After a recent incident at the Winnebago Middle School, we have found that current policy allows students and teachers to not only meet one on one behind closed doors, but also behind locked doors. When we raised our original concerns, we were told that staff have discretion in when and where they can have conversations with students. While we have now taken this all the way up through the school board, all we ever wanted was to make sure this did not happen to our child or anyone else's child again. It was a normalization of inappropriate behavior and while the administration has hidden behind an outdated policy, we are hoping a petition can get a new, updated policy in place to keep it from happening again. 

Throughout this ordeal we have spoken with numerous school administrators from other districts and leaders of various organizations who were surprised that something like this would be allowed. It quickly became very clear to us that this policy is not only outdated, but needs to be changed for the safety of the students as well as the faculty. To that point, we have started this petition to show that there is support for a policy change of this caliber.

We understand that the board supports the current outdated policy as they refused to even consider updating it after our complaint came to light. However, I hope in seeing that there is community support behind the change that they will move forward with our request, so we can all move forward and put this situation behind us.

Instances like this underscore the pressing need for a standardized policy governing where and when faculty can meet with students. In the interest of student safety and the prevention of impropriety, it's imperative that the Winnebago school board take immediate action to implement clear guidelines.

Current policies, or the lack thereof, leave too much room for unwarranted and potentially harmful situations. Students deserve to have meetings in environments that guarantee their safety and eliminate any chance of misconduct or misunderstanding. Adopting a policy that mandates meetings occur in open, supervised, and traceable locations such as school offices is crucial. This will help maintain transparency and protect both students and faculty.

We demand that the Winnebago school board works with local educators, parents, and safety experts to develop and implement a robust faculty-student meeting policy. By doing so, we can create a safer educational environment for all students.

Please join us in calling on the Winnebago school board to address this urgent issue. Sign this petition to advocate for the safety and protection of our children in school.