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Parents and teachers press PSD board on state funding, alleged staff misconduct and dyslexia supports
Summary
During community comment speakers urged board members to lobby against state K-12 cuts, criticized a board member's public remarks about parents, and described ongoing concerns about dyslexia support and alleged abuse on student transportation. Several speakers said they have filed formal complaints or will pursue investigations.
Multiple members of the public used the board's community-comment period to press the Poudre School District Board of Education on state funding, special-education and dyslexia supports, and to criticize a board member's remarks at a recent Colorado Association of School Boards event.
Wendy Bergman, identified in remarks as a teacher and chair of the Poudre Education Association organizing committee, urged the board and community to lobby against proposed K-12 cuts at the state level. "Imagine for a moment what $4,000 per student could do here in PSD," Bergman said, citing state adequacy studies and calling for community advocacy at the State Capitol.
Several speakers criticized comments they said Board Director Connor Duffy made at a Feb. 27 CASB event about parents who make public comment. Stephanie Watson Lewis read comments on behalf of Jess Bastel and described a history of parents raising allegations of child abuse on school buses and subsequent legal and oversight actions. Danny Lawrence, who identified himself as a parent of a child with disabilities, said Duffy's statements amounted to "malicious slander." "Accusing special education parents in this boardroom of being non collaborative is a bold faced lie. It is outright malicious slander and I will not tolerate it," Lawrence said.
Multiple commenters said they have pursued or plan to pursue formal complaints and legal action. Lawrence said he had submitted an official complaint alleging violations of board policies GP 3.5 and GP 3.1 stemming from the Feb. 27 CASB exchange and said eyewitness testimony was included. Other speakers referenced ongoing litigation or settlement discussions related to staff conduct in the district.
Parents also raised concerns about the district's approach to dyslexia identification and support. Anna Labeda told the board she remained unconvinced by recent district presentations and said she has heard multiple community reports of students losing confidence and parents spending large sums on private tutoring after school interventions failed. "We have a literacy crisis in our district and the kids affected are affected every hour of every day by our district's lack of urgency," Labeda said, reading examples of local parental accounts.
Sabrina Herrick and others echoed those themes, urging consistent, publicly available policies and trainings for staff who work with students who have trauma or disabilities. Several speakers requested more transparent communication and said they want the board to take visible actions on complaints and policy changes.
Board members did not respond directly during community comment beyond thanking speakers; the board's community-comment rules posted at the meeting say the board generally does not reply to speakers during the public-comment period. Several speakers asked for follow-up from the board and said they will continue to pursue investigations and advocacy.
No formal board actions were taken immediately after public comment on these matters during the meeting; board members later discussed governance and monitoring items and directed staff to continue work on policy and committee processes.
