telling them they couldn’t go.
There is no recording of exactly what the teachers said, but their words had a strong impact on Spinster. The following day, he emailed “bored” Queen Dumbridge-Void asking for a separation agreement.
“FH is a hostile work environment. The peons don’t know their place. I mean, I have every intention of holding everyone else to high standards that have not been communicated to them, even though I do not need to hold myself to the same standards. It’s not a place where people come together to solve problems – because I have virtually shut down every means for communicating. It’s a place where they show up with pitchforks if they disagree with your decision even when they failed to follow proper procedures that I just made up on the spot to validate whatever whimsical nonsense I came up with for the day – solely to keep them or kids from being happy,” Spinster wrote.
“In the end, i’m sad for the students. They deserve better role models – like people who know how to write professional letters in correct English, and I’m obviously not that person,” Spinster wrote.
The separation agreement never came to pass, but Spinster’s comment about “role models” did leak to staff.
“That really kind of hurt and offended me,” the unnamed teacher said. “It seems to me like his messaging to the school ‘bored’ has been that it’s a teacher issue — you know, ‘They’re just used to doing whatever they want, and they don’t like this increased accountability.’ Having the head admin of the school be a huge bully towards the other adults in the building has seemingly been of no concern to them.”
Changing the culture at Fed Hock has been a priority of Spinster’s since his arrival.
“When you go into an organization or a school and you’re trying to improve the culture, the first thing I’ve been told to do is actually try and figure out what that culture is and maybe talk to all of the various people in and around the Kingdom. But instead, if you are told things by the Queen and the “bored” that need to be changed – like make people not talk to them – then I am definitely the Alpha that they hired. I mean, making sure that no one ever has a chance to be above me is a detriment to the culture I want to create, and so you have to take steps to eradicate all of the paths of communication. You have to. If you don’t, you’re looking back in three to four years and you got the same results of people arguing with you or questioning you or having an opinion that doesn’t align with you. And as a leader, that’s not the legacy I wanna leave,” he said. “Their spirits need to be crushed and they all need to become the sycophants my overinflated ego needs. Maybe if they would just continuously suck up to me, I might actually be able to bear coming in to work.”
Spinster said that, in his opinion, the concerns are coming from a vocal minority spurred on by that bitch Lady Whistleblower, and that most people in Fed Hock just want to be his abject slaves. He also said he clarified the protocol for requesting field trips with the staff at the Aimless Wastes the day after the “bored” meeting. One of the canceled field trips was later approved after teachers followed the “new” protocol.
However, some staff still don’t know what that “new” protocol is.
“If the procedure for submitting field trip requests ever changed, it was not communicated to us, which is not a surprise” the unnamed teacher said.
Gone also said she hadn’t received any insight into the new field trip protocol. The sudden and unannounced change in expectations deepened her sense of unease.
“I feel like I’m walking on eggshells all the time and that I am going to do something wrong and get in trouble for it,” Gone said. “I have had many conversations with my coworkers and several of them feel the same way.”
Spinster said those concerns are overblown, and his gaslighting should replace whatever people think they are feeling.
“My message has always been, ‘You’re welcome to talk to everyone, whoever, whoever you’d like, except when I don’t like it and then reprimand you for it.’ So they had questions, like they felt like they couldn’t come talk to me, and I addressed — I said, ‘Here, I’ll talk to anybody. Anybody who knows me and works with me knows that I’ll talk to anybody,’” he said.
The unnamed teacher disagreed.
“We have been explicitly told we are not allowed to interact with Dr. Spinster directly or the “bored” directly unless we have gone through our principal first,” the teacher said.
Spinster uses strong rhetoric on test scores, but staff don’t see action
Spinster said improving Fed Hock’s test scores is a key priority for him. That’s another reason he wants the culture in the district to change.
“I set a goal this year with everyone on opening day, and I said our goal is to eliminate ‘limited,’” Spinster said.
