Parent says son was assaulted twice; raises concerns about district handling

Nicole Kelly, a parent of a fourth-grade student at Westchester Elementary, told the Kirkwood R-VII school board during public comment that her son has been assaulted twice by the same student and that one incident fractured his hand. "My name is Nicole Kelly and I'm a parent of a fourth grade student at Westchester and I have recently gone through an experience where my son has been assaulted two times by the same student," she said.

Kelly said she contacted the school principal and "Dr. Bailey" and that she received a bullying report and emails from the district last Friday. She said she believes violent situations are not being handled appropriately and that it is unacceptable "that I have to file a police report separately outside of the school district." The parent added that other families at Westchester have had similar experiences this year.

Board policy on public comment limits speakers to three minutes and, as the board's chair explained at the start of the meeting, board members do not directly respond to speakers about personnel matters during the public meeting. The chair told the audience that if a response is required, the appropriate individual will be in touch in the days following the meeting.

The board did not respond directly during the meeting to Kelly’s remarks; the public comment record is on file with the district and Kelly said she had documentation she provided to district staff.

The meeting moved on to board business; the district did not announce any immediate disciplinary actions during the public comment period.