I am writing in response to the article on the front page of the Whidbey News-Times March 7 regarding the report of inappropriate behavior by a PE teacher at North Whidbey Middle School. As a former school administrator and a parent with a 12-year-old daughter at NWMS I am deeply disturbed by this situation.

My daughter came to me last night and shared with me the “rumors” that were going around about this teacher. We discussed rumors and the importance of being aware that sometimes things are said that are not true. I told her I would contact the school to find out if there was any merit to what she had heard. What a surprise it was to see the article regarding this very situation on the front page of the paper this morning.  

The response that this student and her parents received regarding this situation is shameful. Will the school district be paying the counseling bills associated with this student’s newly acquired trust issues?  Contacting the local authorities immediately is imperative. The legal guidelines regarding the reporting of incidents, especially with children and other vulnerable people, is quite clear. 

We as stewards within the community are charged with ensuring a safe, nurturing environment for our children to learn, grow and become productive members of our community.  

Internal “investigations” are rarely expeditious and more often serve as delay tactics for administrators to “handle the PR situation” surrounding these incidents.

We teach our children to be accountable for their behavior yet our local school district seems more concerned with self preservation than the rights of the students, parents and the community they serve. 

This teacher has had a number of incidents reported and my faith in our local school administration continues to decline.  I am looking forward to an expeditious and thorough investigation by our school board regarding the school leaders’ disgraceful response to this situation. They are legally, ethically and morally obligated to protect our children.

If this situation had been handled the way it should have been it might not have been front page news. Now it is, and will be on the minds of the community for a very long time.

At the time of this writing there still has not been any effort by the school district or NWMS to address the topic of appropriate and inappropriate behavior with the students. The students, especially young girls, need to know that they are safe and are encouraged to report behavior that they feel is inappropriate. This is not just about teachers and staff, it also includes inappropriate behavior by other students.  NWMS, now is your chance to act and try to regain the trust from your students that has been lost. Let’s try to be proactive not reactive in the future.  

Yvonnne Krie lives in Oak Harbor.