Junior Havin Bradley woke up to her phone buzzing nonstop with texts.

When she looked, she found dozens of screenshots from her friends of a Facebook post aimed directly at her. Shocked, Havin looked up the post. It was displayed on the public page Flower Mound Cares.

As Havin scrolled through the page, she found that these kinds of posts weren’t out of the ordinary.

“It’s a lot of negativity. A lot of singling people out,” Havin said.

The woman who put up the post, Elyse Franks, complained about an incident at the previous night’s football game. The post, which had hundreds of comments, was sent to everyone involved in cheer including coach Nema House.

“I was upset that a community member would use social media to shame one of our cheerleaders,” House said. “Because regardless of whether the cheerleader’s actions were right or wrong, she is a child.”

The second she saw the post, Havin knew it was about her.

“That was me, but everything she said was inaccurate,” Havin said.
• • •
It was the middle of the Lewisville football game. The stadium was packed with people. Havin was cheering on the sidelines with her team, and the cheerleaders were getting ready to perform. Minutes before her team was about to start, Havin ran to the restroom. The line seemed to stretch on forever. Havin thought it would take her nearly 30 minutes to get through—time she couldn’t afford to waste. So she jumped to the front.

Havin’s version of the story differs from that of Franks, as often happens in controversial incidents. Havin says she didn’t tell Franks “cheerleaders don’t wait in lines.” Instead, she said she politely asked the people in line if she could hop in front. However, Franks said she stands by what she wrote in her original post.

“What I wrote in there was accurate,” Franks said. “Everything I put in there was exactly what happened.”

Riley Carr, a fellow cheerleader, said that no matter what happened it was unfair for Franks to publicize the incident.

“I think if you have a problem with a teen… you should just contact the higher authority in the situation instead of posting about it,” Carr said.

But the woman behind the post said she doesn’t regret it. Franks, a Marcus alum, said she simply wanted to inform the community.

“[I was frustrated] more than anything that this particular person had not been taught better than that, and had been allowed to think that she was a privileged class,” Franks said.

Franks, a longtime Flower Mound resident, said she thinks “people need to hear both good and bad things” about the town. This incident was one of them.

“It’s sad to see that the few bad seeds can really ruin an event like that,” Franks said.
• • •
It was the morning after the game and Havin was stunned. As soon as she read the post, she told her mother, Eva Bradley. When Eva saw the post and other similar comments on the Facebook page, she said she was disappointed in the attitude of the members.

“I think it’s very immature,” Eva said. “I think it’s very damaging to Flower Mound. It doesn’t represent Flower Mound.”

While Franks said the post was deleted within 12 hours, screenshots of the thread quickly circulated. Even though the incident was publicized last football season, it continues to affect Havin long after the post’s removal.

“It made her a little upset, just because she didn’t want that reputation [of] being rude and careless,” her friend junior Payton Veach said.

Havin said that the page has deviated from its original purpose. To her, it no longer acts as a community resource, but rather a platform to post public gossip.

“I feel like [Flower Mound Cares] was never meant to talk about social aspects of the community,” Havin said. “I think it’s taken over by a lot of bitter people.”

Though both sides of the story differ, the biggest difference is what the two think about their disagreement being posted on social media for the whole town to see. Havin’s mother said that the actions of some of the adults on Flower Mound Cares don’tw set a good example for the youth of the town.

“I’m more worried about our younger generation and what it’s teaching them, because they’re all on it,” Eva said. “It’s not teaching them anything. It’s teaching them that it’s okay to be negative.”

Comments ranged in opinion, with some attacking the cheerleader’s alleged actions and others defending her. Coach House said that the post was unfair and damaged the reputation of the cheer program.

“It reminded us that social media has many benefits, but can unfortunately be used as a mechanism to post public embarrassment and humiliation,” House said. “[Including] accusations that reflect negatively on our cheerleaders, program and school.”