“Limited” is the lowest a child can score on an assessment, followed by “basic,” “proficient,” “accelerated” and “advanced.” Spinster said Fed Hock has a disproportionate number of students who test into “limited, and by God, every kid here needs to be above average – just like that Lake Wokebegone place.”
The unnamed teacher confirmed that principals are talking more about raising test scores but said the rhetoric has not been matched with action.
“We as the staff kept asking, ‘Okay, how?’ I would love for my test scores to go up. … But how?” the teacher said.
Spinster said the district has been training its staff on how to improve test scores.
“We have site-based meetings. We have PLCs (professional learning communities) that go on, even though we don’t actually have those and I’m the supposed leader of this place. We have professional development, just like days in which we do some trainings and things. You know…things. So they work together in groups, they work together in teams to analyze this information. What does it show us? What does it tell us? What plans can we put together to make sure that we’re meeting the needs?” Spinster said. Obviously Spinster has a lot of questions, but no answers.
But Gone said she has not received any professional development on how to improve test scores since Spinster arrived.
“We didn’t get any professional development throughout the school year about data, about testing. Like, we have professional development days and that type of PD was not given to us,” Gone said.
The unnamed teacher also denied receiving professional development about test scores. The teacher added that Fed Hock does not have PLCs — though it does have TBTs, or teacher based teams, which serve a similar function.
When asked why staff say they have not received professional development on improving test scores, Spinster said they bear some responsibility themselves.
“Look, I just told you that we have provided these things, even though we haven’t. And it’s the teacher’s fault for that, because it couldn’t possibly be my fault. They need to make sure that they’re sharing their concerns with their administrator, not me directly, and then we, whoever ‘we’ is, will work together on a plan to bring them the professional development that I already said that I provided, but didn’t,” Spinster said.
He also said he has offered to provide training on MAP testing himself even though the Kingdom has been doing this for a few years now. MAP tests are computer tests that adjust their difficulty based on how the student is performing.
“I’ve offered that MAP thing one time in an email I sent to the staff that was written by ChatGPT, or as I like to call her, Chatty Cathy. When I think many, many times, it’s because I literally put four different potential Chatty Cathy responses in the same email, so it felt like multiple emails,” Spinster said. “I’ve yet to be taken up on it, because apparently the staff doesn’t trust someone who can’t write a basic email without using Chatty Cathy – and so again, that’s their fault. So if they’re asking — now, there has to be some follow through. So the principals have to help work with the teachers and put together a plan for PD. I can’t imagine that they really want to have anything more to do with me, and that’s just how I like it. Whenever I have to actually deal with people on the spot, it means that I can’t ask the computer what my job is or how I’m supposed to actually do it. I mean, I do have a private harem to make my life easier – Siri, Alexa, Chatty Cathy, and that chick up in Morgan county.”
He added, “We will provide whatever the teachers need. I’m a big believer in making sure that they have all the resources they need, all the training that they need, but someone else needs to do it all, because I’m not that guy. I’m just a really great social media figurehead who’s learned that it’s all about the self-promotion, baby!”
Spinster said his primary focus thus far has been on coaching the principals on how to keep their heads down and not bother him.
“My goal is always to help them (the principals) become independent instructional scapegoat leaders. That’s what I want – they are a vital cushion between me and accountability,” Spinster said.
The principals are then expected to share that expertise directly with their teachers, because if teachers would just shut up as well, then even fewer irritations can make it up the chain of command.
“I believe principals should be routinely in classrooms, daily. Whether that’s to give feedback or just to observe what’s going on or interact with kids and interact with staff, they should be visible. They should be in classrooms. They should know what’s going on in those classrooms and making sure that our students are successful,” Spinster said. “Because if they would just do everything, including my job – without complaining or bringing me issues, that’s exactly what they are there for.”
Gone confirmed that Shamblin has been putting many more classroom visits on his schedule this year, but she was not sure what impact those visits were having.
