STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) –The Stevens Point Area Public School District is making changes to security protocol following an incident involving a parent on school grounds at Bannach Elementary School Monday.
According to a letter to parents obtained by News 9, a parent buzzed into the front office, indicating they were dropping off a pair of shoes to their child, and was allowed to go directly to the student’s classroom. Assistant Superintendent Chris Nyman says the parent was recognized by school staff and allowed to go to the student’s classroom.
Mike Copas’ daughter was in the room when this happened, and later told him the person allegedly said things that were harassing and intimidating at some of the students. “It was very disturbing to me. No child should have to feel that way in the classroom,” Copas told WAOW TV.
School staff needed to be called in to break up the confrontation, including the principal, as the person was escorted out. “We did determine that at no point in time was there a physical threat to staff members or students,” Nyman said.
For Copas, he says hearing his child tell him a stranger allegedly acted this worried him deeply, saying parents were not notified in a timely manner and authorities were not called.
“Let’s not mince words here, if an adult is unstable enough to walk into a classroom and yell at young children, how else would you perceive that, then, as a threat?” he said. “If the intent of this person had been different, this would have had a very different, a very dire outcome,” Copas said.
The district now plans to change security measures at the school, such as keeping all doors locked at all times and requiring visitors to be escorted through the building upon entry.
Moving forward, if parents have more concerns about safety, they can contact the school district directly. An investigation into what happened is ongoing.
