COVID Related Decisions at the Heart of Formal Complaint against School District

Document signed by 217 parents and community members

by Dennis Rahm

A formal complaint signed by more than 200 parents and community members was presented to the Lake Chelan School Board at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night. The complaint is centered around school board decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic

Jacqueline Dalton addressed the board and read into the record prepared remarks and submitted a copy of a formal complaint document with notarized signatures.

The citizen group asserts the school board failed to listen to what the parents wanted regarding a return to full-time school in the spring and also questioned the district’s decision to hold a vaccination clinic for students. Regarding the decision to offer COVID vaccinations to students age 12 and up, the formal complaint delivered to the school board cited claims of discrimination and segregation.

The comments read into the public record by Dalton are lengthy, as is the complaint document delivered to the board.  To ensure complete transparency and to allow for a better understanding of the group’s feelings, both documents can be read in their entirety below.

In commenting on the formal complaint, School Superintendent Barry DePaol said, “Words matter. Words like coercion, discrimination, and segregation are pretty inflammatory and I think they only serve to promote anger and dissension. We don’t want enemies here. We’re asking for grace and understanding in working together as a community to provide the best possible opportunities for our students”.

Responding to the formal complaint against school district actions, DePaoli said he totally respects the viewpoint of those who have concerns and he hopes to continue to dialogue on the matter.