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Student and parent speakers urge inclusion, cite accessibility gaps and safety concerns at KUSD
Summary
A student and a parent told the Kenosha Unified School District Board of Education about inaccessible facilities, exclusion from activities, alleged policy violations, substitute shortages and a recent staff dismissal for grooming; the board did not respond during public comment per statute.
A student and a parent used public comment time at Monday’s Kenosha Unified School District Board meeting to press the district for changes on accessibility, inclusion and safety.
Elena Kretchmer, who said she has been a KUSD student for 12 years, described multiple instances of exclusion tied to inaccessible facilities. She told the board she “couldn’t play on my playground because it wasn’t accessible” in elementary school and that she was unable to walk across the stage at her eighth-grade graduation because there was no ramp. Kretchmer said she experienced exclusion from her high school dance team, where she said she was told to sit to the side during dances and not join cheers; she asked the board for ramps, accessible playgrounds, and inclusive teams so “every student can play together.”
Valerie Kretchmer, who identified herself as Elena’s parent, raised several district concerns: she alleged the district violated “policy 87 12” when three board members requested an amendment to “policy 435.10.1” regarding teacher prep time and alleged the request was not placed on the agenda. She also cited a shortage of substitute teachers, especially for special education, and said experienced teachers who want to sub must reapply and redo medical testing. She criticized unpaid mandatory NCI training for teachers held outside work hours, low pay for activity coaches (citing Bradford’s dance-team coaches earning a total of $2,000 split among coaches), and urged stronger hiring and vetting practices after saying a teacher at Bullen Middle School was recently fired for grooming a student.
The board did not respond to public comment. The meeting chair reminded the public that, in alignment with state statute, board members will not reply to public comments unless the matter appears on the agenda.
Other speakers during public comment included John Kiel, who thanked the board for support of music programs and invited board members to a Kenosha Symphony Orchestra concert, and Michael Hellquist of the American Legion, who criticized low student participation in American Legion scholarship and program applications and requested greater district help in informing students about available scholarships.
No formal board action was taken during public comment; the matters raised may be addressed later if they appear on a future agenda.
