Bill Rice, Jr.: 22-08-2024, 
Dr. Suzanne Freeman was probably not used to a reporter standing up to her or challenging the alleged benefits of “The Pike Road Way.”
For a while now, I’ve wanted to share details and lessons from the most comprehensive and intense “investigative journalism” I’ve ever performed.
Eight years ago, as a freelance journalist, I spent months investigating and then reporting on very disturbing (to me) allegations involving a new school system in Pike Road, Alabama (where our family lived at the time).
Published by the monthly conservative newspaper The Alabama Gazette, my series of articles focussed on the school system’s superintendent, Dr. Suzanne Freeman, who was also the school’s first principal. The articles itemized allegations that Freeman (and her top assistants) bullied staffers and spearheaded efforts to introduce a radical or “ultra-woke” education program.
In my view, my reporting and experiences identified myriad toxic trends that define today’s America.
For example, from this case study, I see clear evidence of the end result of a “march through the institutions” (in this case, education).
I see the authoritarian and intimidating tactics employed by leaders who are passionate “true believers” and how certain programs, once implemented, can polarize an entire community and leave dissenters miserable, afraid to speak out and often fired.
In short, take-aways from my expose’ on “Pike Road Schools” mirrored the same global trends I’ve written about for two years on Substack.