Parents and volunteer raise safety, bullying concerns at Burley Glenwood; crosswalk volunteer says road is ‘super dangerous’

At a South Kitsap School District board meeting, parents and community volunteers urged district leaders on safety at Burley Glenwood Elementary, saying students face bullying in classrooms, on playgrounds and in unsecured restrooms, and that a nearby road creates a dangerous student pickup area.

A parent who identified herself as a Burley Glenwood parent told the board her son, a second grader, “has been bullied 2 times in the bathroom in the 3 years that he has been there,” and that “the bathroom stalls do not lock.” She said school staff and the principal had been told about the episodes but had not informed her or taken steps she considered sufficient. “My son is terrified to go to the bathroom,” she said. The parent described ongoing playground and classroom bullying and said disciplinary approaches offered by school staff — conflict-resolution conversations, apologies and removal from a recess activity — had not stopped repeat offending.

Trevor College, who identified himself as a volunteer who has worked a crosswalk near the school for three years, said the road near the school is dangerous. College, who said he was struck by a motorcyclist in 2023 and now volunteers to help students cross, described frequent close calls for students and parents. “It is super dangerous, and I can send any of you footage of very close encounters,” he said, adding that congestion at pickup creates long lines that make left turns hazardous and increase the risk of a serious crash. College said he has repeatedly asked the principal to publicize safety guidance for drivers and parents and that when he raised concerns the principal tried to ban him from the crosswalk; College said he continued volunteering to protect students.

Tor Johnson, another resident who spoke about Burley Glenwood, raised concerns about the school’s rollout of a “silent applause” policy and described an episode in which he said the principal insulted his wife after she complied with the silent-applause request at a school event. Johnson said the policy was introduced “without getting any input from the community” and that the rollout felt “manipulative.”

Superintendent Tim Winters told the board he had met with parents and school staff about Burley Glenwood and described those sessions as productive. “I appreciate the Johnsons. We had a good conversation today to talk about some of the things going on at Burley, and I think that I really value that when we can sit down and have conversations and work to find some solutions,” he said. Winters said the district will continue to meet with families and staff and emphasized the importance of partnership in resolving school-level issues.

The speakers asked the board to press the school for clearer communication back to families, stronger supervision at recess and restroom security. District officials on the dais acknowledged they are holding school-level conversations and said they will compile feedback and follow up through existing channels, including school-level meetings and written public comments.

The comments came during the meeting’s public-comment period; no formal board action on Burley Glenwood discipline or crosswalk infrastructure was recorded at the meeting.

Community members who raised these issues were encouraged to continue using the district’s public-comment email and to request follow-up meetings with school administrators, the superintendent’s office said.