Sixth-grade teacher Kerstin Westcott held back tears as she explained why she was leaving her dream job at a Green Bay middle school. Police were called to the middle school almost daily in the past school year.
Via the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Lieutenant Jeffrey Brester oversees the police presence at Green Bay schools.
He said the resource officers take the issues at the schools seriously and take whatever steps are needed, but also need help from parents and the community.
“It’s not a police issue. It’s not a school issue. It’s almost a community issue,” Brester said. “We need support from parents. We need parents to hold children accountable.”
Police were called to Washington Middle School 164 times during the last school year, according to a summary provided by Brester. The calls included 48 disturbances, but also included calls that were not related to student behavior.
School administrators say they were already aware of the issues prior to Westcott’s resignation.
• Superintendent asks for community help with middle school (Green Bay Press-Gazette)