Whitehall board defends decision to move student play after safety concerns; community protests handling of chaperone investigation

The Whitehall School District board heard an administrative update on a student drama production that district leaders decided should not be presented to the entire school and instead was performed at the Montana Thespian Festival in Missoula.

District attorney Miss Cleve told the board the administration conferred with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services and a suicide-prevention coordinator, and consulted Montana Thespian Project staff, who had site resources to help students with triggering material. Miss Cleve said the district concluded the subject matter—which she described as involving suicide—was not appropriate for a full school assembly and that the production’s relocation followed established legal precedent allowing school officials to make curricular and assembly decisions.

Public comment that followed was extensive and sharply divided. Several residents praised the administration’s choice as protecting students, while a number of parents, community members and current and former drama participants said the decision and the way the district handled follow-up matters—especially the treatment of a chaperone named in public comments, Liz Pullman—were mishandled and lacked clarity.

Mark Brown told the board he respected the district’s authority to decide what is appropriate for students but said the conduct around the follow-up “has been mishandled from the beginning,” and urged the board to shed light on the process. Multiple speakers said a staff member was asked for keys and told she was being removed from the building; some asserted she had been fired while administrators said an employee chose to resign and that extracurricular contracts expire at season end.

Parent and chaperone Tim Schober said he was not interviewed about the incident despite being the other chaperone present; he said information in a district letter contained inaccuracies and that keys to a van had been in Pullman’s possession. Student speakers and residents, including Katie Chadwick and Samara Burnett, urged that community discussion of suicide can help students and that resources should be available to support students struggling with ideation.

Several commenters criticized district leaders’ media appearances. Stevie Feamey criticized administrators for appearing on a controversial local radio show, while Jason Salvani, the activities director, said the administration was reactive to media coverage and defended the way leaders handled media interviews.

The district attorney told the board administration interviewed staff and students, spoke with parents and concluded there were instances of insufficient supervision on the trip and at least one situation that endangered a student’s welfare. She said parents were spoken to but declined to provide details about individual children citing privacy.

The board did not take formal action in response to public comment during the meeting; the chair closed the public-comment period after the two-minute speaking limit and adjourned the meeting.