Speakers Press QVSD to Protect Students

Two speakers pressed the Quillayute Valley School Board on student safety Tuesday.

Sharon Millett questioned how the district treats people who raise concerns, while Shannon Gaydeski renewed a demand to retract its statement about the Kari Larson lawsuit.

The board offered no substantive public response to their criticism during the September 22, 2026, meeting and took no vote to retract the statement.

Millett, a parent who said she has attended board meetings since the lawsuit concluded, said residents were asking what the district would do to keep children safe, rather than seeking another trial.

Millett also accused people at the board tables of exchanging facial expressions that she interpreted as mocking speakers. She characterized the behavior as bullying and said some of those interactions were not visible to people watching online.

Millett described a recent conversation with her daughter about reporting inappropriate touching or behavior that made her uncomfortable. She said she had told her daughter to come to her immediately, particularly if anyone threatened her to keep a secret.

Her concern, she told the board, was whether her daughter would be believed if something happened.

Gaydeski followed with a request for the board to reconsider its statement about Larson's case in light of the challenges speakers raised at the September 8 meeting.

She asked for a retraction and urged the board to treat the verdict as a reason to examine its practices and act.

Gaydeski said her previous request to place the issue on the agenda concerned what she described as systemic failures in the district's handling of misconduct, extending beyond Brian Weekes.

She argued that the district needed a culture in which educator sexual misconduct is confronted, safety takes priority and policies are followed.

The August 25 statement, previously reported by The Olympic Herald, was read by Board Chair Bill Rohde with the board's approval.

It emphasized findings in the defendants' favor and used the words “completely exonerated” about the district. It also disclosed an ongoing personnel matter related to the situation without identifying its subject.

As the Herald reported after the September 8 meeting, the April verdict included a finding against QVSD for a hostile work environment under the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

Jurors awarded Larson, a former assistant cross-country coach, $250,000, reduced by $240 for failure to mitigate damages.

Jurors also rejected retaliation claims against the district and Weekes, along with negligent-supervision and negligent-retention claims against Kyle Weakley. Weekes denied Larson's allegations of unwanted physical contact, offensive messages and sexually suggestive comments.

Millett also questioned whether the district was confronting bullying that she said had led students to seek other educational options.

She said her college work involves connecting students to resources, but that she has no connection to Running Start. Students had told her they entered the program to get away from bullying, she said. She acknowledged the program's academic appeal as well.

Millett said the district's new college-credit offering sounded promising, but argued that promoting it did not address the reasons some students were leaving.

Later in the meeting, Superintendent Diana Reaume reported enrollment below budget projections and pointed to participation in Running Start.

She said about 34 students were enrolled full time in that program and linked that participation to a high school enrollment shortfall equivalent to about 20 full-time students.

The enrollment figures did not establish why students chose Running Start. Reaume did not directly address Millett's account of bullying during that report.

The board later approved district and school improvement plans. During that discussion, Reaume said the middle school's priorities included better communication with parents and strengthening the school's culture.

She did not address the public commenters' specific criticism of the district's handling of misconduct.

In other business, Reaume announced an $800,000 state emergency repair allocation for the Forks High School gym roof. Officials said replacement work was planned for early spring 2027, with completion required by June. The board approved an architectural agreement for the project.