Parents, students and community members press Washington County school board on seclusion, alleged retaliation, inclusivity and school lunches

Several public commenters at the Washington County Public Schools Board of Education meeting on Jan. 21 urged the board to address what they described as ongoing failures in student treatment, inclusivity and school meals.

Christina Parkman, a parent, told the board her son — whom she identified as a 12‑year‑old student with autism — was repeatedly placed in what she described as a small, windowless room at Western Heights Middle School and that school staff later labeled the room “ISS.” Parkman said she documented the room with photographs and that an individualized education program team told her on Oct. 17 that her son should no longer be placed there. She alleged her son was secluded from September until that October meeting, was suspended more than 10 times, and that an alleged restraint and a threat assessment followed. Parkman said a state complaint had been filed and that district staff member Melissa Brunson had told her in a Jan. 2 email that Brunson had attempted to contact Parkman in the prior summer; Parkman disputed that account and said she had been raising concerns with the…