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Parents testify about repeated assaults in Woodsdale kindergarten; board pledges to address concerns
Summary
Two parents told the Ohio County Board of Education that a single classmate repeatedly assaulted young children in a Woodsdale kindergarten classroom, describing physical attacks, threats and trauma; parents said they met with school administrators but remain unsatisfied and two families said they are withdrawing their children.
At the Nov. 25 meeting of the Ohio County Board of Education, parent Jessica Bowers described repeated physical attacks on her 5‑year‑old son by another student in a Woodsdale kindergarten classroom and said the school administration's responses have been "vague" and inadequate.
"My son has been punched in the face, had his throat squeezed, been hit, scratched, and pushed down," Bowers told the board. She said the child also received death threats and threats of gun violence and that at least seven other children have experienced assaults by the same student. Bowers said she and other parents met twice with school administrators over roughly two months but that incidents continued; she said her son has shown signs of trauma and that her family decided to leave Ohio County Schools as a result.
Cathy Nelson (introduced on the record as Cathy/Cathy Nelson) gave similar testimony, saying her daughter has been traumatized by incidents in the classroom and on the playground and that supports (a guidance‑counselor visit and access to a sensory lab) were delayed. Nelson said she first requested the guidance‑counselor visit on Oct. 26; it occurred Nov. 18. She said teachers created an in‑class sensory station because formal access to the sensory lab proved difficult to obtain.
Board members thanked the speakers and said they would address the concerns. The meeting transcript records the board’s verbal acknowledgement but does not include an immediate, detailed description of corrective actions, timelines, or any formal personnel measures taken in response to the parents’ testimony.
The board's public record at the meeting identifies the speakers and acknowledges that the board will address the concerns; additional follow‑up — including any incident reports, discipline, or safety‑plan changes — was not recorded in the transcript.
