Parent tells Sultan School Board he fears for student safety, alleges leadership transparency failures
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Summary
At the March 23 Sultan School District board meeting, parent Dakota Epic alleged potential safety risks involving the acting principal’s family and questioned district vetting and transparency; the board did not respond substantively during the public comment period.
Dakota Epic, a resident and parent, told the Sultan School District board on March 23 that public records had raised alarms about the family of an acting principal and questioned the district’s vetting and transparency.
“I was horrified,” Epic said, describing findings he said appeared in a public Internet search; he alleged the spouse of the acting principal had a history that, in his view, should preclude volunteering near the elementary school and said that the spouse nevertheless volunteers in classrooms. Epic added that the superintendent had twice filed for personal bankruptcy and raised broader concerns about fiscal stewardship as the district asks voters to approve replacement levies.
Epic said he and “numerous parents” who contacted the district had been met with silence and urged the board to adopt more thorough vetting and to communicate more transparently with families. The chair interrupted to remind speakers that public comment is not for naming or targeting specific employees; no district official provided a substantive response during the public comment period.
The board’s public record for the meeting does not show staff or board rebuttal or a staff commitment to investigate Epic’s specific allegations at the time of the hearing. Epic asked the board to describe its vetting process and to explain why parents were finding information online before the district disclosed it to families.
The public comment segment that included Epic’s remarks ran during the meeting’s public comment period; Epic characterized his remarks as driven by safety concerns and by a pattern he said he discovered in public records. The district did not present documentary evidence at the meeting in response to Epic’s claims.
What happens next: the district’s public comment rules state staff may follow up within 72 hours if the speaker leaves contact information; the meeting record shows staff asked speakers to use the sign-in sheet. The board later moved through its agenda without a substantive on-the-record reply to Epic’s allegations.
