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School Assaults Reported in Milton

Milton, Vermont - November 24, 2009

Parents in Milton are worried about their children's safety. Several have gone to the school board claiming teachers and students are being assaulted by kids in school, while administrators do nothing about the violence.

Melissa Beaupre says her kids are scared to go to school. Earlier this month, a student in her daughter's first grade class at Milton Elementary got upset and started throwing things. The meltdown escalated to the point the teacher was forced to evacuate the room.

"Some kid just lost it and destroyed the classroom. My little ones couldn't wait to go to school and now they're afraid to to get up in the mornings and even board the bus," said Melissa Beupre."

That was just one of three physical altercations at the school that day. Beaupre says her kids have also been threatened on the way to school.

"This girl came on the bus, told my four girls she was going to stab them to death, and then a week later the same kid came on the bus with a club."

Another parent says her son was assaulted so badly he had to be taken to the hospital.

"He looked like he had a broken nose. He got the knuckles put to him pretty good," said Patty Ladd.

School administrators say they're addressing problems at the school and are working to improve safety.So far there have been 34 disciplinary incidents at Milton Elementary this year, close to the 38 reported the entire year last year. While the numbers are actually on par with many other schools across the state, Superintendent Marty Waldron says the school is altering disciplinary procedures and improving communication with parents.

"The students involved in the aggression were suspended from school," said Waldron. "If there's a pattern or an escalation or a frequency, there's a few things we really have to look at."

Parent's aren't convinced, telling the school board administrators are ignoring their complaints. While none would speak with us today on camera, board member Jim Lyons did tell us, "We cannot operate the school system without getting information. Information is begin suppressed. The situation is totally out of control."

"I think if you put it in context it is a safe place. If you're the one who's witnessing an event that's frightening and you're concerned about your safety of your teacher's safety or a friend's safety, then it's a very scary event," said Waldron.

Keagan Harsha - WCAX News