Teachers, parents pack Tri-City meeting over ‘extreme student behavior’ issues
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cascade staff and parent report escalating student bullying, severe behavior incidents.
- Speakers said administrators are dismissive and clear communication or support is lacking.
- District leaders said they are reviewing concerns and meeting with stakeholders.
Cascade Elementary School teachers and parents say student bullying and behavior issues have reached a boiling point, and they’re not getting the support and communication they need from school administrators.
That’s according to most of the 19 people who spoke out at this week’s packed Kennewick School Board meeting. Many described a years-long decline in the school’s environment.
Educators fought through tears as they told the board in the emotional public session that they don’t feel safe in their own classrooms and are facing burn out.
Some claimed that students have been caught repeatedly hitting teachers and fellow students. One parent said that their child was fearful to tell teachers after another student allegedly threw a chair at them.
The K-5 school at 505 S. Highland Drive employs about 35 teachers and serves 490 students living in the southeastern part of the city.
“We appreciate families and staff members who have shared concerns,” district officials said in a statement to the Tri-City Herald on Friday.
“We take all feedback seriously and are committed to maintaining a positive, supportive learning and working environment for students and staff,” the statement said. “District leadership is actively listening, meeting with stakeholders, and reviewing the concerns raised. We encourage continued communication through the appropriate channels as we work together to support the school community.”
One teacher who spoke on Wednesday pointed to a lack of support staff and paraeducators to help them. Parents said building administrators have been dismissive and haven’t kept clear communication with them about bullying and when their students are physically harmed, which has led some families to pull their kids out of the school altogether.
Both teachers and families alike say there are serious unmet student needs that need to be prioritized and addressed.
School board members thanked families and staff for speaking this week about their concerns.
“Supporting a positive and successful environment for students and staff remains our priority,” board President Gabe Galbraith told the Herald after the meeting. “District leadership is reviewing the concerns raised as we work together to support the school community.”
‘Learning is being disrupted...’
Lorelei Lydeen, a music teacher who’s worked 13 years in the district, said she taught through cancer treatment and the emotional COVID pandemic.
She said she’s “never walked away from hard things,” but what’s happening at Cascade is “not sustainable.”
She plans to take a leave of absence next year because the school’s environment has taken a toll on her mental and physical health.
“This year, the level of extreme student behavior and lack of consistent support has created an environment that often feels chaotic and unsafe for students and staff alike,” she said. “Learning is being disrupted and teachers are being placed in situations far beyond what we are trained adequately or supported to manage.”
“This is not about blaming children. This is about blaming a system that is not functioning in a way that consistently provides safety, learning or the needs of all students,” Lydeen continued.
She wants to see the district establish consistent protocols around student discipline, provide adequate behavioral support and ensure administrators are following through when safety concerns are raised.
Just 2% of students faced suspension, emergency removal or expulsion at Cascade during the 2024-25 school year, according to report card data.
Kennewick schools of similar demographics, such as Canyon View Elementary and Lincoln Elementary, gave discipline of similar severity to 7.5% and 1.7% of their student populations, respectively.
Katie Ziegler, parent of a 2nd grader, praised the teachers but said they are being stretched thin. Her child has been physically injured twice by one student, and said she didn’t learn about one incident until her student mentioned it.
“It’s not an isolated issue,” she said. “I’ve had multiple meetings and discussions and emails with the administration there. I’m seeking solutions and, despite repeated concerns being brought to them, there’s been no meaningful change. I think our students deserve safety, the teachers deserve supports and the parents deserve honesty and accountability from our staff.”
Korin Crowther, an elementary specialist teacher with kids in Kennewick schools, said Cascade’s widespread problems have “progressively worsened” over the last eight years.
It’s now severely impacting academic achievement. Staff who try to raise concerns are “often labeled as ‘difficult’ or not caring about kids,” she said.
“Students and staff face significant safety concerns,” she said. “We have regular room clears due to dysregulated students. Staff are regularly harmed, and students are being hurt without adequate consequences. Major incidents are not being reported and KSD safety protocols are not being followed.”
“We are pleading to be heard. We have tried to address this in a more private setting, but we fear that serious injury is not an ‘if’ but a ‘when,’” she said.
Crowther asked for meeting attendees to stand if they had concerns about safety in their schools, and most of the people in the audience stood up.
