The ISBE has filed 21B-75 Suspensions for Kim Kirby and Jennifer Oitker. The violations the State Superintendent cited for both offenders is:

• engaged in a practice of birthday spankings of elementary students which made some students feel afraid and uncomfortable.
• distributed and/or put tape over the mouths of students when they would not stop talking.

There are signed forms from both women acknowledging they understand the State Superintendent says they violated 105 ILCS 5/21B-75, which is a state law.

This was just announced yesterday, and we really don't know what all this could mean for the students and families of QPS. It's our personal opinion that violating state law should be sufficient grounds to substantiate that moving forward, these people shouldn't be put in positions of authority over students. We think a lot of people feel that way. We're all kind of at a loss for why the district would decide to not make the safety and wellbeing of students their number one priority. 

In short, it sounds like the ball is in QPS's court at this moment and they have 60 days to figure out their next moves. If they want to pass the buck OH WAIT I mean the *ball* back to the parents/community (again), rest assured that we will continue to field it (again). Someone has to take responsibility.

If you'd like to read the suspension agreements Kirby and Oitker signed, you can find them here:

https://www.isbe.net/EQDocuments/Kirby-Kimberly.pdf 

https://www.isbe.net/EQDocuments/Oitker-Jennifer.pdf 

If you'd like to read 105 ILCS 5/21B-75, you can find it here:

https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/010500050K21B-75.htm

... ... We've never understood how since this involves kids, we're doing this whole sh*tshow about it. If a staff member was slapping other adult staff members on the butt, it would clearly be considered sexual misconduct. How would it be any less that when they do it to kids? How would it not be *more* abusive?

Kids can't consent. So if QPS wants to let strangers spank our kids at school (because the adult has fun spanking kids), then they need to put a parental consent form in our registration paperwork about it. (You see how dumb that sounds, QPS?) We have to sign a consent form for someone to come into the classroom and talk to kids about how adults shouldn't be touching them in their private areas, but we don't have to sign a consent form for adults to touch them in their private areas...? That's sorta backwards, isn't it?

Alright. We'll see what QPS does next and keep you posted. Pretty grossed out keeping people who touch students inappropriately out of our schools is something we've been forced to fight the school over, gonna go puke a little.