Quincy In a prepared statement on Friday, Quincy Superintendent Todd Pettit stated that following a district response and the implementation of corrective action in November, investigations conducted by Quincy Public Schools (QPS) and the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) found no credible evidence to show that the behavior of two physical education teachers at Denman Elementary School, which DCFS deemed to be wildly inappropriate, ever continued.
Pettit’s letter was sent two days after a parent of a Denman kid informed the Quincy School Board that school personnel had taped her 6-year-old daughter’s lips shut during physical education class.
On Friday, Muddy River News reached out to more parents who had earlier reported that their kids had been taped and spanked. Those parents said they will make a statement shortly and declined to speak in public on Friday.
Pettit was contacted by Muddy River News to inquire about his letter. But according to an automatic reply to an email sent Friday to Pettit’s school district email account, he is on vacation and will be back at work on July 7.
Late Friday afternoon, Communications Officer Anna Oakley sent a statement to parents, teachers, and the media via email, signed by Pettit on behalf of the seven members of the Quincy School Board.
Following a parent’s request, a DCFS investigation was carried out in November and found that Denman teachers Kim Kirby and Jennifer Oitker regularly taped over students’ mouths when they spoke and gave them birthday spankings, making them afraid to tell their classmates and friends that it was their birthday. Although the teachers’ activities were deemed highly inappropriate in the DCFS report, they were not illegal because they lacked any sexual overtones.
According to the DCFS investigation, there was not enough proof to prove that there had been any instances of a significant danger of bodily harm to the anonymous student or any of the unidentified minor victims of the claimed physical abuse. According to (unnamed student), the episodes did not cause him any pain; rather, they caused him discomfort, which is why he did not enjoy them. These occurrences do not fit the criteria for a substantial danger of child abuse, even though they seem wrong in nature.
The Novbember accusation finding was described as baseless in the DCFS report.
According to Pettit, the QPS administration made it apparent to all parties involved that such actions, such as giving out tape, having kids put tape in their own mouths, or giving birthday spankings, are unacceptable in any educational environment, regardless matter how amusing they may seem. On November 15, the administration took corrective measures in accordance with Illinois law.
According to Pettit, all staff members completely participated with the internal and DCFS investigations, however the actions taken in the wake of the Denman instances have not been made public since they involve personnel matters.
It is crucial to stress that a DCFS judgment of unsubstantiated does not imply that QPS accepted or approved of the behavior. According to Pettit, we didn’t.
In his letter, Pettit stated that the Denman’s actions had stopped after November and that the district has since received more parental concerns. According to him, interviews have been conducted with 36 parents and pupils, hours of surveillance footage have been examined, and 21 staff members have stated in interviews that they have not seen or taken part in any more tape-related or spanking incidents since November.
“Every report has been taken seriously,” he stated. We have conducted exhaustive and open follow-up investigations.
At its meeting on Wednesday, June 25, Brooke Wells informed the Quincy School Board that her 6-year-old daughter had told her, in tears, last month that school personnel had taped her lips shut during physical education class sometime around Easter.
According to what my daughter told me, one adult held her arm while the other covered her mouth with tape. According to Wells, that is physical restriction. There was no game here. There was no miscommunication here. My daughter informed me exactly what had happened. She identified the adults. She didn’t fabricate this, and she didn’t harm herself in this way.
“They made it fun,” she remarked. It’s not enjoyable. Grooming is that. It was an effective way to trick a toddler into remaining silent. At the time, my daughter didn’t tell anyone because she believed she wasn’t permitted to.
According to Pettit, as of June 25, every complaint submitted to QPS has been looked at. He added that in April, DCFS carried out a second inquiry. Because the complaint report lacked particular dates, times, or individuals, or because there was insufficient evidence, the claims were deemed unsubstantiated.
Additionally, Pettit addressed offensive and false remarks that were making the rounds on social media, directed at Denman employees and teachers throughout the district.
He commented that these allegations are completely unfounded and seriously harm the committed professionals who put in countless hours on behalf of our pupils. We strongly support our employees and deny unfounded allegations that compromise their integrity and reputation.
In her email, Oakley informed Muddy River News that the district would not be allowing any more interviews regarding Kirby and Oitker’s employment status for the next school year.
At the Quincy School Board’s meeting on Wednesday, Laura Shaw, a parent of a child enrolled in Quincy Public Schools, stated that if parents and students’ worries about the situation are minimized, it may discourage children from reporting future incidents of inappropriate touching or abuse. Because of their bad ethics and lack of common sense, she referred to the two teachers as a liability to QPS.
