Parents, community members seek change in Bristol School District administration

BRISTOL, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A group of parents are trying to oust leaders in the Bristol School District. The parents are concerned that a handful or more of formal complaints were sent to the board in the last couple of months.

Over 50 parents and concerned community members met at the community library in Salem for information about parent concerns. At the meeting they showcased multiple formal complaints about the district administration, and multiple guest speakers gave their own perspective on the problems. Speakers included a former teacher and the parent of a 9-year-old student cut with a razor blade.

"It's a climate of fear. there's a number of teachers who aren't here today because they're afraid to go on camera or even being here, having their names associated with it. There's a number of people who I know who are open enrolled who are concerned about signing the petition of no confidence because they're afraid next school year they will cancel their open enrollment," said Kirk Spiegel, a parent.

Over 150 people have signed a petition, a vote "no confidence" for Bristol School Administration.

"Teachers who have kids in Bristol elementary are pulling their kids out. That's probably the worst vote of no confidence you can get. Parents in there all have a number of concerns and issues. My concern is that we're losing good teachers and I don't want to lose any more."

Spiegel has two children that go to Bristol and he is one of many parents who have raised concerns over the past couple of months. One incident in particular has already gained public attention.

The District released a statement after a 9-year-old was cut with a razor blade by another student in September.

That student's mother was at the meeting and said he needed stitches, that her son was listed as a co-conspirator in the incident, and he never received counseling after the incident. The teacher that first assisted the student sent a formal complaint to the school board about how the incident was handled.

The school board did send a response to that teacher. The board says they hired a third party investigator to look into the incident and overall found no wrongdoing by the district.

"It's an issue and I don't want it to get worse. We moved to Bristol because of this school."

Many of the parents at the meeting plan to be at the school board meeting on Wednesday.