DEL NORTE- Parents, teachers, staff and students with the Upper Rio Grande School District filled the auditorium at the new school Tuesday, Feb. 18, for the monthly Board of Education meeting in order to have the opportunity to speak for and against a petition to have Superintendent Chris Burr removed from his position.
A crowd of about 70 people comprised of students, teachers and staff were in attendance and a large portion of that number had signed up to speak. The attending crowd was a collective voice of both sides as well as support of the issue at hand.
A petition started by one of the local parents with children in the Upper Rio Grande School District had acquired over 200 signatures within 48 hours according to Camille Medina. The petition called for the resignation or termination of Superintendent Burr.
In response to the petition, several students and staff members spoke on behalf of Superintendent Burr, stating that they not only enjoyed working for, and with the man, but also appreciated the time and effort he has put into the district during his three year tenure as Superintendent.
Medina and other parents voiced their concern that the board and school district as a whole were not being held accountable for the actions and alleged hostile reactions from Burr when problems with students arise. Medina’s son suffered a concussion during a football practice in October 2019 and has spent the last several weeks dealing with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that has been diagnosed by several medical professionals.
While trying to help her son heal, Medina states that she reached out to the school and requested a 504 plan which would enable him time to catch up on missing or late homework and get his grades back on track. In the time since the incident, Medina stated that the school has been less than cooperative and that accommodations have been denied for her son. A 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.
In a statement released by the school in a previous article, the district stated that they were doing everything they could to help Medina’s son get back to regular school and ensure his continued academic growth.
During the meeting several teachers spoke on behalf of the Superintendent, some even stating that if it were not for him, the district would not have the strength and bright future it has today. “Once in a golden hour, I cast to earth a seed, up there came a flower, the people said a weed. It’s sad that we all can’t see or enjoy the beauty in what is happening in our community, especially in our school. I want to use my three minutes to express my gratitude to Mr. Burr for planting the seed,” said Principal Russell Randolph after quoting a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Several other staff members expressed much of the same gratitude for Burr and the work he has done to create a safe and secure environment for the district. “I served on this board for eight years, this is not about anyone’s personal agendas. It is about these students and what is best for them. I was part of the committee that hired Burr. Personal agenda aside, you all have the obligation to work together and not put people on blast. Before Burr was here this place was a mess. He was what the community had asked for. They wanted someone to tell them like it is and guess what? That is what he does. Do I always agree with it? Do I always like it? No, but guess what? Since he has been here, he has brought unity to the staff, and students are happy. Students are happy to come to school and want to be here,” said former board member Ryan Haynie.
One concerned parent, Kelly George, began her speech by signing in sign language, “Hello, I am signing because this school has taken my voice. I heard a lot about working collaboratively tonight, for the students. It is a wonderful statement. But speaking as a parent that stands here with two children with disabilities that are being excluded, it doesn’t happen. I have been banned from this school. I had to ask for special permission to come tonight and speak for my children. We talk about what is best for our children but what concerns me is when my children come home and the best thing that they say about their day is that someone didn’t hold them. Because, yes. The school is holding children and I have been told that they do not have to report that. We all want to see the school work for the betterment of the children but when we exclude them it doesn’t fit in with love and logic.”
George continued, “You also exclude parents from being involved. When we advocate for our children or we have concerns or share those concerns, yes emotions get involved, but you have to be open and willing to listen. Otherwise you will miss that one child. I want to see us all unite for the children but it’s not about the children right now.”
Next, Medina took a moment to speak about her story which was collaborated by the athletic medical professional, Ashley Voss, who has been seeing her son in the wake of his concussion. “My son actually wanted to come tonight, but I told him it was not a good idea. He felt he was ready to speak, but I disagreed. I was worried that he would see staff that he trusts and loves not be so loving or trusting tonight.”
Medina held up a large folder, roughly 3 inches thick and packed with paperwork to show the board and the crowd, “This is the last six weeks of my child’s life and what he has gone through. I can tell you about my personal agenda and that is my son. Let me give you some words that describe my son in the last several months; Post-concussion syndrome, second impact syndrome, traumatic brain injury, sports induced traumatic brain injury, ocular lobe disfunction, whiplash soft tissue injuries and more. These are not made up. These are from 10 medical professionals including those at Denver Children’s Hospital. This is what my son has experienced.”
“Nothing has changed. Nothing at all. If someone would have told me that I would be going through what I am going through now, I wouldn’t have believed it. I love this school and this community. There has been no accountability. None. Yes. I started a petition. And yes, I started it on Facebook as that is how you start a petition in this day and age. I will not deny it. Someone has to be accountable for what has happened and for what is happening to my son. I heard a lot about accountability tonight, but I want to say this; not one person has apologized to my son. Not one person has had the decency to look at my son and say they were sorry.”
Voss spoke next, confirming the statements from Medina and spoke to the attending crowd, “I am a board certified athletic trainer and I provide sport services across the Valley for high school students. I am speaking on behalf of the 10 medical professionals that have treated the student in question. I hope that this community can wrap their arms around the students and staff of Del Norte School District. I have been approached by community members and staff members that have asked if this student is faking.”
“Not only am I appalled by these comments because they can only stem from one entity, but I welcome the opportunity to share this student’s story. Not only did the student suffer an acute concussion in October but he also suffered another traumatic brain injury merely 10 days after the first. Leaving him with the scary diagnosis of secondary impact syndrome. Both happened on school grounds. From that point he was reported to have a very low Glasgow Coma score but during that time his family and friends worried about not only his future but his survival.”
“In the beginning, to describe how bad the traumatic brain injury was, I could never in good faith and still to this day, cannot tell his family medically that he is going to be OK and back to normal. With constant monitoring his symptoms reduced in severity and he is recovering. In the first parts of his diagnosis, he couldn’t even respond verbally to his own name.”
One student out of several finished the night with one quote that resonated with the attending crowd, “In the 11 years that I have been enrolled in Del Norte never have I seen or heard such turmoil as I have seen in the past few weeks. I am not talking as the daughter of the athletic director or the daughter of a teacher, but I am not just a student of Del Norte. I am a student athlete and proud to wear the school jersey.”
“Burr has proven the amount of respect that he has for student athletes. To this day, I know what side Chris Burr is on, he is on the side of the students. There is no reasonable explanation why I, as well as any other student at Del Norte should worry about how our education would change in this next year without Mr. Burr. At least on this part, I can speak for most of the students here when I say that there needs to be a stop to this dispute and the outcome needs to result in making sure the school and the students can continue to thrive.”
After hearing the testimonies of attendees the board went into executive session.