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Abbott Elementary community urges board to restore principal, calls for staffing fixes after student safety incident
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Summary
Parents, PTO leaders and community members asked the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board to prioritize staffing and a prompt root‑cause review rather than dismissing Abbott Elementary principal Pam Cica after a recent incident in which a student was left unattended in the office. Speakers urged more office staff, paraprofessionals and a district‑wide review of procedures.
Several members of the Abbott Elementary community told the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board on Feb. 27 that the school’s principal, Pam Cica, should not be removed after an incident in which a child was left unattended in the school office.
Anne Drake, introduced during public comment, said her family’s long experience with Abbott shows the school is “open, accepting, and most importantly, a safe place for our children.” Drake called the episode “an anomaly” and urged corrective actions that do not include dismissing the principal, saying removal would “negatively impact this wonderful school community.”
Multiple commenters echoed that plea. Kate Sharkey, the Abbott PTO president, said the community “wants and needs her back” while acknowledging the incident merits investigation and policy review. Kristen Livingston, a long‑time volunteer and neighbor, said she has seen Cica “wiping down lunch tables, moving furniture, shoveling snow, walking the halls with a struggling student,” and asked the board to “carefully consider the systemic nature of the needs” at Abbott and respond with staffing and structural supports.
Lena Kaufman, a former Abbott parent, described the episode as a “near miss” and urged the board to ensure a proper root‑cause analysis and lessons learned that would be shared with leadership teams across the district. Several speakers said the Abbott office has been short‑staffed and called for more paraprofessionals, additional office personnel, and better placement and supports for students with IEPs.
One parent framed the issue as a resourcing problem: “Our office is short staffed. The classrooms need more support in the way of paraprofessionals and appropriate placements for children with IEPs,” she said, asking the board to treat the staff shortfall as the key problem exacerbated by the principal’s leave.
The board did not comment during the public‑comment period; as the board had noted at the start of the meeting, members do not respond during public comment but will “listen carefully and will follow up as appropriate.” Interim Superintendent Jazz Parks later thanked speakers and said there were no immediate clarifications to offer during the meeting.
What happens next: speakers urged a prompt root‑cause review, district‑level training, and staffing fixes; the board said written comments are available on BoardDocs and indicated follow‑up would occur as appropriate.
