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Parent tells Bettendorf board alleged assaults at high school left students without adequate support
Summary
A Bettendorf parent told the board her daughter was one of five students assaulted and said school response and supports were insufficient; the parent called for more resources and said a family member of a guilty party remains employed at the high school.
A Bettendorf parent told the school board she and other families have not received sufficient support after a series of student assaults at Bettendorf High School and urged the district to provide more resources for victims.
"My name is Ally Brezaik. I live at 2621 Freeway Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa. I am a mother to four students who have been or are currently in Bettendorf School District," Brezaik said. She told the board her daughter was one of five students assaulted and that the first report to the school was made in November 2023. "By February '24, the boy had pleaded guilty and was no longer allowed back at Bettendorf," she said.
Brezaik said the criminal outcome did not address ongoing impacts: "These girls have to live with the trauma, the anxiety, the depression, the PTSD every single day." She described medical consequences for her daughter, saying that since a violation of a court order on Sept. 17 her daughter began experiencing seizurelike episodes and has had multiple events per day that required an ambulance trip to Iowa City.
She also raised concerns about continued proximity: "He has a parent who is employed at Bettendorf High School, and those victims have to see that parent every single day that they are here at that school." Brezaik said the district "brushed it under the rug" and that students do not feel supported or protected.
No formal board action on the item was recorded during public comment. Board members interrupted the speaker only to remind her of the three-minute time limit. The remarks were made during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Why it matters: Public comments describe alleged incidents that board policy and district safety protocols are designed to address. The speaker asked for more counseling, clearer pathways to resources, and improved district response for students and families who report serious incidents.
What the transcript records: Brezaik asked for expanded resources across elementary, middle and high school levels and said she can advocate for her child but worried other families may not know how to access supports.
