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Students and staff urge stronger safety, communication and protections after bathroom incidents and reported ICE activity
Summary
Multiple public commenters told the Evergreen board they feel unsafe: a student described men entering a girls' bathroom, an educator reported ICE activity near schools and asked for clearer protocols and communication, and a parent cited delays and alleged mocking of staff in district correspondence around safety concerns.
Three public commenters raised safety and communication issues during the meeting.
A senior at Evergreen High School, Carmen Schillmakers, described incidents she said involved "two men come into our bathroom and go into a stall with one girl," and told the board that staff had responded by saying there was "nothing they could do about it." She asked the board why girls are left feeling unsafe in the bathroom and urged the board to "put a stop to it." (Public comment: Carmen Schillmakers.)
An educator, Danielle Cermak, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers had been present in the community and circulating near schools and buses, and that immigrant families are avoiding school supports because of fear. She asked what the district’s safety protocol is when verified law‑enforcement activity, including ICE, is near a school or bus route, whether training is sufficient for staff when administrators are not available, and whether the district can improve communication to families about such presence. (Public comment: Danielle Cermak.)
Parent and community member Camille Lohman described delays in getting safety and security protocol information from district staff and presented an email obtained through a public records request dated Aug. 30, 2023, in which she said district director‑level staff drove to check on teachers picketing during a 2023 work stoppage and then mocked them in a reply. Lohman asked whether mocking staff for advocating is acceptable and said she has observed students jumping a playground fence at Emerald Elementary; she urged the board to take staffing and safety concerns seriously.
Board members responded by asking for follow up and additional information on specific complaints. One trustee said they would seek more details about the claims raised by Carmen Schillmakers and Camille Lohman. The transcript does not record a district policy change or immediate remedial action taken during this meeting.
