Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Student Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and students tell board of bullying, retaliation and booster-club fundraising concerns
Summary
Multiple speakers used public comment to raise concerns about athletic program practices, fundraising that included raffles involving alcohol and firearms, alleged denial of parental observation tied to a student's medical needs, lack of financial transparency in booster funds, and racial harassment experienced by students.
Several parents and at least one student spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s Brainerd School Board meeting to report concerns about athletics operations, booster-club fundraising practices, student safety and alleged retaliation.
Melissa Hoag described multiple complaints from parents about the athletics program’s fundraising and access policies. Hoag told the board that parents say the booster club ran raffles that included firearms and alcohol and that some parents in recovery were asked to solicit liquor donations for boosters. She said parents have experienced a lack of transparent financial reporting for program funds and alleged that some program payments were handled outside school accounting. "There’s a lack of transparent financials," Hoag said. "Payments made to this program have been cashed and housed by a booster club, not the school board." She urged the board to require standardized, transparent operations for athletics and to follow district policy.
Natasha Hamilton and her son described what they said was retaliation and racialized mistreatment that has left their family reluctant to speak up. Hamilton said her son was denied access to bus video under circumstances she believed implicated FERPA and that formal complaints had not been resolved within the district’s timelines. Her son addressed the board and recounted incidents where he said peers used racial slurs and targeted him at lunch and on the bus. "One of the questions [on a school climate survey] was, 'Do you feel safe at school?' I had to put 'sometimes' because ... a kid cornered me in the bathroom saying 'How does it feel to be Black?'" the student said. The parents asked the board to investigate and to respond to their complaints.
Board chair thanked speakers for their courage and said the board would follow up through the appropriate administrative channels. No board action was taken during the meeting; staff and the superintendent noted that complaints that name students or employees may be subject to privacy rules and described the process for filing written complaints for formal handling.
Speakers asked the board to clarify policies the district uses for booster funds, closed-door practice rules and parental observation at practices for students with medical needs. The speakers requested better notification of complaint outcomes and more transparent financial reporting for athletics.
