Community demands transparency after discipline data and staff complaints at Ford Middle School

Dozens of parents, students and staff urged the Franklin Pierce School Board on Monday to publicly address what they described as entrenched racial disparities and harmful personnel practices at Ford Middle School.

Sharon Gold, a resident, employee and alumna of the district, opened the comments by citing state and district discipline statistics and calling for immediate transparency. She said FP’s districtwide discipline rate was 7.6 percent and that Ford Middle School recorded the district’s highest discipline rates: “The highest discipline rate for Black students in our district was 32.5%,” she said. “There is an objective institutional crisis at Ford, and it is disproportionately impacting Black students.”

Several educators backed Gold’s call for data and structural fixes while describing different experiences. Kristen Martin, a licensed clinical social worker at Ford, said restorative practices and certain school structures have helped students and cautioned the board against responding only by replacing leaders: she urged focus on systemic restorative practices and staff supports.

Ariel Sailor, a special‑education teacher, said she repeatedly sought help from her building and district administrators but found doors closed and felt pushed out for advocating for students. “This district often speaks of belonging, but how can students feel like they belong if their teachers are made to feel that they don’t?” she asked.

Amy Walsh, a special‑education resource teacher, told the board she had been subjected to what she described as coercive evaluation practices that she said pressured her toward resignation. “The evaluation process was weaponized against me,” Walsh said, describing multiple incidents she said harmed staff morale and disrupted student stability.

Speakers calling for accountability included union leaders and teachers who said they have seen patterns of retaliation and high staff turnover. Cassandra Collison, who identified herself as a longtime district resident and parent, and others urged investigations that preserve due process but also address culture and retaliation claims.

Superintendent Goodpaster and other district staff listened during the public‑comment portion; board members did not respond to speakers during the meeting, consistent with the board’s stated public‑comment practice. The chair later announced that, after the public portion, the board would meet in executive session to discuss personnel performance.

The board took no motion or formal action in public on the matters raised during comments. The meeting record shows the board moved to executive session to discuss personnel under RCW 42.30.110; no subsequent public decision about the public‑comment requests was recorded at the meeting’s close.