Video of Petition Explanation

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Section 504 provides that: “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

We are calling for our voice to be heard. 

In February of 2022 we filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Education. 

Our child has suffered due to the negligence of our school system and administration for many years. Our staff members are exhausted, do not have access to resources and do not have the ability to have their voices heard. They are silenced, intimidated and their concerns are brushed under the rug by administration and never reach our school board. 

We have an amazing new special education teacher, a great elementary principal and a well rounded school board. We have dedicated, creative, caring teachers and staff who work with and fight for our kids. This injustice not only affects our child, but every child at our school and all of these incredible staff members. 

The Department of Education has heard our voice. They did an investigation on the Lanesboro School District and have found laws that have been broken and are providing training and compensatory services for our Son Bentley. 

We have been asking for a chance to speak with our school board members and community to share our story.

We have gathered our concerns, the statements we have received from current and previous school staff members, and stories that have been shared with us from other concerned families with children who have been affected by continuous administration problems within our school system and discrimination against special education students. 

It has been an ongoing struggle for us to get the ability to speak publicly and openly with the board members. We have been asked continuously to not do a presentation, to not bring handouts containing certain kinds of information and to not name specific staff members who anyone has concerns about. 

We have been told we have a five minute limit and that we may be asked to stop speaking if we discuss issues and individuals that the administration does not want discussed.

It is not the entire school board who feels this way. In fact, our school board members are completely in the dark on a lot of issues. Our schools hierarchy system and policies require complaints to go through school administration before getting to the board. Our administration has completely silenced the voices and concerns of school staff and parents through these policies. A lot of times administration does not even share issues with the board or answer questions and engage in constructive discussions with our board members.

Our school board members deserve to have access to information regarding our children that is being brought to our schools administration from students, parents and staff members.

This is an injustice that has gone on long enough. We are tax payers, parents and teachers.

Our school board is elected by community members after all. Our school administration works for them; not the other way around. 

We are asking for an open forum with our school board where stakeholders have the opportunity to come forward and have their voices heard and the ability to ask their questions.

We are asking that the current and former staff members are able to come forward to the school board and share their concerns and experiences with administration and the board without being censored, without retaliation or intimidation. Even if they are not a tenured teacher, or if they are a paraprofessional or other staff member they should be allowed to speak without fear of losing their job. We are asking for a longer time limit and the ability to do an uncensored presentation. 

We feel that we cannot have justice for what has happened to our family and the children in our school system without our truth being shared. This also includes the truth of other families, school board members, community members and school staff. We feel that the stakes are so high, every member of our community deserves to know the truth and that our community should have a say in the resolution of issues being presented. 

Our children deserve access to everything they are entitled to and the people responsible for taking this away from them deserve to be held accountable.

Parents, teachers and students should have the right to transparency and to share constructive ideas for improvement and concerns. Our school staff deserves to be freed from a toxic, abusive work environment. Our teachers, kids and families should not have to jump through hoops for resources and answers to have our children's needs met.

If something is done wrong, the first step to moving forward is acknowledging what happened. The next logical step is agreeing that changes need to be made and taking action steps to achieve change. Freedom of speech is something that everyone has a right to, especially victims. 

Sign this petition asking the Lanesboro Public School Administration to allow an uncensored open school board meeting in May where we can do a presentation without a five minute time limit or censorship. Sign so that other parents, board members and school staff members have the ability to speak and have immunity from retaliation if they share their statements. 

Sign so that we can begin making steps towards Justice for Bentley, all of our students, families and staff members .