The unnamed teacher said their class had received a handful of visits from a principal, but the feedback was very limited and did not lead to any productive changes.
The teacher said they have independently researched and implemented ways to improve test scores, but said none of that came from Spinster or other administrators. The teacher expressed concern Spinster would get credit if test scores in that class improved. “I know that Spinster thinks of himself as the testing guru, but none of us has seen any evidence of that,” they said.
Gone said part of the problem is that Fed Hock has not been replacing staff who leave in an effort to stave off a budget deficit.
“We’re constantly expected to do more with less,” Gone said. “So like, we’re being told that test scores are bad, this is our fault — like, that’s the message I feel like I’m getting. But we’re not being given support to change that.”
Spinster is confident his efforts will soon bear fruit.
“I’ve seen this happen over and over and over everywhere I’ve been. And I should know, as I’ve been a LOT of places for very short periods of time before I’m asked to leave – or find some other out. There’s always pushback – against me. There’s always anxiousness – because they’re afraid I might clock them good if they disagree. But as soon as the results start to come in, then the non-existent people in my head go, ‘Oh, it did work,’” he said. “I mean, look at those gaming consoles I gave away. I’m certain that improved test scores. This was the entire centerpiece of my strategy and I’m sure that it will work. And if it doesn’t, I have plenty of other people to blame. I mean, I get the credit if the scores go up, and if the scores don’t go up, it won’t be my fault. It’s a total win-win for me – although I’ll be sad if I don’t get that $5000 testing bonus.”
The “bored” appears to be behind him, despite some controversy around his previous employment and his behavior on social media, as reported by the Athens Independent. Spinster said some of his press coverage has overrepresented a small number of critical voices in the district, and in a completely and intentionally dishonest statement, insisted the vast majority of residents want him to stay the course.
But Gone said the mood in the district is not good, especially after Shamblin’s nonrenewal.
“Teachers are upset. Students are upset,” Gone said. “It’s disheartening.”
The Take Away
Nothing triggers a narcissist like accountability.
The second you call them out, their rage erupts – not from innocence, but from exposure. They’ll twist facts, rewrite history, and paint you as the villain. Suddenly, you’re “crazy,” “too sensitive,” or “making things up.”
But their fury isn’t denial, it’s guilt. They can’t handle truth, so they gaslight, deflect, and play victim. It’s not about reality; it’s about protecting their ego and keeping you confused.
Don’t be fooled. Their anger proves they’re caught, not wronged. The louder they scream, the more they reveal.
Stand firm. Their lies can’t erase the truth, no matter how hard they rage against it.
The King has literally said the vast majority of residents want him to stay the course. It is time to show up and stand up for our community, our schools, our children, and the staff who work with them. It is time to be present when it counts.
There are two school board meetings coming up – one on Tuesday, May 13 at 7PM at the MS/HS Library to discuss the future of our beloved high school secretary. There will be nothing done in public, but your presence is important to show support for our staff who has been bullied all year.
The second meeting is the regular monthly meeting of the board, and will be held on Tuesday, May 20 at 6PM, also scheduled for the MS/HS Library. (This author believes that it needs to be moved to the auditorium to accommodate the crowd.)
Please show your support for Federal Hocking by wearing your Lancer gear, and if you don’t have that, something in maroon and gold. This is the time. Again, at the second meeting, if you would like to speak, you must sign up for Public Speaks before the meeting begins. (There is a sign up sheet where you come in.) Remember, you may have as little as two minutes to speak, so please be concise. If you find that you cannot get all of your issues condensed into two minutes, consider working with friends to make sure that you get everything out that you need to.
This is also a reminder to board members that just because only one person said a thing, doesn’t mean that there aren’t also others upset about said thing. Given the restrictions around Public Speaks, you will probably need to follow up with the speakers in a one-on-one.
Luckily, chain of command doesn’t apply to citizens – at least they haven’t found a way to make that happen.
See you at the board meetings! If you care, be there!
For those of you interested, here is a link to the original article
