Parent: Don’t allow Owen, Moore to hand out diplomas this year

A parent addressed the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education at its Jan. 30 meeting, asking the board to not allow Board Trustee Kelly Owen and Director of Curriculum Jeff Moore to attend this year’s graduation and hand out diplomas.
Michelle Hill, a Van Buren Township resident, said they should not be handing out diplomas to this year’s seniors who were at Savage Elementary School when the false charges of cheating were brought against their teachers by the administration.
She said some of the students, who now are graduating, watched the administration take teachers from their classrooms and walk them out of the building on false charges.
Hill said there have been no apologies so far from those administrators and the students are graduating now and the two shouldn’t be a part of the graduation.
Trustee Owen was at Monday’s meeting, but she did not comment. Director Moore was not at the meeting.
Hill said she had had a conversation with present School Supt. Pete Kudlak on the issue.
In January of 2016, then School Supt. Michael Van Tassel claimed that teachers had cheated when giving the 2015 M-Step test. Four teachers were taken from their classrooms and were walked out of the building. Another who was absent that day, was taken out when he returned.
Students were interviewed without their parents’ permission at the school by administrators who tried to get evidence against the teachers, according to the law suit that followed. There was picketing by parents who supported the teachers. A social media site was set up to get Van Tassel fired.
In October of 2017 the school board settled a federal civil rights case on behalf of four teachers, along with an employment discrimination case. School Supt. Van Tassel was removed.
At the time Sherry Frazier was on the school board. She supported the teachers and had not been named in the suit, but Owen and Moore were named. Settlement details were not released, but Frazier, who now serves as a Van Buren Township Trustee, at the time said the school district paid $500,000 in attorney fees to fight the suits.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board:
• Heard a presentation on attendance and truancy by John Leroy, director of human resources, Aleisa Pitt, Tyler Elementary School principal, and the team that had been set up to bring all of the schools in the district “on the same page” for handling truancy;
• Approved Board of Education Operating Procedures with amendments. The procedures were presented at the last school board meeting for review;
• Approved the BHS band field trip to Disney World in Orlando, FL on Nov. 8-12. There are about 200 students involved, grades 9-12, and cost is $2,000 per student which the students will pay. Fund raisers also will help. Travel is by air. Director Nicholas Taylor said every four years the Marching Band students are rewarded with this trip opportunity for their hard work and dedication to the band and program. The band will participate in Disney performances and workshops;
• Approved the BHS Cross Country Summer 2023 Camp at Van Buren State Park in South Haven, July 24-27. From 20 to 30 students in grades 9-12 will be involved at a cost of $100 to $175 each. It will be self-financed along with team funds from the BHS Cross Country Program. The trip is by car with coach/chaperone drivers. The goal is to provide an opportunity to connect with teammates and coaches through running and other outdoor activities, along with promoting leadership and communication skills;
• Approved the resignation of BHS math teacher Aaron Bradley, who had less than one year of service, as of Feb. 3;
• Approved the employment of Brianna Ynclan as an Early Childhood Center GSRP teacher as of Jan. 23;
• Approved the termination of building and grounds employee Kyron Carroll, who had less than one year of service, as of Jan. 9;
• Approved the hiring of non-instructional employees: Tayler Babik as a paraprofessional in the Early Childhood Center as of Jan. 12; Jasmine Harris and Felecia Morin as custodians in Building and Grounds as of Jan. 17; Selina Stillwagon as a food service worker as of Jan. 17; Markesha Beverly as a driver trainee in the Transportation Department as of Jan. 25; and Doris Atchison as a sub-bus aide in the Transportation Department as of Feb. 6;
• Celebrated School Board Appreciation Month. Supt. Kudlak passed out certificates that contained a picture to each school board member and thanked them for their service; and
• Met in closed-door session, per the guardian’s request, to discuss potential reinstatement of Student 21-22-058 for the 2022-23 school year. The student was expelled during the 2021-22 school year and came before the Reinstatement committee for consideration of reinstatement after the expiration of the expulsion period. After coming back into open session, the board voted to reinstate the student with conditions.