Parents raise HR and incident-reporting complaints at board meeting after staff bereavement and a separate campus incident

Two distinct citizen comments at the April board meeting raised personnel- and procedure-related concerns that the board said would be handled administratively.

Nut graf: One speaker said she was told her requested bereavement leave was unapproved and that human-resources told her the district allows five bereavement days; she said a lack of timely accommodation left her at risk of job loss. Another speaker alleged a school principal suppressed an incident report and criticized Canton High School leadership. Board members reminded speakers the meeting’s public-comment rules prohibit personal attacks; staff said HR would follow up.

In the first comment, Sue Mutsassen described the sudden death of a close relative and said she was told by a sub-desk employee that the absence would be “unexcused and unapproved” until documentation was provided. She said she later was told by the HR office that only five bereavement days are allowed and that her additional days would be unpaid. Sue said she understood the procedure to leave her vulnerable to job loss and asked for HR follow-up; the board’s presiding officer directed HR to follow up after the meeting.

Separately, Steve Gentilia returned to the board to report on an accident involving his daughter, asserting that an administrator was present at the incident and that no incident report was filed and no video flagged. Gentilia characterized the principal’s leadership at Canton High as “changing the direction of that school negatively.” Board and staff reminded him that policy prohibits personally attacking a named employee during public comment; administration said it would follow up with Gentilia.

Ending: The board did not take formal action at the meeting on either issue; in both cases administrators said they would follow up with the individuals and HR to address policy and reporting questions.