A parent, Katie Glenn, has claimed her child has faced malicious bullying by students, staff and students at both Bent elementary and Washington. Glenn approached the board at a Wednesday meeting and her mic was muted and the lights were turned off.
“I know the first time I came in I was one minute late. They said they would get the board for me. But they ended up not being able to because it was ‘too late’ the second time I came in for meeting I wasn’t late. I wasn’t early. It was literally 6:29 p.m. Then they watched me sign wrong board and said they would get the right board for me and a bald man with no police uniform never returned as I waited by the two police in uniform to sign board that never came,” said Glenn.
Glenn said she has been corresponding with Sherrilyn Thomas, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, and Glenn said Thomas said in an email that last Wednesday evening she spoke with Board President Wylie and Superintendent Reilly to make them aware of the concerns Glenn shared with her.
“She [Thomas] didn’t report any new complaints when the head [Wylie] went around the table and asked. At the end of last person turn on the commenting I came up there and sat and waited my turn. I walked up and started to speak and the mic was turned off. The hammer was slammed. She [Thomas] didn’t acknowledge me at all then I said her name. She turned around when I said her name and looked me right in the eye and turned her back on me and followed them out as they walked away. They turned the lights off,” said Glenn.
This is on the District 87 website:
Public Comment Protocols are as follows
- Individuals must sign up to speak prior to the start of the board meeting.
- Sign-up sheets will be available up until five minutes prior to the start of the Board meeting for members of the public to sign up to speak.
- Individuals will be called to address the Board in the order in which they signed up to speak.
- Individuals will only be allowed to speak once.
- The first name called will proceed to the microphone; the second name will proceed to the “on deck” chair located to your left of the microphone
- When you are prompted to begin speaking, please state your name before addressing the board.
- Individuals will address the Board, not the audience and will have five minutes to speak (there is a timer on the screen where you can view your time remaining during your five minutes).
- At the end of the five minutes, a buzzer will sound indicating your time is up. At the time, please step away from the microphone. The “on deck” person will then approach the podium and the next “on deck” name will be called.
- The School District expects mutual respect, civility, and orderly conduct among all people on school property or at a school event. No person shall behave in an unsportsmanlike manner or use vulgar or obscene language or gestures.
- Please allow others to share their comments without interruption.
Several community members shouted at board members amidst the muted mic and lights being turned off. Shouts like, ‘Let her speak.’ One community member shouted profanity and has been banned from all D87 schools.
Cities confirmed email correspondence between Glenn and Thomas started on Monday after Wednesday’s board meeting. Reilly told Cities they reached out to the parent who was muted the next day.
“One individual attempted to address the board in public comment that did not sign up to speak prior to the meeting. Mrs. Thomas reached out to that individual, [Katie Glenn,] the next day,” said Barry Reilly, District 87 Superintendent.
Glenn said Reilly lied and she tells Cities she attempted to speak at a board meeting prior to the last one but was a minute late.
“The officers asked why I was there and I told them my story,” said Glenn. “They knew who I was for sure by the second meeting [this past board meeting] Making me feel like they purposely didn’t get the correct sign up sheet back for me to sign. The board knew who I was because I filed a report to the board, then I was directed to Sherri Thomas regarding the incidents involving my son.”
There is email correspondence that confirms Glenn expressed she would address the board and that the board was filled in on her grievances with staff and treatment of her son prior to Wednesday’s meeting.
The contents of the emails cannot be shared as District 87 has a distribution disclaimer attached to the bottom of their emails.
“One individual arrived after the start of the board meeting [which is 6:30 pm] and the sign up period was closed,” said Superintendent Barry Reilly.
The kind of meetings where we discuss community issues that impact the community & our schools where we brainstorm potential solutions through working together. I will be happy to share those organizations with you once we have met.