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Workers and parents tell Oakrove board they face unsafe SPED classrooms, ask for better placement and pay
Summary
Multiple staff and union members testified about physical assaults on staff working in special‑education classrooms, alleged misplacement of students and credentialing gaps, and pressed the board for improved staffing, re‑evaluation of placements and higher pay.
During the public‑comment period on Oct. 16, dozens of educators, paraeducators and union representatives urged the Oakrove School District board to address classroom safety, special‑education placements and staff compensation.
Renee Brotherston, speaking on behalf of herself and colleagues, said special‑education procedures were not being followed and described staff injuries. “In the first 40 days of the school, we have witnessed or personally have been injured…we are working in classes unsafely,” Brotherston said, and asked the board to re‑evaluate placements, follow district matrices and restructure tiered autism classes.
Selena Bryant, who said she works in a mild‑to‑moderate autism program, described repeated physical assaults on staff: “We are subjected [to] getting slapped, kicked, pinched, punched, scratched, spit on, bitten…We put ourselves in between our students and harm’s way,” she said, and asked the board for better evaluation of placements and supports.
Multiple speakers from the Oakrove Educators Association and allied groups pressed for higher pay and called attention to the district’s reserve balances and consultant spending. A union representative read a letter from a teacher described as a single parent who said nearly half of her paycheck goes to housing and that rising costs make it impossible to live in the community. “We are not asking for special treatment…we’re asking for fairness for a living wage,” the representative said.
Other commenters urged re‑examination of the district’s use of contracted instructional aides and substitutes and questioned transparency about restricted versus unrestricted funds.
District leaders thanked speakers, affirmed they were listening and reiterated the board’s fiduciary duty to maintain fiscal stability while engaging in good‑faith negotiations. The board said staff would follow up on safety concerns and that bargaining teams should continue meeting.
Ending: The public comment period concluded with the board thanking speakers; trustees directed staff to continue to pursue safety follow‑up and return with further analyses alongside required budget planning.
