Robla trustees hear teacher complaints about Helen Institute after‑school program; board reiterates investigation process

A Robla teacher and several commenters told the Robla School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday evening that staff and students in the Helen Institute after‑school program have experienced inadequate supervision, delayed staff arrivals and classroom damage, and that attempts to raise those concerns triggered threats of legal action.

Joshua Weeks, a classroom teacher who said he has raised concerns with site administrators and the district repeatedly since last year, described receiving a 1 a.m. text message he characterized as a “cease and desist” from Ronald Hickey, whom Weeks identified as associated with the Helen Institute. Weeks said the message threatened legal action and demanded he stop making statements the letter called “false and misleading.” Weeks read passages of the text to the board and said he would provide copies and supporting evidence to trustees.

The complaints Weeks presented included, he said: delayed Helen staff arrivals ("this month alone, the Helen staff has been late to our campus over 8…