GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A former Green Bay Area Public School District teacher says one district school has become unsafe for students and staff.
At a recent board meeting, Washington Middle School Sixth Grade Teacher Kerstin Westcott announced her resignation.
Westcott says disobedient students have taken over the school, constantly inflicting ‘physical, verbal, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse’ on fellow kids and staff members on a regular basis.
Addressing district administration and the school board, Westcott said “our students have the right to go to school and be safe, and your employees have to the right to go to work and be safe,” claiming that is not currently the case.
Westcott provided a list of transgressions she claims occurred within the recent past of the June 5 board meeting. Examples included.
“A teacher was taken away in an ambulance with a bleeding head wound caused by a fight among three students………….A student was held down on a table and his legs put into vice grips so that other students could take his shoes.”
Westcott also provided examples of the angst she says the school environment has caused staffers.
“One of my teachers wakes up every single Sunday night at around 2 am and throws up in anticipation of the week starting…………….”We (teachers) exhibit symptoms of PTSD because we live in trauma from 7:30 am to 3 pm every single day.”
Westcott claims numerous colleagues spent part of the 2016-17 school year on leave due to stress.
She says that resulted in the remaining teachers having to take on extra classes, often without being left a lesson plan or class roster, since substitutes were unwilling to step foot in Washington.
Westcott, who spent the last nine of her 12 years in the GBAPSD at Washington, says things took a turn for the worse in the past five years, with the most notable change happening this past school year.
She says previously good students have had to adapt their behavior in an effort to survive.
“Our at risk school has no chance of survival if drastic action is not taken right now.”
At the board meeting, Westcott called on the district’s superintendent.
“Dr. (Michelle) Langenfeld, what are you going to do differently? Your teachers and students are abused, harassed, violated, and put in danger every single day.”
Westcott says she is unsure when action will be taken.
“Just last week, a student told multiple people, multiple times, (quote) ‘I’m going to shoot up everyone in this school.’ Is it going to take someone getting killed for you to finally take the drastic action that is needed?”
Westcott calls on the district to provide stability for Washington, citing the school having seven principals in the past six years.
She also urges a more strict application of the rules in the district handbook.
Toward the end of this past school year, Westcott notes there was an increased presence of district office administrators.
While she says it helped, Westcott claims that was not enough to get things in order.
In a written statement, the Green Bay Area Public School District responded to Westcott’s claims:
“As part of our ongoing continuous improvement, District administration has been working with Washington Middle School administrators and staff on its school success plan to address academic and behavioral areas of improvement. The Green Bay Area Public School District, like many school districts across the state and nation, is working to adapt to an increased number of students and families that are impacted by poverty, trauma and mental health concerns.
We ask that our community and families be assured that the District is taking all concerns that have been brought forth seriously and has been working with Washington Middle School staff to continue to improve our plan to specifically address student behavior concerns. Washington Middle School staff and its students have many wonderful achievements and much to be proud of and we ask for our community’s support and understanding as we continue to work our plan to ensure student success and positive school culture for all.”
